The Hawaiian gazette., 1868-10-14
The Adulteration of Sugars.

We give the following letter OF MT. Castle
on sugar, published in the Advertiser of last
week The argument is conclusive, that
color forms no criterion of the constituent
elements of sugar-that color merely deter
mines the market value, the basis on which
the U. s. tariff is founded.
The morality or immortality of making No.
u sugar in the producing country is point
that may be left to those who delight in con-
troversy and discussion; legality or illegality
is the main question. The change by the law
of 1867 of the excise duty has rendered the
statement that refners pay one cent on the
pound for their manufactured sugar, incor-
rect but by the argument in Mr.. Chater's
| letter in another place, it will be seen that
the present excise duty need not be noticed
| in the Calculation.
Honolulu, October 5, 1868
Mr.. EDIToR:-From my stand point, the
remarks of the commercial article in the last
| advertiser, upon the sugar question, seems
erroneous. The United States are not sugar
| producing from cane at leasD excepting
Louisiana, and the high duties upon sugars
under No. II are solely for revenue-a war
measure. Formerly the duties upon sugars
were thirty per cent ad ValOreua, but not long
before the war they had been reduced TO one
half cent per pound. They were raised by
the tariff of 1862, and again, subsequently,
to the present rates.
The refining interest of the United States
| is large one, employing a heavy capital and
a great amount of labor. 1t is a manufactur-
| ing interest; but sugars under No. II do not
compete with its manufactured sugars; raws,
| however, over that grade in color, do come
| in competition with its coffee sugars in the
general market; and the additional half cent
per pound is, think, designed more to pro-
tect great manufacturing interest than for
revenue.
Sugars under No. IL are not really in
marketable condition for the general market.
A very large part of the West Indian sugars
are above No. IL in color, whilst the great
body of Manilas are below, and have no sale
| in the general market, being used only for
refining The duties are levied no doubt
with reference to the market value of the ar
ticle, and that value is determined in sugar
by its color; if under No. H. it is fit only for
refining, and refiners are almost the only pur-
chasers, it being suited only for their manu-
facture. If above No. IL, it is fit for the gen.
eral market, and comes in immediate COM
petition with their products. BY darkening
their sugar with coal-dust its value for the
market is effectually destroyed, for it cannot
be sold as grocery sugar for consumption
until it has been refined, So that the protec-
ton of the refner is more perfect than if it
were below No. IL in color, and not darkened
artificially, for that could be used without re-
fining. The importer of spirits reduces the
strength of his article because he expects to
make more in this way than to pay the high
er duties upon the stronger article. But his
spirits are left in a marketable condition.
The refiner colors his sugar with coal-dust
for the same reason, but has the disadvantage
of utterly destroying lis value for the gener-
al market by so doing.
1t is also assumed that the color determines
the value to the refiner-that the lighter the
color the greater the amount of the material
suited to his purpose, and the greater its val
ne to him. The color determines the market
value, but not the value to the refner. The
larger the amount of cane-sugar, and the
smaller the amount of grape-sugar the
more value it is to the refiner, and dark
sugar, under No. 10 in color, often possesses
these principles or constituents in quantities
and proportions that renders it worth more
to him than lighter colored article which
would pay 81 cents duty and command
better price in the market To illustrate:
in the refinery contracts the price is g-adua-
ted by the amount and proportion of these
constituents, which are ascertained by chem
ical analysis. A given price is paid for all
sugars containing a certain amount of cane
sugar and not to exceed a certain amount of
grape-sugar. If there is any excess of cane
sugar, six cents on every 100 pounds is added
to the price for every one per cent of such
excess. If there is deficiency, deduction
from the price is made in the same ratio. If
there is an excess of grape-sugar, then seven
cents upon every hundred pounds is deducted
for every one per cent of such excess. This
is because its value to the refiner is in exact
proportion to the amount of cane and grape
sugar contained, the former only being dit |
for the refiners use, whilst the latter is posi-
lively injurious, destroying from once to |
once and half its own weight of the former |
in the working. But to the illustration:
Three plantations, in different districts of |
these islands, sold to the refinery on contracts |
respectively about 100, 400, and 500 tons of |
sugar. The sugar of the first analysed ten |
cents, and the sugar of the second, thirteen
cents BELOW the standard, and yet its color
was lighter than No. IL. The sugar of the |
third, analysed fourteen and a h0lf cents ABOVE
the standard, but its color was darker than
No. IL. In the general market the first and
second would have brought not less than one
dollar per 100 pounds more than the third,
and paid fifty cents more duty, whilst the
third was worth from 241< to 271< cents more
for refining than the two first-named lots
To show more definitely how little color is
to be relied upon as a standard of the value
of ran sugars for refining, will state that
IS, 7S1 pounds from the first-named planta-
tion, analysed SS.s8 per cent of cane-sugar,
sos per cent of grape, and sos per cent of
waterand extnneous matter, being 6611< cents
per 100 pounds below the standard in value