The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-10-10
The AduIiernrion of Sugars.

on the sugar question, seem e-rOueous- The Jnitel
States are not sugar-producing (from cane a; least)
excepting Louisiana. and the high duties upon su-
CARS under No. y are solely for reveuue-a war
measure. Formerly the duties upon sugars were
thirty per cent. al rglorsa, but not long before the
war they had been relucel 10 one half cent per
pound. They were raised by the tariff Of 1862, and
again, subsequently,, to the present rates.
The refining interest in the United States is a large
one. employing q heavy capital and a great amount Of
labor. 1t is a manufacturing interest; but sugars
under No. u DO not compete with its manufactured
sugars; rass, however, over that grade IN color. do
come in competition with It's cofee sugars in the gen.
eral market; and the additional half cent per pound
Is, I think, designed more TO protect a great manu-
featuring interest than for revenue.
Sugars under No. u are not really in q marietta
be condition for the general market. \ 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 il the general market, being used
only for refining. The duiies are levied no doubt
with reference 20 the merkGi value Of the article, AID
that value Is determined in sugar by its color; If IN
der No. II, it j. It only for refining, a9i reiners are
almost the only purchasers, it being suited only for
their manufacture II above No. l., it Is fit for the
general market, and comes in immediate competition
with their products. By dArkeRing the sugar with
eoal-dust its value for the general market Is efectu-
ally destroyed, FOR it cannot he sold as a grocery su-
gar for consumption until it las been refined. 90 that
the protection Of the reiner i more perfect than if it
were below No. II in color and Rot darkeued artif-
cially, for that could bc used without refining. The
importer Of spirits reduces the strength Of his article
because he expects TO make more IN this way than TO
pay the higher duties upon the stronger article.
hut his sufrlt- are laff 80 n marie. AHA condition
The reiner eo'Ors lis sugar with coal-lust for the
same reason, but has the disadvantage Of utterly
destroying It's value for the general market by so do
ing.
1t i also assumed that the color determines the
value 20 the rvfner-;hat the lighter the color the
greater the amour; Of material suited to his purpose,
ami the greater its value TO him. The color does de-
termine the mSrkSi value, but not the value To the
rehner. The larger the amount Of caue-sugar, and
the smaller the amount Of grAps-sugar, the more VAL
liable it Is 20 the rehner, AMI dark sugar, under No.
II in color, Onen Possesses these principles or cOnsti-
iuents in quantities and proportions that renders il
worth more TO him than a lighier-eol0red article which
would pay "a cents duty and command n better
price IN the market. To illustrate: in the refinery
contracts the price is graduated by the amount and
proportion Of these constituents, which are ascertain
e1 by chemical analysis. \ given price is paid for
all sugars containing a certain amount Of cane-sugar
and not 10 exceed a certain amount Of grape-sagar.
II there l. an excess Of cGqS-sHgaT, six cents on
every 100 pounds Is added 10 the price for every one
Per cent. Of such excess. II there is n deficiency, q
deduction from the price Is made in the same ratio.
II there is an excess Of graPe-sugar, then : cents
upon every hundred pounds = deducted for every
one per cent. OF such excess. This Is because its
value 70 the Tehner IS in exact proportion to the
amount of cane aud geaPe-sugar contained, the former
oniv heinz 81 fnr tho r~s-~-'s "ss. whilst the latter IS
positively injurious, destroying from once TO once
and a half its OWE weight Of the former in the work
ing. But to the illustrations: Three plantations in
different districts Of the Islands, sold to the refinery
on contracts respectively about 100, 900, and 500
tons Of sugar. The sugar Of the first, analysed fen
cents, and the sugar Of the second, thirteen cents
BELOW the standard, and yet its color was lighter
than No. u. The sugar of the hiri. analy sed four
teen aud a half cents ABOVE the standard, but its
color was darker than No. u. In the general mar
etthe first and second would have brought not less
than one dollar more per 100 pounds than the third
and paid fifty cents more duty, whilst the third was
worth from 241 to 27I cents more for refining than
the two frst-named lots.
To show more definitely how little color is to be re-
upon as a standard Of the value of rar sugars
for refining, / viii state thar ss,5S1 pounds from 81
hrst-named plantation, Analysed s. 80. =.
clne-susnr, SOC per cen. crana I'd a0s rsr
: OF water and extraneous matter, being Coz
cents per 100 pounds below the standard in value to
rsfaeTs. and yet 50 light in color as to be subject to
q cents duty; whilst from the last named planta-
ticn, 35,I72, rounds analysed 97.ls per cent. cane,
one per cent grape-sugar, and 1.s2 per cent. Of Wa
ter and foreign matter. being % cents in price above
,La a..vJ.r1 .-d -, 81. fa,t- - a.. 49, l,- = .np-a
duty. The former was subject TO a half cent per
pound duty more than the latter. on account Of its
light color, but worth esd cents Per pound less to
the rchner. 42.s95 pounds Of light eolOred sugar
analyEed ia cents below the standard.
The grapesIsar. 30 injurious TO the refner, forms
the swec; principle in honey, which IN its best condi-
ton is almost as white as snow, il i also found can
died in raisins in the form Of white bunches. sweet
to the tsste. The aboye-named facts will make it
clear that the color Of raw sugars docs not and can
not determine their value for refining. as seems 20 be
assumed in the commercial article.
But there i n point 20 which I have not alluded.
IN the foregoing remarks. Docs the revenue suffer
by darkening the sugar? Imported without dsrken-
Ing, j; would ply q cents duty but the Tefners
would no; buy IL, for they could not afford to do 50.
II would be sold for grocery sugar in the market and
the government would realize its q cents per pound
only. But darken il and il eGnH0i he used without
being refined. 1t becomes empha,ically the imported
raw material for home manufacture, and not only
supports the capital and labor OF this great industry,
50 beneficial TO the country, and which contributes 20
much directly 10 its wealth, and indirectly 70 it, reve-
nues by the taxes which mus; be paid into the ex-
chequer from the increased wealth and increased
incomes, but it pays also a direct excise tax Of ! cent
per pound more or less as a manufactured article so
that it, aided benefits are labor for the needy; in
creased wealth and incomes and increased revenue
direct and indirect for the country.
Let me repeat. The impurities of sugars below
No. II render them unfit for use without refining /;
above No. II, they are generally purer, and being
lighter in color, come into competition with a home
industry which it is deemed polite TO protect by an