The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-11
THE ALLEGED ADULTERATIoN OF SUGAR DENIED
RY NEW YORK REFINEES--EoW CONGRESS-

fi~nttul uehianus upon TINS VIA qucstVh.
THE ALLEGED ADULrERATIoN OF SUGAR DENIED
ny NEW YORK REFINEEs-Eow CONGRESS
COULD DEAL WITH THE QUESTION OF FRAUD
INTERESTING EXPRESSIONS OF OPINION
great deal having been said with regard to
aduleration and fraud in the sugar trade-fraud on
the part OF the importers and adulteraton on that OF
the rohners-several gentlemen largely interested in
the business were Yesterday interviewed on tho SUBJ
ject by HERALD reporter in order to reach the facts
in the case one OF these gentlemen said
III has been remarked by officials connected both
with the Treasury and the Custom House depart
ments that these charges have uniformly been OF
general and vague character Parties making the
charges said to have been repeatedly asked 20
make them specific but they never did so. promi-
nen sugar refner called upon the Secretary OF the
Treasury for such proofs as might be in the depart
ment substantiatng any such charges of fraud. The
reply of the Secretary that there existed no
evidence His assistant assured the importer in
question that all the documents in the department
relative to the matter we're mere assertions
MR.. HAvEMEYER's VIEWS
Mr.. Theodore A. Havemcyer. upon being questioned
concerning this matter. said
'.In the first place. there is great public mis-
conception with regard the relation between these
only say, as Mr.. David A. Wells says in his report
That supposing fraud to the fullest extent
pected had occurred. it has connection whatever
with the proposed tariff revision and does not call
for any legislation. And this last for the that
the remedy in the of alleged frauds in
sampling and weighing. is purely matter Of adj
minstration and every law necessary for efficient
administration the part of the Secretary of the
Treasury and the Custom House officials already
stands on the statute books
ola
First that evidence of such frauds is totally want
ing. far as New York importers and rehners
concerned and. second that if they did exist tariff
legislation is not the way to reach them. To say
that the Treasury, with all the officials at it's
mand is unable to enforce the present law is to
cuse Secretary Sherman and all his subordinates
Of complete Incompetence. l think they have
proved very satisfactorily to the country the
nonsense of any such allegation. But if
fraud were to be checked by an alteration of the
tariff the at present proposed would offer 800
per cent more inducement TO it than the present
tariff The government supposing its officials to be
color blindcoud at present be defrauded OF thirty
per 100 pounds if importer could succeed in
passing No. 10 sugar No. 7. the difference in
color between which any child tell According
the proposed tariff il the importer succeeded in pass
frauded of eight times the amount. The difference
IN color between these two numbers is almost inn
perceptible.'
ut is stated that much Of the real difficulty has
arisen from the importation of high testing but low
colored Cuban centrifugal sugars"
THAT is precisely the case. There has never been
any difficulty between the Treasury and the import
touching any other class of sugar. There is no
doubt that these lott low coore i'll order
10 evade the spirit Of the law; but those who
charge fraud importers refners in this
ton fire very wide of the mark. The sugars sold
upon their saccharine strength and not upon their
color. the only person benefited being the Cuban
producer Indeed. 1T is precisely these sugars
of duty the rehners the first to
protest nasnuch they foresaw the difficulty which
would arise from their importation in the amount of
lraN M
poration under the low rate OF duty left Secretary
sherman choice but 10 lessen the amount Of draw
back, and this has seriously inrerfered with the
portation of American refined sugar.
Are there any other interests which would be af-
"Undoubtedly there are. The shipping interests
would be the FIRST to suffer. Men like Scion w.
Humphreys and Lawrence Turnurc; who have spent
such tariff would virtually exclude all the dow grade
sugars. The Importance Of this matter to the ship
ping interests be judged from the fact that
the American tonnage employed between the
United States and four of the principal low grade
sugar producing countries was in 1870. 274 tons.
poets of an indefinite expansion. 1t would directly
affect all the men in the West engaged preparing
materials for cooperage to the number of about
twenty thousand; it would affect the national rev.
enue. which would have to be collected from the
highest grades OF sugars produced in foreign coun-
tries it would affect the consumer, who would very
quickly find himself at the mercy of Cuban rehners
il needless to go into the details proving these
sertions they be found clearly laid down in the
report Of Mr.. David A. Wells.
There appears to be considerable cutlery the
subject OF adueration of sugars have you anything
70 say with regard 70 this matter?
Il would first say that have been greatly panied
at the apparent ndispostion Of some organs of pub
lie opinion-and those the most prominent in cir
culating these adulteration canards to thoroughly
investigate this matter What the refiners have to
the present juncture ia not investigation but
the absence Of IL. And IL was this conviction that
induced TO send TO the press letter informing
them that the doors OF my refinery wide open,
asking them 70 send the most competent and re-
liable they had in order that the investigation
might be searching and conclusive possible. BY
that understand that both myself and every man
in my employ was open TO the keenest cross-exami-
nation 10 which they could subject This most
unusual course adopted in order kill once for all
charges which affecting the public mind and in
directly causing considerable distress among my
workmen
THE gEFrSERs DO nor ADULrYIATE.
ut is charged that refined sugars largely adul
terated with glucose ?"
II will FIRST OF all speak with regard TO our own
house Since it first began business. more
than three quarters of century ago. not
single pound OF glucose has ever been
manufactured with mixed with sugars.
IL knew any sugar rcncr ~ be using it for the pur
poses Of adulteration would unhesitatingly expose
him. Self-preseryaton would force 10 do this,
even in the absence Of any higher motive because
firm making sugars We do could stand the compe-
tition of largely adulterating with IT, por-
ton Of the press assumed that the increased pro-
ducton Of glucose referrble TO its in sugar
a.lulteration. The largest producers Of glucose
positively deny that they have ever supplied
a single pound Of it to the great reiiiers,
and this, OF course, know 20 be
fnct Neither has glucose ever been mixed with our
syrups. / am informed that certain people who buy
our syrups glucose with them, and that the pub
lie like the mixture. must say that was rs much
amused ~ astonished at the statement of New
York daily. which called glucose a poisonous con
comitant.' Surely they must have counted upon the
densest KIND Of ignorance "a their readers WITH r..
gard ~ other great rcnners, did not need their Aft
davits 10 be- assured that they were blamclcss in
this matter az ourselves
els there any truth In the rumor about the sugars
being adulerated with murissc Of tiny
As for sugars, they were never treated by us with
murste Of tin For about year previous 10 1863 we
used of tin for the purpose ~ improving the
color OF syrup. tho proportions being one part of
mtrate OF tin 70 100000 parts OF syrup. Since 1860
we have used an atom Of IT..
psNsERs CoSGnEss SHOULD AVOID.
"what have you 20 say with regard ~ the impcnd-
ing action Of Congress n
Merely this The matter IL OF great national
moment and should not be lcgisatcd upon hrrredly
feel confident that the scns.less clanor about fraid
and aauiferaon will not have the slightest weight
with the representatives Of the people: and. further
that II any present action IS Deemed necessary IL viii
b. taken Only after the calBicst and most de-
t44r.