New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-21
THE NEW ORDER AS TO SUGAR.

FIC lTIoN OF IMPORTED sUGARS-A TAIN VII"
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRENCH.
iBY TELEGRAPH THE rRJBUNyl
W.surNGroN, July 2O.-Thc following circular
relative 70 the rates of duty to be evaced on I'm"
ported sugars has just been issued by the Treasury
Department.
WASHINGTON, July 10. 1870,
10 Collectors and other o1icerS Of The CUs'omSi -
butch standard in color" as used in ne statutes
means the OF the sugar obtained by the OrdiaF
enactment OF the law adopting such standard. and that
any used 10 degrade The color pr the SUR W.
n or after ne process OF manufacture is iraud upon
ccn q15 Of the Revised Statutes directs that The
secretary of Inc Treasury shall regulation, prescribe
aud require that SAMPLES ron pSSAaEts 81 SUB
soall be taken oy ene WG Iot tIie orsjity Of
a. maj sugars which are not sbov No 2 Dutch st nd
ard nm color and which contain over 80 per ceut ana
not over 81 cent of staz4ble sugar, ahd slSas
above No. and above No. 10. DlJch standard IN
color which contain "a per cent OF crystdlzaOie
sugar. not made by the ordinary process on
lure prsctised the time Of the enactment CT Tue IL"
adopting such standard.
In view Of the foregoing and Of the provisions by
which such quality measured by the DuCh stdhONiN
IN color officers OF Customs hereby Instructed
thai al sugars cOL.aiung 30 per cent ana not more
color Of which Is above No 2, Dutch standard IN
color shall be classified as above No. anu o1 "UoNG
No 10, Dutch standard IN color Al sugars cV.Sl.us
han 81 per cent of crystaHzaoiG sugar, me az
lrer color 81 which not above No 10, zen sIaHo-
ara in color shall classified above No. 10 aud not
II. +. FRENCH, Acting Secretary.
Acting Secretary French said to-day that the
amount of duty collected from sugar IN 1873 wos
about $3.50 800 600, which is more than one quarter
of all tho duties collected from customs OF this,
little more than one-haif was collected upon
of the lowest grade not above No. z, Dutch stand
ard The value Of sugar depends on the the per-
centage of crystallizabie sugar found in it. The
color of sugar for refining purposes Is of no import
ance whatever AS O general rule the purer the
sugar is the lighter ITS color. At the time of the
passage of the Tariff raw the color of the sugar was
n fair index to its quality. The color WIS. there
fore adopted as the standard of quality OF purity.
To evade the clear intent of tho law, sugars were
colored by the manufacturers for the American mar
ket by various means sometimes even by the use
Of analine DYES but more frequently by the use of
burnt moasses applied after rehabilitation 80 that
the CRYSTALS otherwise of very light color received
thin coating which made them appear of the lowest
grade of color by this means sugar of 96.7O per
cent purity which ought to have paid ZIG cents
per pound paid only 2 3-16 cents per pound. The
department seized colored sugars of this kind In
baltimore as fraudulently colored. The importers
at first instiiied their causes They cCntended that
tho law fixed the duty sugar by color alone. aud
that the Government had no right to look through
the outside falS color to the true inside color by
washing sugar Of this kind In pure water moment,
1t became very light TO rate above thirteen by
the color standard. The false color would also
readily come of by rubbing the sugar In the hands.
Take a quantity and grind it fine even without
Washing it, aud it became very light in color yet
the importers declared that this dark sugar,
although it was made TO appear dark for no reason
except to fraud the Government ana take adyan-
tage Of honest importers.
Mr. French said that the position Of those at
tempting TO evade the law may be illustrated in this
way: Suppose there duty Of 50 each on
black horses, and 81 each on white horses, and
a horse when examined was found TO he COW
cred with coating of wbitewash, which could
readily be seen to cover black horse. The importer
might US well claim that such a horse a white
horse as that falsely cOloTed as IN the man
ner described, was dark sugar. The Department did
not believe that tue law could justify such fraud
and dishonesty.
I've therefore, continued Mr.. French seized
sugars at Baltimore, as We had long before done at
San Francisco, as being artfc ally colored to de-
fraud the revenue. The Court sustained our view Of
the law, and held that the Government might show
that the apparent color we fraudulent and IL fol-
lows of course that the aJ gar was liable to be
sessed at the color which would bear if honestly
made. Expert testimony showing the purity Of the
sugar by the pOlaIIscOpe and by chemical analysis
was admitted and I'm both the jury found that
tie sugar was fraudulcntly coorei. The Baltimore
trial was as thorough it possible to make it.
~ importers being abundautly able to avail them
selves Of the aid of the best testimony that il was
possible 10 secure in this country any other. The
California case was tried without any special aid
from the Department, and the ruling Of the Court
und the verdict was the sane US IN the Baltimore
trial
~1he Department has sent experts to Dcmerara
and to Cuba, and is satisfied that regular system
fftt1a riuD
can market. Indeed, find in the paper cI those
countries advertisements Of dark sugar for the
American market. Under these circumstances,
there remained only one course for the Department
to pursue The Courts have declared that the true
color Is what il would bear if the sugar is honestly
made. BY no other course than that laid down III
the circular above can We carry out the principle
laid down by the Courts and 40 Justice TO honest
importers. The profits on sugar fcnnlng are so small
that an importer Tetincr who can gain an unfair
advantage Of one quarter Of one per cent over has
honest ntighbOTs uudeTsell them and ruin their
business. This Department does not propose to DO
"A marty 10 such fraudulent practices, but intends TO
execute the law as laid down by the Courts impair
tallv so that honest importers shall have an equal
chance with those who are dishonest.
'Therels another way IN which the Government
Is deiraudel by these practices. We pay draw
back ON the best refined sugar exported of 3lslO0
cents q pound. COloTed sugars have been imported
If 9S per cent purity, and not above No. IN cglor
and have paid duty OF 26lG cents pound. upon
such sugars when refined and exported, therefore,
the Government has paid IN drawbacks more than
the whole amount Of duty received upon lmpOfid-
ton. The order 20 the classification OF sugar
has been issued for the purpose Of putting stop 10
these frauds both upon the Government and the hOh-
estinpOrter. III is not expected that much litigation
Will arise IN consequence Of this order inasmuch a;
Pl fair minded importers and Teiiners Will see tlAt
/. Is just AID equal IL its operation"