The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-07-24
CONGRESSMAN ACKLEN ON THE So.
GAR TARIFF.

To the Editor OF the Democrat:
note in your paper under date OF January
20 the circular issued by the Trea sury De-
partment relative to the fraudulent coloring
Of imported sugars, and also an editorial on
Glucose Manufacture"
Having given both Of these subjects O vel j
careful study, as the district which have the
honor to represent IS Or ply Interested there
in, for the parishes composing it produce
nearly three quarters of the sugar of Louis-
ana and upward of half of that produced in
the St1tes, / thought tho readers of your
paper, particularly sugar planters, would be
INTEREST," N having more definite informa-
tion on the subject
The difficulties that the government officials
have experienced In administering the present
tariff have sprung from the number of diff
ferent grades in sugars established by It.,
under what is termed the dutch standard
Now, as many OF your renders may not fully
understand what Is meant by the "Dutch
standard, / will explain 1t before proce eding
clally colored sugars were imported and the
government defrauded Of It's just revenue
The Dutch standard was first founded on the
theory that color In sugar was cO-efHcient OF
Its purity, or rather of Its saccharine strength
and was adopted by the Dutch government,
who, at the time Of Its initiation was the
great merchant marine power of the world,
and in the broad bottoms of whose great
ships were imported the major part OF the
sugar brought from the East indies and the
Island of Java
When that government found 1t necessal y
to place q duty on sugar for purposes of reve-
nue., it was readily SC en- that it would be in
equitable to impose the same rates upon low
as upon the higher grades OF sugar, md
therefore some line Of distinction betWt IN the
grades had to be drawn.
Cong as have ssid, upon the hypoth sis
that the color was coetficient with the So. :
charine strength, they chose to adopt that as
the dividing line OF value, and commencing
with the very lowest grade, such, Tor instance,
as from its crudeness and the amount of i'm
purities it contained would be unfit for con-
sumption, they marked 1t as q unit from one
to four Each additional gain Of d shade In
color was marked up higher on this scale OF
fixed values.
When we reach No. Z, Dutch standard, we
are still below q grade Of sugar fit for con-
sumption. From Nos. to IS are class Of
rarely ever seen in use
But No. 13, u. s., may properly be called
the dividing line between sugars that are
made exclusively for refining purposes and
those that enter into direct consumption.
From t3 to 16 may be termed sugars that are
semi-retiaed, and these sugars enter very
largely into direct consumption by the poorer
classes Of the country, and, therefore, No. 16,
lDutGI sLttHSltAli. liluy Us IIOptIly LeIIuEu GIH
dividing line between the poor mans sugar
and that consumed by the rich.
Sugars Of No 20 Dutch standard and above
are all pure sugars, free from every tmpurty
and white in color.
Now these standards, arranged by the
Dutch many years ago, gradually came into
use throughout the world, and are now about
exclusively used to designate and classify
the sugars OF commerce, and have been used
as the great basis upon which to levy our
customs duties.
The Dutch officials, under instructions from
their proper authorities, would annually pre-
pare the IS color tests by selecting and Sc VI
ing up In bottles samples of sugars for dis
trbution, which would be designated as such
and such q number In color. The import
sugars wore then compared with those sam
pies and classified accordingly, and the diff
ferent grades thus established are subject to
the duties imposed by the government. AS
we now understand the origin and use OF the
so-called Dutch standard, let US look a little
into its practical workings AS u convenient
method Of classifying sugars it certainly he's
no equal, and were there no duties imposed,
or revenue collected from sugar, it would
work IN all the grades smoothly enough. But,
alas Tor pooI human nature; as soon as the
ingenuity OF one man has been taxed to pre-
pare law to protect the government from
imposition, the skill and brain power Of nun
dreds are set to work to evada the law and
defraud the government. She has few OF nc