New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-22
THE NEW CUSTOMS ORDEh

| NOT TRUSTWORTHY.
Sugar refiners and importers yesterday dlscnsseu
in an excited and indignant manner the recent Cur
| cular of Acting Secretary of the Treasury IL f.
| French relating to the new rates OF duty 10 DE
| exacted on imported sugars. The order was pro-
nounced not only absurd but illegal and III the IN
terest of few large refners having facilities Tor
| working up low-grade sugars, and who desired 10
crush out small reGners, who alone imported hgher
grades of sugars. twas claimed also that III would
seriously agtate the markets. as those having
large quantities of sugar in store which mas not
maid dutles and which will test under the new rules
above "a per cent by the polariscope VIII have TO
nav higher rates of duties Nearly all the refiners
and importers had copy of yesterdays TRIBUNE,
and in speaking of Mr.. French's comments on the
new order said that he had been misled by mlsrep-
reservations.
Conversations on the subject were had with rep
resentatives of Messrs. Havemeyer, Eastwick N
Co., Molers g. Martens, Grnnell, Minturn a. Co.,
j. NJ. Ceballos 81 Co.. Aldemar ~ Fuller, Booth "
Edgar, and others, and the opinions expressed did
not vary Among those having the largest guam
tty of sugar in store and VINO viii feel the effect OF
the new order are Grinnell, Mnturn d Co. 1t IS
said that their sugars will test 80 per cent which
will have to pay to the Government 3l4 per cent
more than that testing o., and, being only worth
per cent more to the reiiner or importer. he VIII
suffer loss of a quarter of a cent pound.
Henry Havemeyer, of Havemeyer, Eastwick *
Co.. SAID that it was an outrage to issue such an
order to upset and Oblterate a law now III force
and in the absence of Congress which failed to see
the necessity OF any change. 1t was actually dis
eliminating against high-grade sugars and IN the
interest of low-grade sugars. The object was TO
bring about the of the poarscope to test sugars
upon which instrument no dependence could be
placed. The pOariscOpe test does not measure the
value of raw sugars imported for refining. Some
sugar testing 80 per cent by the polarlscOpe,
would give in the refining from to per cent less
crystaizable sugar than sugar of the same polaris-
| cope test containing no salt. Another reason why
rcfners are opposed to the pOlarscOpc test is be-
cause of the impossibility of obtaining any two
tests alike. even though taken by the Same person
| from the same samples What the people and Gov
| eminent want is a uniform tariff aud this 1t was
proposed to secure at the last general session Of
! Congress when petition, signed by nine of the
twelve reiners of this city and all of the sixty i'm
porters was forwarded to Congress having that OBJ
| jet in view.
JIM. Ceballos, of ]. NJ. Ceballos & Co., declared
the order illegal and entirely in opposition to the
| opinion of Congress this subject. The stand
which ex-COngressman IL. @. Burchard, now Di-
rector of tho Mint took this question when
arguing it before the Committee Of Ways
and Means, met the views of the importers refners
and dealers, and was entirely IN opposition to the
new order. lie believed the order unconstitutional
because it comes under the authority of Congress
to amend tue laws. He also characterized 1t
Just and unfair to arbitrarily make new schedule
of duties sugar on passage which was
bought under the old rates. 1t was strange that an
order should be issued almost Immediately after
Congress had adjourned, which IS so contrary to
the views Of Congress- and OF rehuers and mer-
chants. Even if il were true that the Government
is being defrauded, he thought it better that Con-
gress should make the laws than for the Executive
officer to establish new rule. If the Government
was being defrauded by an infringement of law it
was shame that the volators not punished.
The use of the pOlarscope gives a better opportu-
nifty TO defraud the revenue than nov exists. The
reason why the pOlanscope should not be used Is
that It is found in fact that the results differ No
two tests bring out exactly the degree of
purity If the test Is applied on moist day the
strength will DO less, and If on dry day IL VIII he
greater. Ii IS not trustworthy and for that reason
the commercial world does not regard u as q SAFE
nfable test TO be relied upon in the purchase and
sale of sugar 1t gives only the quantity of crys-
| taliZable cane-Surar aud not the real saccharine
strength. The p0lariscOpe is good for chemical pur
poses but for determining the real value of sugar
there is nothing easier than to make il untTust-
worthy. To combine the pOlarlsCopo and the Dutch
standard test Is to give greater facilities for fraud
i Nl.A u
porters, and are prepared at any time 10 show our
books 10 prove that we are ana that we have never
! been IN COLLISION with anybody III sugar transact
! tons of any kind, and that the Government has
| never lost penny through u.s."
Lawson n. Fuller. of Aldemar & Fuller, said
that niuc-enths of the sugars coming here were of
! low grades, and the new order would work great
| Injury upon the honest TeGners and importers of
sugars. DIsregardIng the law which prescrbes
Dutch Standard of color as the sole basis of duti-
able value, he said, officials of the Treasury Depart
ment in some of the ports will arbitrarily fix rates
of duty another and totally different basis there
by eudangeIlng all business transactions in foreign
sugars. The reiiners and importers protest against
the crystaZable sugar test as basis of duties AZ
they emphahcay said in their petition to Congress,
! inaSmuch as such measure Is unsafe and impfac-
ticable for the Government and leading inevitably
to controversies between merchants and the Treas
| ury, while 1t also puts into the hands of insubOr-
dnate officials increased facilities for that favor
tism and unfair discrimination which is n PRINCIPAL
cause of complaint against the present graduated
tariff. The result OF the new order Will be that
sugars testing 81 per cent by the polariscope test
will pay cents a pound plus % per cent and
sugars testing 80 per cent by the same instrument
will pay duty of 2A cents pound plus % per
cent. 1t Is not to be supposed that any importer
will have sugar prove test of 80 per cent # he can
save 81 i cents 100 pounds by having it come at
"a per cent. OF course, to do this IT would be
necessary to have an understanding with the in
spectOr TO clOss his eye iItte tighter when look
ing through the poarisoope, 30 that 1t will shut
Out the higher figure.
The other gentlemen expressed the same views as
cited above, and said that the honest dealer would
Disseminated against III FAVOR OF tie inclined
to shaIp practice. IL also claimed that large re
fiuers having facilities TO work lOW-gTdde sugars
would have an advantage over the small reGuers
who imported high grade sugars. II was also
thought that because Of the iueiciency aud naccu-
racy OF the pOlaIiscOpe il should not be used. One
Of the reiners bought hundred hOgsheads Of sugar
Yesterday the price to be based upon the test SAM
pies were sent to two different testers, and while
one sent his certificate proving the sample
$3.50 per cent, the other only proved 1910 Ior
cent Other samples were Seut 20 the same
testers from the same box but with different
the first sample $3.50 per cent proved the second
only $3.50 per cent. The other who proved the first
sample at S2iIO per cent, proved ,thc second one
$3.50 per cent. Tins difference in test would make
difference IN duties of 81 Il cents hundred pounds