The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-02
Louisiana Has u Hearing Before
the Ways and Means Tom
mitlcc.
Mr.. Havemeyer. or New York. Fin
ishes His Statements Views
of Messrs. Kenuer and
Wallace. Of Lou-
isjana.


WARRINGTON. F,b. Me. Havepeyer. In
h,s statement yesterday before the Ways and
Means Commlttec relativc 10 the duties on
sugar, referred to letter written by Mr.,
Thurber VI Nav Yrrk tn tho sfrnct that
while In England last year hs understood
from Cuban sources that tho Ame lean tariff
wOuldtbe altered tu "a specific tTif on sugar
this winter. and he daGuo."l from his infer
enoe that the Cuba's were even go early
sppculating on tho vrack uf the American
sugar industry.
MI. Kelly asked him whetker II would not
be good thing to require appraisers 10 re-
duce tho large graaned samples of sugar by
crushing them Ia a mortar. and asking
whether that would not guard against the
fraudulent coloring
Mr.. Havelneyet rcplled IN tho Affirmative
provided TINT the rules w~a made Imperative
on all appraisers. Rl,,i asaiplera. ln cnnru-
sion he submitted ttat the present classified
tariff WAS IA nearly rluttaha IA II WAS plac-
tNCRhle to frame one.
Mr.. kenner. of Louisiana, In behalf III the
sugar raisiug t',e,est Of that State, next al
dressed the committee. He gt.ye ma the rn-
suit Of sugar p,nlnrtion IN Louisiana aai
year. a total product Of 81 900 600: rN-
penditurra fnr wa4,H. etc. $a.n0O GOO. I,at
profits, 81 Onf. 400, '.inR. ~ Ra,h. but ". ger
cent on the xsn.oon.N .N'n Invested IN III" husi-
meas. Ii the duty was diminished to tho rx-
tent of half u CEN, Der pound. as proposed, the
sugar interest of Loulsitn would ba ruined.
Mr.. Mills asked hin whether the sugar la
terests of llouiaianM had been prosperous
from 1850 tn 1862 l'a answered that they
had been to q ceit lin extent.
Then, if that wata the case where the duty
on sugar wHs only about twenty five per cent
Of the present rate. why waa II ttakei MT.
Mills,1 that II was different. now that the
duty was SO much hghrr2
The answer was that from 1850 to 1860 labor
was carried on on u tiilcrent a,stem than now.
Mr.. Morrison aakai II he meant that he-
cause Louisiana had been deprived ~ cheap
labor, tnat tns people ~ la'4" should % taxed
q II. Ksnnrr a,isclaimati any such idec, and ~
Gtled that all he e lined waa that the revenue
from sugar should not be diminished to the
prejudice Of Louisiana sugar producers. The
lgWering OF duty would not cheapen the arti-
Gle to the consumer. as all such movements
Ia the past had heen followed by Al increase
cfexport duty In Cuba He favored the use
or the polariscOpe ID deciding tho grades of
sugar; said 1t was universally usad by Louis
lana planters. and detailed the circumstances
OF MI estimate made by u scientific man
with the polariscope, OF sugar plantation OF
005 acres. and In which there Was only dif-
ference of haag pounds weight hetwp vi the
actual result and tho esimate tho total
amount being 645 600 pounds. He asserted
that Louisiana conld certainly. under fair
ENCOURAGEMENT, nfpIura 25nahi tons or sugar.
instead uf 10000 tons now produced. louis
lana, however. uia not ask tor higher duties
on sugar, az that was not to he hoped for;
but asked that tho duties remain as they are,
with power to tho Secretary of the Trt@ @sury
to adopt such additional tests as may seem
best
After half An hour q recess. John 4. Wallace,
Of Louisiana. came before the committeo.
This gentleman is the owner OF the sugar
plantation referred ~ by Mr. knnnar. where
the product " u growing crop was estimated
with the uae of the pulariscnrn and he ex-
planned the circumstances. He also showed
by the production of u Havana price current
for last year that all sales of sugar In Cuba
are made under the Dutch standard OF color
and under the polarisenps test combined.
MIR. Mills endeAvurrh tn get from him the
admission that ~ thu polarsnnpa was sn en-
tlrely reliable tho Dutch standard was not
necessary. but he would hit make that nd
mission. insiatinx upon II that of two sugars
testing exactly tho same by the polarscope,
the lighter color ono would be preferred by
the retiuer.
Mr.. Frye inquired IA to the profit Of his
plantation. but he said that the calculation
should he made tu cover u series uf years. and
that since the war thn profits did not average
more than a pcr cent