Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-08-19
NATIVE SUGAR.
A PLEA FOR LOUISIANA'S IN
TERESTS.
More Protection Asked-The Present
Duty Alleged TO be Inadequate
Growth of Cane Culture Since the
War-The Value of the Crop and
the Amount Paid for Labor.

LONG BRANCH, August 1s.-Mr. John Dis-
mond, OF New Orleans, was che first person
who had hearing before the Tariff Com
mission this morning. He read a plea in
behalf OF the Louisiana sugar industry,
stating its Fast history, its great depression,
the causes inducing the same, its present
condition,i its seeming revival, its possibilities
in the near future, and the resulting sdvan-
isgest herefrom to the country at large. Hav.
ing stated some facts as to the past and pre-
sent sugar production of Louisiana since the
outbreak OF the war, when It was equal to
one half of the entire. consumption of the
country, he said that the present minimum
protection of 19 cents per pound was not
equal to the excess of the cost of American
free labor over the slave labor of Cuba and
the cheap labor of the tropics. The sugar
planters o. Louisiana only asked to be pro
teeted from that slave aud cheap labor. and
then with American energy, Industry and
machinery, they would defy the world to
surpass them.
IL the commission should conclude to
diminish the existing minimum duty on
sugar, the sugar planters would ask It to re-
duce also the duties on machinery and all
other articles used in the production of
sugar. This was a question OF vital i'm
portance to the Louisiana sugar industry,
being Its chief support and one to
which It's fertile lands are well adapted.
It was the almost exclusive support
OF from $4,000 to 100000 people, and en-
ployed $4,000 600 of capital. The fire.
quent agitation OF the sugar tariff. re-
sulting In the security of the capital inter
ested In sugar productions, had prevented
that development of the industry which
might fairly have been expected. Louis
lana had millions Of acres of land, the most
fertile in the world, and peculiarly adapted
to the production of sugar The
crop Of lSSOS1 had sold for about 500 OOO.-
OOO, and of that amount about $15, SOC, 900 had
been paid for human labor aud had been the
chief support Of about 100000 people. The
supplies which they consumed were pro-
duced in other States, and they contributed
largely to the support of two or three
hundred thousand people more. The de-
struction of Louisiana's sugar interest bv
failure to protect it against slave and other
low grades of labor would thus imperil the
subsistence, stop the progress and endanger
the support Of some seven hundred thousand
people. The earnings of unskilled labor in
Louisiana were three and half times the
cost OF the same labor In Cuba. The sugar
planters OF Louisiana had ten millions in
vested in machinery alone, and they were
enormous consumers of Pittsburg coal. They
did not complain of the tariff, which ex-
cluded them from buying cheaper foreign
machinery, coal, dry goods, ETC., but they
did ask that, If the present insufficient
protection on sugars be diminished, foreign
markets should be opened to them by like
reduction of duties for the articles which
they consumed. He thought duty of 3sI
cents per pound on sugar would afford ade-
quate protection.
Mr.. VIM. T. Hoyt. an appraiser in the
New York custom house, gave bis views on
the subject OF the cotton tariff, and re-
commended a simplifcation of existing
provisions.