Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-12-28
Shall American Cooperage Cease I?

An American industry, which three years
ago gave employment to thousands OF men,
and which yielded products exceeding 3d.
000, 900 per year, has been, by vicious tariff
policy on the part Of Spain and assisted by
England, reduced to one fourth of its orig.
inal productiveness, and is threatened With
entire extinction. This is the cooperage for
the sugar trade. The Baltimore american
SAYS In thirteen States of the Union sugar
hogsheads are made, then taken apart and
made up into bundles of slaves of one hogs
head each, compactly bound together, and
exported. These are called shocks" When
they arrive in Cuba they are transported to
the sugar plantations, and there put together
into hoesheads again and filed with raw
sugar for expectation. This industry was
very important to Maryland, Virginia, New
Jersey, Maine and Michigan, and of some.
what less Importance to New York, Penn
sylvania and West Virginia. 1t utilized q
large quantity of timber of little value for
other purposes, and gave employment to
large numbers of people. The sugar fleet
which carried these shocks to the West In
dies was also extensive requiring three hun.
bred cargoes per year. All this is about to
disappear. Why? Because, two years ago
the Cuban sugar planters besought their
government for relief This relief came in
the shape of reduction of export duty on
sugar when shipped in bags. When ship-
ped in wood, the export duty remains IS
before. IL addition to this virtual tax on
the hogshead, there was reduction oil the
Cuban import duty on English bags. II
thus becomes to the interest of the sugar
planters to use bags, though they prefer
wood, because the bags are much cheaper
in themselves, and because the export
duty of sugar in bags is less than that in
wood by one quarter of a cent per pound
1t thus becomes evident that cur West In
dia fleet and our cooperage business are
about to be wiped out Of existence, unless
some measure OF relief can be devised. Sev
eral plans have been considered, none Of
which, however, seem to be wholly satisfac
tory One is reduction Of the American
import duty on sugar when shipped in wood,
the duty on sugar in bags to remain as at
present. Another plan is to increase the
American duty on sugar in bags. The objec-
ton to this is that it might seriously reduce
the importations of sugar and the revenue
derived therefrom. Still another method is
to retaliate on Snain by instructipg our con-
suls in the Spanish islands to collect export
fees on English bags cleared for American
ports justas the Spanish consuls in American
ports now collect export duties of ten cents
per ton on all American vessels cleared to
the West India Islands. Whether any one
of these plans would prove satisfactory can
only be determined by very careful consd-
GRAFTON, and by full consultation with all
the industries interested in the proposed
legislation. 1t is probable that some scheme
may be devised much better than any that
has thus far been suggested. This industry
is as we'll worthy of protection ne any which
our laws now foster.
[As Alexandria and this entire section OF
the State is directly interested in the coop
erage trade it is hoped that the Virginia
members of Congress will do all 10 their
power to prevent its extinguishment and the
consequent loss of money and employment
to those engaged in it.