The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-04-04
THE SUGAR TRUSr.
COIOneI SPreckeIs as Witness Be
fore the HOuse Committee.

WASHINGTON, March 23d-The House
Committee on Manufactures resumed
the investigation in the Sugar Trust mat
ter this morning. Claus Spreckels OF
San Francisco was examined.
"There were two refneries in opera
ton on the Pacific Coast" the witness
said, "the American refinery, with a
capacity OF 100000 or 100000 pounds
daily, and witness refinery, with Il
capacity of 100000 pounds of raw
sugar This year witness refinery used
about 40, 900 tons, or third of the an
nual crop which came from Hawaii /;
40 900 or 80 900 tons from the Philippine
Islands, qnd about 10000 tons tons from
Central America. The price of raw
sugar from Hawaii was formerly fixed by
the price in Manila, but for the last
three yer RS it had been regulated by the
New York market"
The trust combination has undoubted-
ly tended to lower the price of raw sugar
and raised the price of refined sugar
Sugar was cheaper in San Francisco
than in New York, but, of course, when
sugar went up in New York it went up
in San Francisco.
Representative Wilson-Then by re-
manning out you have reaped the same
benefits as those who have gone into the
trust?
AnsWer-COrrect.
Question-Then the trust is good for
you?
Answer-Well, don't know SO much
about that The trust may say, "Spreck
els won't join the trust, but we will
crush him out. We will put the price Of
sugar in San Francisco down to five
cents and make our profit here" l have
come East to start factory, so as to get
my share here.
Q.-This investigation is to ascertain
whether the tendency of these comhina-
tons is injurious to the interests of con-
sumers. Now, as matter of fact, has
not their effect been to produce compe
tition and lessen the price of sugar in
stead of producing an opposite effect?
Al don't agree with you. They are
not going to form trusts to work for the
people They are going to work for their
pockets.
Q.-The trust people say that your
building of an Eastern eff cry is only
mere pretext?
Ayes, there has been some talk of
it being a bluff. You will see what l
will do. I do not bluff, but when they
bluff 1 will make them show their
hands.
Speaking of the probable growth Of the
beet sugar industry in this country, the
witness said if the manufacturers could
be sure of a certain amount OF protection
there was no question but what in eight
or ten years the beet production would
supply this country with sugar. John
E. Searles had requested the witness to
go in the trust. The witness did not re-
member what inducements that gentle
man offered. He (the witness) remem-
bered asking how he could get out of the
trust, after once being in, and was told
that once in, you could never get out.
Free sugar, he said, would break up the
trust, but it would also destroy the sugar
industry in this country. eff you take
the duty off you take a million and a
half from me and my associates, but if
it's for the benefit of the American peo-
pie, why should alone be favored? l
can't take anything along with me.
have worked for Claus Spreckels all my
life, and now am going to work for the
American people"