The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1889-03-11
THE SUGAR FRAUDS.

be seen that particular atten- |
tion is called to the Westmeath af- |
fair. The result OF the investiga |
tion shows that that cargo was sent |
to San Francisco by the Trust with |
the direct intention of swindling the |
L. S. Government out of large |
amount of money. An attempt has
been made through the columns Of
our contemporary, to bolster up the
the illicit actions of the American
refinery, by attacking the sources of
our information, and also by per-
sonal reflections on the President of
the California Sugar Refinery, who
is now in our midst.
We are not prepared TO say just
how far that gentleman was instru-
mental in bringing about the inves-
LEGATIONS which have resulted so
disastrously to the credit of the
Trust, but we certainly must do his
business ability the justice to say
that we hardly think he would
calmly look on and see an opp osi-
tion refinery swindling enormous
sums out of the Government, while
he was endeavoring TO compete with
them in the same line of business,
and at the. same time paying just
and honest duties on the goods he
was importing for manufacture.
We would advise our friends not
to attempt any further defence of
the Trust, for the matter is one
whose offensiveness only becomes
intensified by stirring, and it now
remains to be seen what bearing the
report of the special agent will have
on the coming suit against the Ame
rican refinery for annulling of its
charter.
Following is the report from the
San Francisco Chronicle of March
1st:--
WASHINGTON, March The Pre-
sident of the Senate to-day laid be-
fore that body a letter from the Sc
cretary of the Treasury transmitting
various papers in relation TO sugar
investigations made since March,
1888. Among the reports, and one
which the Secretary of the Treasury
particularly calls the attention of
Congress to, is the report of the spe-
cial agent who investigated the
cargo of sugar imported by the
American Refinery at the port of
San Francisco on December 4th
last. The special agent details the
circumstances which led to the dis
covery, and says the conclusion TO
be- drawn from that transaction is
that fraud upon the revenue was
attempted in the importation of this
sugar, and the action of the colec-
tor in releasing the cargo without
further investigation has opened a
door by which the revenue may be
further defrauded in the future.
The special agent assigns the fol
lowing facts as his reason for beiev.
ing that fraud was intended in thai
importation of the above nance
cargo. First, the low price at whcl
that very high grade sugar Wi S IN
voiced at the place of manufacture
second, that the vessel was not OF
Lloyd's register or on the shippin!
guide of San Francisco until within
a day or two before its arrival
third. because it, was entered ol
three pro forma invoices as manufac
tured at three different places ol
the island of Java; fourth, the oat
of the consignee on entry in at
tempting to enter it at SS deg.
when it must have been known tha
it would average from 50 to 81 deg.
fifth, the fact that the American Su
gar Refinery has been shipping su
gar from the Pacific coast to Ne'
York when it could have shipped
from Java at less cost, and that tn
shipment to San Francisco was at
higher'rate of freight than it woul
have cost TO ship to New York
sixth, a man by the name of Phil
lips, who claimed to have had muc
experience in the manufacture an
refining of sugars called on q firm i
San Francisco and in long CONVEX
sation gave his views fully and po
sitiyely in regard to that cargo, stat
ing that it was colored and that h
knew how it was done, ,and because th
same gentleman in an interview wit
Appraiser Beck subsequently state
to him that it was not colored, leaN
ing one to conclude that he had bee
interviewed by the American Suga
Refinery; and, seventh, IN supper
of DIR. Bowie, the facts have bee
found from the many samples take
from the cargo of the Westmeath,
large number of Jumps of sugar
ranging from ST" small, to "a
very large, that one, externally, ha
the same appearance as the carg
generally, but when broken the in
side WAS found TO be in color muc
above the number of 10, Dutc
standard.