New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-27
FOR FREE SUGAR.
A PLAN BY FRANCIS wAYLAND GLEN
THE SUGAR TRUST NO FRIEND OF THE AMERI.
CAN wORBINGMAN.

Sir: Pure white graduated sugar is selling today
in England at wholesale for ii shilngs sterling per
H. pounds, or cents per pound This price yieids
n profit 10 the manufacturer and wholesale dealer.
Graduated sugar be purchased today In England
at retail for cents per pound or thirty pounds Tor
one dollar. The same quality Of sugar Is selling IN
New-York to-day at SO 81 IL 10 10 30 per 100 pounds
at wholesale. and cents per pound retail. The duty
on granuatcd sugar when imported is IL cents per
pound that the Of sugar in this country
paying the Sugar Trust the price of refined sugar
in England. cents per pound, plus the duty o IL
cents, plus 81 L. to 40 cents per 100 pounds, OF
81 so to IS per ton, to cover cost OF Importing
At the present moment the price made by the sugar
Trust is less than 1t has been for some time past.
First because the press has created strong public
feeling against IT, Second. the courts have rendered
important decisions questioning It's legality. THIRD
the refinery outside Of the Trust which has lately
been opened in Philadelphia, compelled 1t 10 reduce
the price,
the greater part Of the time since the has
been organized 1t has exacted the cost Of refined
sugar in England with duty. cost of importing. and
profit added. one-hah cent per pound the
entire cost OF converting 96 degrees centrifugal
sugar into graduated in refinery having all late
Improvements, including interest capital, wear and
tear OF plant, labor. cooperage, etc.
The duty on the sugar required to make 100 lbs
Of granulated sugar is 81 40 In fixing the price of
on imported granulated, wiz So so per 100 lbs: it
is therefore exactng from the consumers in this
country 81 10 per 100 TBS. over the profit made by
the English relner.
We consumed in this country in 1885, 1877 s45 $40
lbs. of sugar, which the rcfners at 81 per 100
received S20,456,303 the profit Of the reners in
England on the amount.
The Sugar Trust certainly has not any valid claim
the consumers OF sugar for protection. They have
exacted during the last year more than the value OF
all the refneries In the country over fair profit
the cost Of refining. The cost Of refining 90
degrees centrifugal sugar is less than 10 per cent on
the present wholesale price of refined in this market.
The percentage Of labor employed value Of product
in refining is therefore very small, consequently the
interest OF tie artisan class in refneres Is limited
In 1912 Louisiana produced 10000 hogsheads OF |
sugar in 1856 145.06s hogsheads, a gain in produc
ton OF per cent in forty four years. We consumed
in 1861 363,s19 gross TONS in 1856 1105,466 gross
TONS gain in twenty five years Of over 800 per cent
In 1861 produced 81 per cent of our consumption
in 1856 IL per cent Surely protective tariff has
utterly failed 70 stimulate production or to reduce
the price 10 fair profit the capital skill and |
labor required in production. There was collected
as duty on sugar and mOasses in 1887 $5S,O3O,T99 |
or one dollar per head Of the population. Revenue
reformers denounced the salt duty as oppressive but
made little complaint against the sugar duty. The
revenue derived from the duty on salt in 1887 was
S675 9s2, or a trihe more than one cent per head.
The Treasury is full to overlooking; We are bur
dcned with the surplus; we compelled to prevent
locking up money in the Treasury and thereby pro-
ducng financial crisis, to purchase per cent Gov
eminent bonds due in 1907 at 1877 (at this rate they
yield less than ID per cent ntercst, while we are
sending railway bonds and other corporate securi-
ties bearing 3, @, and per cent interest, to Eu-
rope and selling them for less than par Is this
good polcyi
protective duty on iron steel, white lead window
glass; etc. has secured the production in this country
of abundant supply. of superior quality at great
reduction in the cost to the In 1862 we
produced 1906 900 pounds of WOOL thanks to the
duty on imported wool, in 1856 we produced 285.-
900 900 pounds In 1862 imported 40 per cent
of our consumption, in 1886 - per cent. Sugar Is
the only very important article OF consumption the
production of which our fiscal policy has entirely
failed to promote. 1t is pure heahul, nourishng,
heat producing food for old and young. Its I'M
portance in connection with our fruit industry can
hardly be over-estimated. Twenty-Five pounds OF
granulated sugar for 81 in this climate would be OF
inestlmable value TO all who labor for their daily
bread. Tobacco is a curse to mankind, sugar
blessing and a necessity Ten thousand men with
the latest appliances will refine and make ready for
shinment all the sugar we consumed in 1886. II
they were all employed 500 days in the year at I'll 30
per day on the average the wages would amount 10
"A 5000. The cost Of the product at an average
of cents per pound retail to the consumer Is Slo"
440 900. The wage eaTners share ID very 'niah III
dood less than 21-o per cent. We are more de-
nendcnt to-day on foreign producers Tor our sugar
iunnly than we were twenty-five years ago. Ihere
Is ho ever compete With south America and Cuba in
producing sugar.. IT, however, we oeslTe 10 en-.
rourage Sugar production in this country let US pay
direct to the planter a handsome bounty, say OF
cents per pould; such bounty would nave cost us
III ti'n,ino that our consumption Of sugar for the
future viii be less than i was IN i9 S Ut o %
he greater in ten years the UoVerue"' WI" 'oii''V
a. "a sugar tax $5SO,3OI ,00O.
ran years, bounty to sugar planter; $50 600 000
oI Of a The redneries In the county, 2oOOOOO0
sl6O 900 600
AZ will be observed, the consumers of sugar could
buy the rcdneres and destroy them, pay al me en-
ne nothing pay the sugar planters liberal bounty
for ten and then save IN ten years
as S oPSii the duty from sugar would undoubtedly
very largely Increase the consumption. rms means
an increase in the tonnage OF our railways, any IN
portant addition to the railway tonnage aGi OF du
reduction in freight charges An increase III gu, oa,
',b south America. Free sugar Is not in any sense
the entering wedge Of free trade Placing sugar on
The free list will prevent any general reduction OF the
dmty on other staples which we can and should pro-
duGe or o he hoped that before the present session
Of Congress closes the Republican party viii nave
given the wageearner free breakfast taoie, -
hose Who NAV be opposed to removing the duty on
sugar to the following facts disclosed in inc census OF
$50. The number OF establishments the amount OF
accs paid and the value Of the annual product 81
thirteen of the leading lines Of manufactures III tls
country in 1850 was as follows:
No OF es- Total wages Value Of
adjustments. paid pToduet
q EIl c ", NM Ie5 $500 600 31,700,0OO
"a arut IT, '''''' 6 725 81 600 600 2f1,j00 900
lou..ib '''''-' h59t "a 500 600 SO, 100 600
urll isuto and crtery i30 100000 42100 900
iaruNstse ss ani i5Io 90 700 900 335 900 900
~" liner and sheet-iron 595 10000 600 100000
~ oopp'' ""N - $500, 600 23.G0O. 900
. as s,o ,- " $50 65 900 600 PA 800. 900
VI VI Nm " .1 500 % 500, 900 100, 100000
" oollchS ''''''' O05 as 6OOO 210 900 600
otolS 40 1900 600 26,60O 900
5In, ..... 40 $500, 900 1855, 100000
The labor required in producing raw wool and
,otton is not Included in the above statement OF the
yoollen and cotton industries. .
ncaIIed Revenue Reformcrs attacked the cotton,
roolen dncludng carpetsl. iron, steel haLdware ma