The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-05-18
BEET SUGAR.
Claus Spreckels' Fight Against the
Trust.
The WatsonviIIe Factory-Cthers to be
Bunt-The Possibilities Of the
Pacific Coast.

Claus Spreckels left for the East /
in April to direct in person the fit |
ting up of his new refinery buildings
at Philadelphia. This sugar refining
plant, which, it is expected, Will |
make lively times for the sugar trust, |
Will cost Mr.. Spreckels about $1,000 |
600.
I'll then have the biggest refinery
in the United States,'' said the great
sugar-maker yesterday, in speaking
of the matter to a reporter; land I
can do what [ please with the trust.
Me join the trust? Not much-there
is not money enough in this country
to make me do it; I'm my own trust.
have worked my way up. I know
what | want and | can do it if am
alone, but L must be able to do just
what want to. l never yet have
gone into anything unless [ could
have it all my own way.
Il have the finest location in the
world" he continued with an en-
thusiasm which mention Of the Trust
served only to increase. There, on
the Delaware, I have a site that I
paid half million for, but I could
get million and half for it to-day
Shsps can come right mp to my
wharves with raw sugar from Cuba
! and other ports, and on the other
side are railroad tracks on which |
can ship all over the country. I'll
| have my refinery running next June,
and then I can take care Of the
Trust. The Trust now makes me
think of chicken-raiser who has
| lots of chickens, but most Of them
rOOsters, while another dealer has
nothing but hens which yield him
supply of eggs all the time. The
! Trust has to take care Of tweDty-One
refineries, but only seven are run
ming and paying. am the one who
is getting all the eggs. The Trust
worked the market while ago, SO
that raw sugar went way down. L
bought then all the raw sugar l
could get. Now I've got more raw
sugar than the Trust.
WHY HE WENT TO PHILADELPHIA.
''rll tell you why [ went to Phila-
| delphia to build my refinery. 1t was
to get where l could do as pleased
with these other refneries. Freight
rates were against me here, and !
| U,oc, lilo ,,ot h,>lo on,
when all my business was here.
Now will use my California re
finery to supply all local trade and
points this side of the Missouri
River From Philadelphia [ can
send sugar to Chicago, St. Louis and
New Orleans and cut under all the
| Trust prices. [ could have all the
capital l want there to help me, but
| do not want it. People know now
that Spreckels will do what he says
Just before leaving Philadelphia last
/ dined with Wanamaker. He want
ed me to let him in on the refinery.
and said he knew [ could have all
the millions l wanted to help if [
asked for them.
Il feel confident that the tariff
will not be taken off sugar-not for
some time, at least If it is taken
off they will give us bounty of a
cent pound on all domestic sugar
produced. In time they can take
the duty off entirely and we won't
care, but for a while an industry like
our young beet-sugar project needs
to be protected and taken care of
like Il young baby.
eff we give You free sugar won't
that break up the Trust?' Mr.
Breckenridge asked me when before
the Congressional Committee.
Gas clean as a WHISTLE was my
response, but [ explained to them
that not only would the Trust be
broken up, but all the young rein
| eries-yOung industries-as well. If
we can keep SS0,000000 that would
be paid to foreign countries for
sugar in this country, we ought to do
it. l told them that [, in California,
paying men 50 day, could not well
| compete with free sugar from the
Hongkong refineries made by Chin
| csc at 10 cents a day. | told them
that I could not pay laborers 81 80 a
! day more than the Chinese laboTers
were paid and then afford to sell my
sugar against the Hongkong product
coming here with cheap freight and
duty free l think it will now be
many years before sugar is made
free and then we will have bounty.
Il do not believe in low wages.
We do not want our workingmen re
duced so they have to live as do some
of the IabOrers of Europe. I want
my beet-sugar industry protected
and nursed until, like growing
child, in time it Will be able to stand
alone. [ believe that California
alone can in a few years produce
enough sugar to supply half the de
mand of the United States, and Cali
fornia, Oregon and Washington to-
gether can produce enough to supply
| the entire country. Then we viii be
independent in this as in many other
! things. We do not need to ask any-