The Portland daily press., 1890-09-27
The Price OF sugar.

What effect will the settlement of the sugar
tariff made by the conference committee
have upon the price of sugar? This is the
question heard very frequently now. 1t is a
hard question to answer, since in judging the
prices Of commodities what is called hind
sight Is much better than foresight. But,
providing the refineries do not do what
would seem quite difficult, and take to them
selves the difference made by the new tariff,
there ought to be some change in the price
to the consumer. This will be seen by an
examination of the somewhat enigmatical
announcement OF the determination of the
conference committee:
Sugar-Free below No. IS; above No. l6 dutia.
BILE at 21a cents per pound.
mo. 16" is an expression not at all familiar
to the householder, who knows sugar as
"granulated," coffee" or ''brown," or
''loaf." etc. But to the importer. the refiner
and the tariff statesman the other term is of
great Importance. The grade of sugar is
measured by what is called the Dutch
Standard" Every refner and importer of
sugar gets from Europe at stated periods a
series of little bottles numbered from seven
to twenty and containing grade of colors
ranging from dark brown at seven to a
very light brown or gray at twenty. These
are the standard .colors for determining the
quality of sugar. There is also polariscope
test which has supplemented this standard
under certain conditions of the old tariff law.
According to the agreement of the confer
ence committee all grades of sugar below
No. 16. Dutch Standard, are to come in free
of duty. Now No. 16 sugar is what any
housewife would call "brown" sugar. Sugar
of this grade and two or three grades below
may be used for cooking and on the table I;
but the most general use of grades below
sixteen is by the refners, who ma Ike of the
darker sugars the white granulated and cof-
fee sugars used generally on the tables. So
in the first place the refners are most inter-
ested in the making free of sugar below No.
JIG. Under our ole law all sugar under No.
l6 has paid duty ranging from about cent
and a half to two and three-quarters cents
pound. Under the new agreement it will be
free. So the householder ought out of this
to get brown sugar about two cents pound
cheaper than he gets it now; and the refiner,
being able to buy brown sugar cheaper,
ou6hs w W aUlO w DULL 6tdu anu UtUeT
white sugar some cheaper.
The highest grade of the Dutch Standard
is mo. 90" which is considerably darker
than any of the white sugars used on the
table. So the sugar in most common use
is classified as ''above No. 90" Under the
old tariff law "above No. 16" Pays duty
of from three to three and half cents a
pound. Under the new arrangement it is
to pay duty Of only half cent That is,
from two and a half to three cents pound
is knocked off the present duty on sugars
such as are used most on the table.
1t is undoubtedly the intention of the fra
rners of the tariff bill at Washington To give
the people cheaper sugar; and it is difficult
to see why the people should not get the ad-
vantage. Raw sugar is furnished to the re-
finer without duty, but in turn nearly all the
duty is taken off the refner's product. If he
attempts to hold prices up to the old STAN
dard foreign refners may reasonably be ex-
pected to take advantage of the removal of
the two cents or more of duty on white su-
gars, and by competition bring the price
down.
There has been an impression abroad that,
ba and the other sugar producing countries
may put on an export duty, as Brazil did In
the case of coffee. But the ways and means
committee of the House guarded against
this by putting into their bill clause pro-
viding that our old tariff shall be restored
the moment any country tries to get an ex-
port duty.
Prices do not always 60 up or down as
legislators expect them to. The laws and
conditions of trade are not fully understood
even by those who have the most to do with
them. But the trainers of the tariff bill
have made in good faith the provisions best
calculated to made sugar cheaper to the con-
sumner; and 1t is difficult to see how, when
business has adjusted itself to the new tariff
law, the price Of sugar can fail to respond to
the attempt made to lower it.