The Lake Charles echo., 1894-04-27
The slear Bounty.
American Grocer

American dfeoer
The present taTiff affords the sugar re-
lining interests Of this country a protec
tion Of about halfa cent a pound by inn
posing duty to fh1t extent on refined |
sugar, while raw sugar is admitted free
of duty. i
The Wilson tariff bill. new pending in /
congress, as reported by the committee |
on ways and means Of the h0use of repre-
sentatiyas, provided gnhrter of a cent |
protection to 0nr retiMers, bnt this was
struck ont lty the house. and the bill semi |
| to the senate without amy protection To
the refining interests.
| The senate committee has reported a
| bill to the senate which while nanlinaily
4 Attending guarteT of cent protection,
| in reality does not, because the ad vale
rem principle of charging higher rate
of duty on the higher grades Of raw sugar
is ignored, and, in point of fact not less
/ than thTss-eights Of8 cent a pound pro
lection TO eur refining interests is snfli
eient to overcome the cheaper labor and
bOunties Of the other principal sugar re
timing countries.
4 Under the present protection of half a
cent aspOund, the control of the sugar
markets of the world has gradually been
transferred from the spectators of Eurape
to the legitimate manufacturers Of this
eonntry. and if these were broken down
/ the profits now realized by American
citizens would be transferred to the pock
cts of foreigners, while American COLI
sumeTs would be in no way benefited.
American consumers now get their
; sugar at a much lower price than cOB-
SINNERS in either France, Germany OF Rus
sia, the largest sugar producing countries
Of the world. The refineTs of those oOnn-
tries keep their home prices high. and
market their surplus abroad by means Of
the export bounties allowed by those
countries.
=, No good could come from breaking
= down our American sugaT producing and
refining interests, i'm which great num-
= bers of people are directly and indirectly
interested. 1t is estimated that over
400, 900 people are TINS interested IN these
c industrise.
- A prejudice has been excited against
= the so-ealled 'ssugar trust" on account of
4 the large profits they have made and by
, the maIiipnlations of its stock by specu-
t lat8rs in Wall street, but these profits
Z have been largely derived from the con
D troll of the raw sugar markets of the
e world, above noted, and spectators can-
I not be prevented from speculating in
b. sugar stock any more than they eau be
b in railroad securities.
Inc American sugar refining Company,
while it exercises large influence from
n being the largest buyer Of raw sugars,
does not have a monopoly of sugar re
p tininG. Four uew Tefineries have been re
, Gently started, aud others will be if the
! profits of the business Justify The mar
7 gin of profit Of both retners and distri-
= bHtOEs Of sugar is an exceedingly narrow
one and easily converted from profit i'll
n to IA loss, and this may be accomplished by
= either an mnthinking prejudice or honest
: but radical views On the subject of free
!, trade.
y That this is strne isshown by the number
+ of sugar retiReEs forced out of business
/, in the years preceding the present
consolidation Of sugar refining interests.
Among those were Messrs Il. L. a A.
Stuart; Booth & Edgar: Williamson,
Il Griffith q Co.; {. Durant d Co: VIM.
= MOller e. Co: MOller, Sierck d Henken
u United States Refining Company Albania
y. d Fuller; DeCastro & bonner; s. T.
b Company; A, F. d. J. H. Ockerslransen;
/, Burger, HulbuTt d Livinston Winter
l. Harms 4 Co; BTadish johnson & Co.
? Katterh0rn, HOpke, Offerman d Co; il
J. New York. besides others in other cities
). In view Of this, it certainly seems thai
d difference in the duty of 4 of u cent {
: pound between raw and refined sugars i,
Ii reasonable and necessary,