The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-11-29
FIYrY rnousAyD MEN OUT.

a blue Thanksgiving for the employees of the Sugar trust in the eastern part of the country. orders were issued to- day from the headquarters of the Amer lean Sugar Refinery in Wall street to shut down completely all the renneries of the company In Boston. New York and Philadelphia. Fifty thousand op- eratives will be affected by the closing of the sugar works.
 For some months past the sugar mar ket has been very much depressed by the demoralized condition of trade in various parts of the country consequent on the war prevailing among the whole sale grocers in Chicago. Indianapolis. Cincinnati. Philadelphia and southern points. Sugar was sold to retailers at almost a song, It was a drug on the market, for every dealer had loaded up to his utmost capacity in view of the prospective passage of the new tariff law taking sugar ofr the free list.
 The result was that the Sugar trust was compelled to contract It's opera tions. reduce Its forces and curtail it's expenses in every possible manner. The refinery people had hopes however. that with the advent of the winter months business would brighten and the market would be restored to Its normal condition.
 When the elections were over, how ever, the sugar people were given to understand that immediately on the assembling of congress this winter a determined effort would be made to pass the free sugar bill. This measure had already been railroaded through the house in the closing hours of the session, and got as far along in the senate as to receive favorable consider alton at the hands of the finance com mittee.
 In view of the poor state of the finances of the United States treasury, however, 1t was deemed wisest, as a temporary expedient, to put a 40 per cent. flat duty on all sugar and not put 1t on the free list all at once. Accord ingly, the majority of the senate finance committee took this view of the case, and the senate adjourned with matters in this state. Of course, when 1t con- venes next Tuesday this sugar amend ment will be among the first things to be acted upon.
 It is the knowledge of this condition of affairs and the uncertainty as to what will be done by the senate that has disturbed the sugar stock on Wall street, and practically compels the Su- gar trust to fall back to the last ditch and close down their works complete ly.
 President H. 0. Havemeyer of the American Sugar Refinery company said this morning:
 '"The sugar business had been bad for some months. We have been hop ing against hope all along, and tried to weather through the period of depres- sion, trusting that business might im- prove and that we would soon be able to run our works to their fullest capac- ity; but everything was against hs aA
 "The reaction that followed the pas sage of the tariff bill brought about a dull season, and the war among the wholesale grocers in several sections of the country still further tended to demoralize trade When to this was added the excitement of an election canvass, and the general report that congress would pass a free sugar bill, making all sugars free, you can readily see that there were enough causes to compel us to shut down completely.
 "But we ran our works up to the present time with a reduced force in the hope, Micawber-like,. that some thing would turn up. Our faith in the future has failed us, and, beginning to- morrow, we shall. shut down all our works in Boston, New York, Philadel- phia and Baltimore. This will affect 50,000 operatives.
 we cannot do anything else. We are sorry for our men, and have been trying to ward off the blow all along. But, the truth Is, we have been running our works at a loss for several months past And it's time to call quits now
 "The last congress is responsible for the present situation, and if they pass the free sugar bill at Washington, as it Is reported that they will, they will kill the sugar industry completely. Things cannot be much worse than they are now. There is very little diff ference between the prices of raw and refined sugar, and there is no reason or justice in continuing business at a heavy loss.
 eve must either have enough profit to cover the bald expenses of carrying on sugar refining or else go out of the business completely. We cannot con- pete with the wages paid in Europe, and our men could not begin to support themselves and their families at such figures. And yet we are; asked to run our establishments with only the mar gin in refining that is to. be found be- tween the cost of raw and refined su- gars, which is now a trifie less than half cent 8 pound. Ss
 ''No, the only thing for us. to do is to shut down completely until there ia a market for our goods and until we can see our way to pay expenses. And I can see nothing cheering or reassuring in the outlook at the present moment"
 ''Do you anticipae that, congress will consider the matter when the fact that the mills have been shut down becomes known?" MT. Havemeyer was asked.
 "Oh, don't know" he answered wearily. "We're dead. they may bury ls.''