Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-01-26
FOXY SUGAR TRUST.
HAS 1T TRICkED THE WAYS AND
MEANS COMMITTEE?

the Export Duty Paid Refners In For
eign Countries-Trust Statistics From q
Sugar Trade journal.
Just why the ways and means COM
mittee left one-fourth cent per pound
duty on refined sugar is a mystery to
those who are unacquainted with the
| lnsidious workings of our pet and
spoiled trusts. 1t was generally known
that the Sugar trust secured its one
half cent duty from Mckinley and AL
drich by corruption and bribery. It
was also known that this trust had
made SIS, 600, 900 or $40, 900, 900 a year
out of this duty, besides half as much
more of legitimate profits. It was
known, too, that the total labor cost Of
refining sugar is less than one-seventh
cent per pound and as low as in any
other country. Then why did Wilson
leave such duty?
There is but one explanation con-
sistent with the facts and with the un-
disputed integrity and honor of Mr..
Wilson and his committee-the duty is
the result Of misrepresentation made
to the committee. Otherwise, if the
committee had intended to levy duty
for revenue or to protect sugar grow
ers, it would certainly have placed the
same duty on raw as on refined sugar.
The misrepresentation probably con-
sisted in leading the committee to be-
lieve that the export duty paid refners
in foreign countries would put our re-
finers at disadvantage, unless they
were protected by a small duty. The
Sugar trust presented statistics to this
effect. This is evident from what ap-
peared in Willet & Gray's Statistical
Sugar Trade Journal of Sept. 20. Aft
er stating that Germany is paying
bounty of 81 = cents per 100 pounds on
the expectation of granulated sugar,
from Aug. /, 1892, to July 81, 1895,
this journal continues:
ANY reduction of present duty on
refined sugars would certainly produce
an interesting condition of things in the
sugar trade, for in order to compete
with Germany, for instance, at disad-
vantage of 21I cents per 100 pounds
in this one respect, American refners
might be obliged to transfer their re-
fineries to Germany, or if the business
continued here it would be at the ex-
pense of all the wholesale grocers, who
would be obliged to forego the selling
of American sugars, while the Ameri-
can refners would come into close rela-
tions with the retail grocers direct.
This would mean chaos to the refined
sugar trade and would not cheaper
20 l,<lo L1o
everywhere would be in constant COM
petition for raw sugars with which to
supply America with refined, and prices
OF raws would rule at much higher
average price than now.''
Ii it was upon information of this
kind that Wilson decided to leave a
duty on refined sugar, the matter should
be reconsidered. The Berlin Zuckerin-
dustrie at once took Willet & Gray to
task and showed the falsity of their fig
ures. 1t showed that German refners,
when they purchase raw sugars, have
to pay an export bounty on them of
what is equivalent to Is cents per 100
pounds on refined sugar-leaving a net
premium of only 65 cents per 100
pounds to exporters of refined sugars.
This bounty Of one-siXth cent per pound
will only pay one-third Of the freight
across the Atlantic. Without any duty,
then our refners would have a natural
protection of one-eighth cent per pound
even as against the most favored re-
fners in Europe. That they could COM
pete even without this natural protec-
ton is evident from what Willet G
Gray's Journal told us on June 16 last,
when it ridiculed Germany's little re-
fneries, the largest of which could only
melt 1000 barrels day, while three
refneries in this country were con-
stantly mleitng $4,000 barrels per day.
1t laughed at the idea of preventing
1.-The economies which come from con-
solidating the business" by the attempt
ito divide up the business into German
sized companies Beyond a doubt
sugar is refined as cheaply and proba-
bly, more cheaply in this than in any
other country.
of sugar producers to the inadvertent
admission of this semiofficial organ Of
the Sugar trust that ''prices of raws
would rule at much higher average
price than now, " because refners ev-
erywhere would be in constant compe-
tition, if the duty were abolished and
chaos should reign-that is, if the pow
er of the trust to regulate prices of both
raws and refined sugars were taken
away as it would be by the removal of
all duty.
But this journal does not mind "put-
ting its foot in it" occasionally if by
so doing it can save any part of the
duty on refined sugar. 1t has thrown
its reputation as statistical journal
Ito the dogs in its desperate efforts to
mislead congress and to preserve its
right to extort $50, 900, 900 year from
our sugar consumers-as the one-half
cent per pound enables it to do.
As another example of the bad effect
upon statistics of mixing them up with
protection and trusts, take the issue of
this same sugar journal on Dec. %.
On page 5 it is stated that, making up
the average prices for the year, we find
that centrifugals have averaged 3.6S
cents per pound, while granulated has
averaged Asa cents per pound, differ
ence of 1.16 cents per pound, which has
been the usual difference and was the
usual difference 10 years ago, when the
business was entirely in the hands of
independent refners.''
Turning back to page 8, we find ia
| los, rYII-1 ooh I1-