The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-29
ALL TO BE SHUT DOWN
SUGAR REFINERIES WILL CLOSE
FOR An INDEFINITE PERIOD.
Fifty Thousand Operatives to Be
Views of President Hayemyer.

s NEW YORK, Nov. 2S.--Orders were is
sued to-day from the headquarters of the
American Sugar Refinery in Wal street to
shut down completely al; the re aeries of
the company in Boston, New York and
Philadelphia. Fifty thousand operatives
will be affected by the closing OF the sugar
works.
President H. o. Havemyer, of the Amer
lean Sugar Refining Company, said this
morning: THE sugar business has been
bad for some months past. We have been
hoping against hope all along and tried to
weather through the period of depression,
trusting that business might improve and
that we would soon be able to run our
works to their fullest capacity, but every
thing was against us. The reaction that
followed the passage of the tariff bin
brought about a dull season, and the war
among the wholesale groceries 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 here was
enough cause to compel us to shut down
completely. But we ran our works up to
the present time with a reduced force in
tiAS AAORtp 0OA N nav Oil I'LL
would turn up. Our faith in THE future has
failed us, and, beginning tomorrow. we
shall shut down all our works in Boston,
New York. Philadelphia and Baltimore.
This will affect $4,000 operatives. We can
not do anything else. We are sorry for
our men, and nave been trying to ward it
off all along. But the truth is. we nave
been running our works at a Joss for sew
eral months past. And it is 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 in
dustry completely. Things could not be
much worse than they are now. There is
very little difference between the prices of
raw and refined sugar, and there is no rea-
son. or justice in continuing a business at
a heavy loss. We must either have enough
profit to cover the bald expenses of carry
ing on sugar refining or else go out of the
business completely. We cannot compete
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 margin in refining that is to
be found between the cost Of raw and re-
fined sugars, which is now a trile less than
nalf a cent a pound. No. the only thing
for us to do is to shut down completely
until there is a market for our goods and
until We can see our way to pay expenses.
And l can see nothing cheering or reassur-
ing in the outlook at the present moment"
Searles Differs from Havemyer
NEW YORK. Nov. 2S.-John f. Searles,
treasurer of the American Sugar Refining
Company, was seen this evening. Concern
ing the report that the reineries of the
company in Boston, New York and Phila-
delphia were to be completely closed down,
he said: They are closed down at pres
ent and they will remain closed over
Thanksgiving day."
"Will they remain closed long?' Mr..
Searles was asked.
well, i don't think they will reopen this
week." he replied; but we will resume
business next week. So far as / am aware,
there is no intention of permanently clos
ing the refineries."
Mr.. Searles added that he had seen an ac-
count of an interview with H. o. Have
myer, but knew nothing about ii.