The San Francisco call., 1896-12-31
A Day Before the Ways
and Means Com
mittee.
Every Branch of the Industry
Arrayed Against Foreign
Competition.
Senator Perkins Submits a Written
Argument Containing Facts of
Vital Interest.

4
Means to-day was given to the question of
sugar duties. The opening was devoted
! to the sugar importers. whose views were
voiced by John Farr of New York, who
said that at a recent meeting of the
sugar importers of that city it was
unan imously decided that an ad valorem
rate of duty was unfair, unequitable and
exceedingly difficult in practice; that
cent a pound should be imposed on all
| sugar below rs degrees polariscope, and
| that additional discriminating duties
should be levied on all sugars coming
from bounty paying countries.
| The beet sugar interest was represented
| by Henry A. Oxnard of Grand Island,
Nebr.; Herbert Myrich of Chicago, editor
of the A merican Agriculture, and R. NJ.
Allen of Ames, Nebr., president of the
Beet Sugar Association.
The cane sugar interest of Louisiana
was represented by ]. D. Hill of New
! Orleans.
No representative of the sugar-re6ning
industry had applied for hearing, and
there was conspicuous absence of the
mem bers of the sugar trust.
| In the course of his statement Mr.. Farr
gave the following figures as being the
1
basis as representing fairly all interests:
On all sugars tested by the polariscope,
when landed, rs degrees and under, cent
per pound on net landed weight-adding
| .03 per cent for each degree up TO 100 de-
gree, a fraction of degree to be assessed
in proportion.
81 think" said Mr.. Farr, 'that one
fourth of pound differential duty, in
| Of of
proximate what is right
w. }. MeGahan, president of the MEGA
han Sugar Refining Company of PhlIadel-
i phia, said that we had had now two years
and four months of the present tariff, with
protection of one-eighth of cent per
pound, or about per cent, while beet
| growing countries pay a bounty of about
| three-eighths of cent, giving foreign re-
fners of bounty paying countries about a
| quarter of cent advantage in our mar
ket. This had resulted in 1896 in an in
crease of about ITO per cent in imports of
refined against 10 per cent increased i'm
portations of raw, while our refneries
have been running less than 60 per cent of
their capacity. He favored an ad valorem
duty on sugar, and advocated placing mo-
Iasses on tie free list, it being a by-product
| of sugar.
/ Mr. Myrick of New York next addressed
| the committee. He said it required every
! pound of wheat and -four exported by the
United States during the past fiscal year
| to pay for the sugar imported. The total
value of all live and dressed beef, beef
products and lard exported during the
past year barely equaled the amount paid
fol- imported sugar Our immense export
1 in
| twice as much as our imports of sugar.
Our vast export of tobacco must be mag
nified thrice to counterbaance sugar inn
ports. The barley, oats and rye fruits
nuts hops, vegetable oils. oleomargarine.
butter and cheese, pork and hams that
were exported last year, all put together,
represent in value only two-thirds of the
| sugar imported. II is an economic crime
to compel American farmers to raise STA
Piles in competition with the cheap land
and labor countries with which to pay for
imported sugar, besides standing the
/ freight and commission both ways.
''The American farmers" Mr.. Myrick
| con tinued, demand fair chance to pro-
duce everything our people consume that
can be grown in the United States. They
want to begin with sugar. They have
/
tifc tests that from the Hudson River to
the Pacific and from the Carolinas to the
lakes they can grow sugar-beets as rich or
richer in saccharine contents than those
of Europe. They want factories to afford
market for these sugar-beets, which they
are willing to furnish at from $4 to S. per
! ton.
'At these prices the crop is both a new
/ ~ f0A
will by so much reduce the competition in
other branches of farming. What stands
in the way of the American beet-sugar in
dustIy is mainly European competition.
Europe is nov sending US nearly one hun
| dred times as much beet sugar as she did
/ fifteen or seventeen years ago. She has
developed her beet-sugar industry by
| liberal system of direct subsidies, high
protection and export bounties until the
J European beet-sugar industry has prac-
/ tically ruined the cane-sugar industry of
| the tropics and monopoized the sugar
markets of the world. 10 complete the
destruction of the American sugar in
dustry, or at least 10 prevent the further
development of the beet-sugar business in
| this country, Germany has recently in
creased its export bounty and France is
about to follow suit, thus enabling their
sugar to be sold in the United States be-
| low the cost of production IL this country.
'What is needed is q reasonable specific
duty on all imported sugar and an addi-
tlonal discrimination duty from countries
paying an export bounty equal 10 that
bounty. Then with such aid as the various
States and localities interested may offer,
| to secure sugar factories, the beet-sugar
industry could be put on its feet in this
country within very few years. 1t would
| afford farmers the new and profitable crop
! they must have. IF by 1910 the domestic
industry supplies the home market, as 1t
should, it will be putting into the pockets
| of our people $500. 000 600 year that other
wise would be sent out of the country.
The committee here took recess. On