Evening star., 1896-12-30

bounty paying sugar countries, the con-
| suE.ers paid more for their sugars than
those in the United States The bounties
given by Franco Ind Germany had crush
DO so here. but for our protective barrier.
The Question presented was as to whether
our sugar should be refined here or abroad
He said thft he felt assured that any basis
OF specific 8utfesN depending on the polarf-
scope would prove unsatisfactory. He also
argued that ann dinerentfal imposed to
offset exr OF boaisies from other countries
should be 4nposAd only against the re-
fined not the raw sugars.
He placed the cost Of refining sugars al
from three-eisnths to three-fourths of 9
cent per Psand Mr.; Th,rber was piled
to show the manher In which sugar from
the American Sugdr Refinery Company wa
distributed. Hee'ssid that the company
gave to wholesalers who were their agents
While the company would sell to any one
only agents got the benefit of the commits
sions.
Does the company require that the sugar
shall not be sold below q certain figure?'
asked Mr.. McMillin.
Yes" replied Mr. Thurber, 1.-THE trust
requires that the sugars shall not be sold
below the manufacturers list price on the
lis the distributor obliged to certify that
he has sold for the list price?"
He is, or he forfeits his commission"
W. J. Mccain Of Philadelphia, one of the
Independent refners, said the present tariff
had resulted In an Increased importation of
l10 per cent TN refined sugars, and only 10
per cent In raw sugar. He said this showed
that unless additional protection was af-
iorded the refining Of our sugars would all
be done abroad
He said 1t cost fve-eighths of q cent to
convert sugar testing SO degrees into re-
fined sugars. He was subjected to a vtgor-
Gus cross-questioning by Mr.. McMillin. He
eNv1 DS1 Hnn~ ~A@ p~..
eign, not American, because he knew the
trust would not sell, as the Germans did,
below cost. The difference in the cost of
raw and refined sugar abroad was. he said.
was 81 cents. This would indicate that the
cost OF refining was 10 cents more in the
United States than abroad.
About 95 per cent of the sugar consumed
in this country was refined here
At the conclusion of Mr.. McCann's testi-
mony the committee took a recess.
The Beet Sugar Industry.
The beet sugar industry had the floor in
the afternoon. Mr.. Henry T. Oxnard of
Grand Island. Neb, president of the Ameri-
can Beet Sugar Society, was the spokes-
man. He charged that the present tariff
not only failed to give protection to the
sugar raisers but discouraged the invest
ment of additional capital. 1t had been
predicted that under the Mckinley law the
ocSt sugar IluuStry WOulQ grow rapidly,
and three refinerfes had been built early
In the administration of that law but since
then fear OF changes had deferred new in
vestments. Any schedule on sugar which
had been In force since 1850, except that
OF the Wilson law. would permit the spread
or beet sugar growing. Beet sugar could
be produced in twenty states, and, under a
proper tariff, the United States could, in
fifteen years, raise all sugar necessary for
home consumption. The beet industry pro-
tested against rates which favored only
the single state of Louisiana. No party,
except that which framed the Wilson bill,
had proposed any sugar rates lower than
from * to 81 cents pound.
Mr.. Oxnard delivered an argument in
favor of bounty, and proceeded to quote
departmental reports and other authorities
to show that this country had soil, climate,
energy and capital requisite to the pro-
duction of all Its own sugar Every other
nation. even Sweden, which could supply
itself with sugar had taken every measure
to do so; even little Bulgaria had liberal
duties and bountiss enforced for this pur-
pose,