The San Francisco call., 1897-07-15
SINGLED OUT
FOR ISLANDER
Every Man That Develops
a New Field of Labor
Assailed.
Campaign Of Libel Against the
Promoters Of the Beet
Sugar Industry.
Farmers Of California Cannot Profit
ably Compete With the Low
Grade Foreign Labor.


False and malicious statements concern
| ing the profits and control of the beet
sugar industry IN this State are given to
the public every day. Some of the news
papers, headed by the Examiner, seem to
have formed conspiracy to maiign, ira
| duce and slander every man who has had
the enterprise TO develop new field of
honest and profitable employment in the
State. While pretending to favor the cul.
tivation of beet fields for the production
| OF sugar another motive is apparent. The
profits of the business are repres ented as
enormous, and the false assertion is reit-
Grated that the trust controls every hing
in sight. All this Is introduced to con-
vince the public that cheap labor of the
contract style should be brought in to
compete with the home manufacturers.
Claus Spreckels, who had courage equal
to his capital, put in his money to buy
machinery and build factories in order to
establish another homo industry and sup
ply the farmers with a new market for
their agricultural products. He invested
his money in this enterprise as he did in
the Valley road because he had faith in
the State. He did this when other rich
tilSu WcIo DeTo 10 se6k Invest
ments in he East and in Europe. From
the time that he began to manifest un-
bounded confidence in California until
now, the Examiner has constantly viii
lied and mlsrepresented him. Every new
venture designed to develop the State has
been the signal for new attack on the
promoter. Claus Spreckels is the pioneer
OF the beetsugar industry IN this State.
He understands the question thoroughly
apd ie 10 I,tHr hat Haf Co. ~
California cannot. in the cultivation of
beet plantations, compete with the under
paid and low grade contract abor of for
eign countries whose products are ad-
mitted here fIes of duty.
There has been good deal of wild talk
about the immense profits resulting from
the manufacture OF beet sugar in Calfor-
MIA. There has been profit OF 81 per
cent year. Last year it appeared to be
greater, as delayed payments of bounties
were counted as profits for that year. The
per cent OF profit as also been estim ated
on the capital stock OF the " atsonville
factory, which is not fair estimate, as
the capital stock does not by any means
represent all the money invested in the
enterprise. At this rate of return-614
per cent per annum-it is good business
investment but it is not remunerative
enough 10 stand out against the competi-
ton of Asiatic labor in the Sa nd wich
Islands, Annexation, unless hedged by
many restrictions, will force such unde-
sirable competition on the Deet-growers of
this country.
John D. Spreckels presents one signi-
ficant fact on this point. So far the Cali
fornia producer has not been exposed to
Hawaiian competition, because the refinery
here has for the past twenty years taken
the island product under contract and
has therefore tesn able to handle the out
put. These contracts have not been re.
uewed by the refinery, and the product,
should 1t be admitted free of duty, would
seriously menace the beet sugar industry
of this State.
The capacity of California as a beet-grow-
ing region can hardly be overestimated.
WHAT it may become in. the future will
depend largely on the measure of protec-
ton accorded in the initial development t
of the enterprise. IN the fullest sense of
the oft-used term it is an infant indus
try" 1t requires protection and encour-
agement. The field of the future is vast
one. The sugar consumption of the
United States is 2,000.0 600 tons annually.
The entire home production does not ex-
ceed 500, 900 tons, leaving 100000 tons to
import. Under fair conditions of protec.
ton to invested capital 1000, 600 tons per
annum might in few years be produced
in this State.
Men will not invest large sums to buy
machinery, to build factories and engage
in large contracts for the cultivation of
beet fields while questions OF tariff and
treaty remain IN suspense. What Is needed
most Is a tariff to stand unchanged ior
| twenty years or more. If we have treaties
OF reciprocity they should be reciprocal
and not like the present Hawaiian treaty,
under which we buy of the islanders
$11 900 600 a year and sell them only
So, 600 coo.
With an assurance of protection from
the contract and low-grade labor of
foreign countries, men OF means and
energy would invest their means in the
sugar business in California.
In regard TO annexation John d.
Spreckels holds that it would prove dis
| astrous TO the beet sugar investments in
this State. The men WHO have their
capital invested could stand the loss, but
the question is whether the State would
not be a great loser in the arrested de-
velopment of material resources The
country market offers home market for
million and half tons of sugar in ex.
cess OF the present product in the United
Statej and California is just getting in
position to extend the cultivation OF beets
and the manufacture OF sugar 10 supply,
in measure, the demands OF the Ameri-
can market. Newspapers with SUPER
fetal knowledge of the subject and no re-
RdTQ WudlefSI iOl tuc 1HtClOsto III thS
State are doing all that they can do to
break down The industry at the very time
when a strong effort should be made to
develop it and extend its growth. The
workingmen of California have an interest
in this question, as they can derive moth
ing but disaster from competition with the
contract labor from foreign countries.
The farmers have deep interest in this
matter The development of the fruit in
dustry added millions to the wealth OF
the State, and now beet culture gives
promise, under proper direction, to yield
equal results.
The sugar trust cuts no figure in this
question. The subject is one that chiefly
concerns the farmers and workingmel OF
California. The beet sugar industry in
this State is not controlled by the trust
although the Examiner asserts from day
to day that the trust holds. the reins of
management. The beet fields are not cul-
tivated by the Japanese, although q false
statement 10 this effect has been made by
| irresponsible writer's for the public press.
There seems 10 be just at this time rally