The times., 1897-06-11
SUGAR SCHEDULE TAKEN UP
Senator's Jones, Vest and Caffery
Open the Attack.
A SEVERE ARRAIGNMENT
The Democ ratio Senator's Pour Hot
Shot Into the Proposed Schedule.
strated-The Eallacy of the Diff
ferential Rate Exposed.

sugar schedule that most tickled the public
ear, because it was suggestive of political
scandal, suhterfuge and tnckery, and quite
appropriately the sarcasms and innuen-
does were as refined as the subject Of
The debate itself
MI Vest and Mr.. Jones of Arkansas, the
leaders OF the conservative minority, noth
made notably strong speeches attacking
the Sugar Trust, Mr.. Jones being par
ticulariy effective in that part OF his
remarks in Which he showed that the
Trust was tine beneficiary OF every pound
of sugar it buys, although it was argued
In its interest that 1T requires l01
pounds, etc, TO produce a hundred pounds
of various refined grades. Mr.. Caffery
put Mr Havemeyer on the stand to show
that the trust as admittedly such, and
MT Vest more than intimated that the
scandals alleged about the sugar sched-
ule in s94 were even now again ia the
air. feature that was not unexpec-
ted was the utter defeat OF the export
bounty for the farmers.
The sugar schedule was taken up as it
came from the House.
Mir. Petugrew notified the Senate that
he would offer an amendment to admit
free of duty goods made by trusts
Mr.. Allison made a preliminary state
ment, asking that the provision as
TO the Hawaiian treaty 20 over, and
proposed the caucus amendment, striking
out S75-1o00 and inserting 75-l00 as the
dGty Oh refined sugar.
Mr. Jones made a strong, effective speech
from the Democratic point of view He
set out with the catchy proposition that
the new schedule was in favor OF the
sugar refincrs. Mr.. Jones had several
samples or refined sugar before him to
illustrate bis remarks relating TO grades
The Republicans, he said, should come
oEt plainly and admit their favor to the
Iefintrs. ii that We're the object OF the
schedule. He, too, was in favor of a
tax on sugar, but il was Of the things
whose cost should not be a burden, and
Should not be used as means to en-
rich "a few Interested in the trade. He
criticised Mr. Aldrich for making his
argument turn to the relation OF German
refined sugar to raw sugar. The proper
comparisons should be between American
refined and American raw products.
l.
price of refined sugar at 2.30 cents; it
should be approximately 2.66 cents; and
yet assuming Mr.. Aldricb TO be correct,
the profit is from .43 to SO per Pound.
IT followed that the Senate alnendmen Is
would give even a bigger profit than
tie House schedule.
He did not believe in prosecuting any
branch of industry or trade, yet he be-
lieved that a differential OF one-eighth OF
q cent was sufficient. 1t was true that
with such a differential the business had
made a profit On what ground could an
increase, then, be demanded?
A fair proposition, he thought, would
be l cent on sugars testing rs degrees,
with an Increase of cents on each degree
above that, and a differental of oDe-eighth
on refined sugar. The true way of deal
Ing with the whole problem, he said, was
an ad valogem tax, because such tax
was the more equitable. Replying to
question from Senator Bacon for his justi-
fication OF any diff ferential, Mr.. Jones re-
piled that t was not now a question of
justification, but of submission on the
best possible terms.
A large part of Mr. Jones' time was
to show that the Hawaiian reciprocity
treaty operated largely to the interest of
San Francisco dealers One of the writers
declared that the price of sugar on the
Pacific coast was quarter of cent less
than in New York. sugar dealers of all
kinds have been here said Mr.. Jones, "in
force, pressing their peculiar views on each
member of the committee, but Senator Mills
forgotten man and 10000 900 of the
people who buy sugar have not been here
They have been waiting and hoping that
members of the Senate would listen to
reason" Mr.. Jones here read a letter
from the Alameda Company ON the Pacific
coast, showing that sugar was impor ted
from Hawaii to an extent exceeding the
local industry by twenty-five times.
This let out an enormous amount of reve-
nue. to the Government andmade impossible
the labor which might be engaged IN pro-
ducing the amount coming from Hawaii
Now, mark this" he said; ito refine a
ton of duty-free Hawaiian sugar requires
the labor of one man for one and third
days, and yet we are asked TO pay tax
OF one-half of a cent pound profit to the
sugar refiners to compensate them, accord
Ing TO the Republican theory
Later Mr.. Jones said: Instead of hav-
ing the proposed tax of 1 95, propose that
the rate levied on raw sugar should apply
to the refined as WELL and then that there
should be q difference of twelve and one
half hundredths OF a cent between raw and
refined sugar.
Mr. Bacon-For what purpose would the
Senator assent to a higher rate of duty
m refined than on raw sugar?
Mr.. JoHes-Because the refining involves
labor and expense.
Mr.. Jones read an affidavit from Nor
man McLaren, member Of the A,neri-
,an Association Of Public Accountants.
In this It was shown that tie books of
the Alameda Company show that for the
year ending April, 1897, exclusive Of the
bounty, the net earnings were $99,-
231. .1S, or 1906 per cent on its capi-
and yet, said Mr.. Jones, the
Alameda Company is pleading the baby
act for a provision to enable it to I've
Mr.. Jones said that Mr.. Poor, who had
been before the Ways and Means Com
mittee, stated that leo pounds of sugar
was made out of every 100 pounds melted
Yet it was contended that there was a
loss of everything below the test figures
For instance, where there were seventy
five pounds of granulated sugar made
out of 100 pounds of raw sugar, the re-
20 per cent was made into
sugar, which was not taken into ac-
count ia making up the differential rates
FOR the sugar refiners. Mr.. Jones said
that the present schedule gave an un-
conscionahle margin to the refiners, one
that could not be justified on any ground
In the world.
Mr. Jones referred In passing to great
many letters be had received inquiring