The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-06-04

OF imposing a specific duty, which is
| equivalent to about 40 per cent ad va
| loren, with an additional duty of 50 per
| cent ad Valorem on ali sugars from 81 to
| 100 degrees. with 1900 of cent per
| pound additional on all sugars above No.
| 10 Dutch standard in color and IN refined
sugars.
More than 90 per cent of the sugar
1 which is imported into the United States
| has heretofore been imported in a raw
| condition and has been refined here, and
| ii is, therefore, of importance that we
| should consider carefully the effect which
| the schedule proposed by the Senate COM
| mittee would have upon the refining in
dustry.
| 1T is. therefore. incumbent us to
| show that no protection is given the re-
| filming interests by the proposed schedule
| beyond that which is adequate for the
continued existence of the business in
the United States. For this purpose 1
| have prepared series of statements
showing the actual difference between
the rates imposed by the schedule upon
raw sugars of different grades and
fined The first of these tables to which
/ Will call your attention shows the rates
imposed upon each grade of sugar test
ing above 81 degrees by the House bill
and the Senate bill. 1t shows, further,
the actual differential on each grade in
both the House and Senate bills. This
table shows that the differential between
raw and refined sugars by the Senate
proposition varies from or to 154O cents
per 100 pounds, while the differential in
the House bill varies from 1920 to 1888
-.
an examination of this table that the diff
ferential between graduated sugar and
96-degree centrifugals-this being by far
the most important class of raw sugars
and in amount two-thirdS of the total
imports of raw cane-iS 9.S7 cents per 100
pounds. On 94-degree centrifugals the diff
ferential is 14.6.''
Aldrich then submitted statements
showing the differentials under varying
values of sugar and resumed:
Under existing law, German refined
of a
bounty. The counterVailing duty here is
but lilo of cent per pound The Ger
man retiner, therefore, receives a net
bounty of .2S of a cent per pound. This
enables him to sell his product at a less
price than the American refiner has to
pay for SO degree centrifugalS. 1t is this
kind of competition which is driving the
cane sugar producers and refiners of the
world to the wall
ment by VIM. l.. Wilson, in which the
latter estimated the rates imposed by
the Senate committees proposition.
Continuing, Aldrich said: I'm the ta-
bles have submitted no allusion is made
to the bounty provisions contained in
both the Senate and House propositions
The adoption of these or similar pro-
visions for countervailing duties seems
to be a necessity if We are to develop
the beet sugar industry in the United
States Otherwise, it will be impossible
for any foreign country, by extension or
its bounties, to neutraIize entirely the
effect of our protective duties.
I'm considering the important question
whether the differential proposed by
either the House or Senate bill is greater
than it should be, we are bound in fair
ness to take into consideration existing
conditions and the changes which have
taken place since the enactment of the
act of 1894. When that act was under dis
cuSsion in the Senate the difference of
German graduated and raw beets, IS per
cent analysis, 81 of a cent per
pound; in March the difference was SO of
a cent per pound. The importations of
refined sugars into the United States
amounted in 1891 to 100000 pounds, and
in 1892 to IA. 900 pounds. The importa-
pounds, while the importations in the
single month of April, 1897, amounted to
nearly 81, 100000 pounds.
German refiners have driven the SUI
gardening industry of Great Britain al
most entirely out of existence. They are,
as 1 have already stated invading every
product. Most of the German graduated
imported is the result of a continuous
sugar and German granulated have sold |
on absolute parity of value, taking into |
account only the percentages of pure SUI
gar contained in it. If we assume the |
cost of refining sugar in the United |
States to be approximately half a cent |
per pound, and if German refined can be |
sold without loss on the same basis with |
German raws, it must be evident that the |
diferentials suggested n the senate |
are not only not excessive, |
out they are quite likely in the near fu- |
ture to prove inadequate to secure the |
continuance of the business of sugar re- |
filming in the United States If the inn |
portationS of German granulated should |
increase at the same ratio that they have |
since the act of 1894 was adopted the |
Germans viii certainly secure at any ear |
ly day a large part of the American mar |
ket. The protection afforded by the diff |
ferentialS proposed by the Senate COM |
mittee is, believe, not only less by per- |
centage, but less with reference to the |
actual requirements of the industry than |
that afforded by rates imposed upon any |
other Important product by the terms of |
the BILL
The Senator then took up the Hawaiian |
treaty and said: The committee will |
also prepare and present an amendment |
to the House provisions in regard to the |
treaty. The existing CONNER |
cial treaty between the United States and |
the Government of these Islands provides |
for the free admission of raw sugars, the |
product of the Islands, into the United |
States. If this treaty should remain in |
force 1t would result in giving a bounty |
TO the Hawaiian sugar producers amount |
ing to more than 5000 900 per annum. It !
was not contemplated when the original |
ed that any possible advantage of this |
kind could ever result from its terms to |
the people Of the Hawaiian Islands.
The effect of this bounty would I'M |
dOubtedly be to stimulate enormously |
the production of sugar in the Hawaiian |
Islands. While we cannot fairly abrogate |
a treaty of this kind with a friendly |
cOuntrv without notice, we believe that !
negotiations should be at once entered |
INTO looking to such a modlncauon or |
the treaty as will reduce the bounty to |
be paid to Hawaiian sugar producers to |
a reasonable sum, and the committee viii |
present an amendment looking in that |
direction at early day.
There should be no difficulty in secur- !
ing through the treaty-making power |
such modifca tons of the treaty as will |
be satisfactory to both countries without |
injury TO either. It certainly cannot be |
that the United States Will con- |
tinue for any length of time to pay a |
Of
as an inducement to any foreign country !
to trade with US. I assume there will be /
no difficulty in securing proper modif1ca- !
lions of the treaty so that it will not be (
necessary for the Government of the !
United States to give the one years no. !
tice of abrogation of treaty as provided /
for by its terms.