The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-01-15
Committee Listen to Sugar Tariff
Talk.
PROTECTION AND BOUNTY THE CRY
Oxnard Wants ReciprO.
city Treaty Abrogated.
Beet Sugar Industry in the United
States Needs Protection
and Bounty.

| WASHINGTON, Dee. 30.-The third da!
of the tariff hearings was devoted to tn,
sugar schedule. Four interests were rep
resented, the importers, the cane grow
ers, the beet raisers and the refiners. TIL,
| importers were heard first. John Farr OF
| New York opened the argument. Theil
| recommendations presented by Mr.. Farr
| were:
F'irst-On all sugar testing 20 degrees OIL
less a duty of 1 cent per pound, adding
cents per degree to 100 degrees.
Second-An additional duty of about a
fourth of cent differential on all sugars
above 16 Dutch standard in color, to pre-
vent refiners entering refined sugars at
the same duties as raw sugars of the
same test
Third-An additional discriminating du-
~ on all sugars from the bounty-paying
countries, with authority to the President
to raise or lower the duties on goods
from those countries as bounties were
raised or lowered.
This scheme, the importers estimated,
would yield the Government revenue of
100000 year, the amount of sugar
paying duty being about one and a half
million tons, and the average polariScope
test being 90 degrees.
In reply to a question, Farr declared
that there was no differentiation of Su-
gars now imported, but owing to the
strict Interpretation of the law by GUS
tom house officials, the tendency was to
pay more duty than the law called for.
Appraisals were made on the basis of
estimated values at Trinidad and other
places where there were no market val
ueS.
What would you say" said Mr.. Ding
lev ito the statement furnished by Hen
of TaS "a n n
voiced value of all sugar imported in 1893
was an average of $40 of cent pound
under the London valuation?'
Mr.. Farr considered that statement I'M
truthful and entirely theoretical. London
values were not representative, as Ger
many had absorbed the business. London
prices on cane were merely nominal.
Farr was questioned by Payne of New
York on the effect of the operation of the
American Refining Company on the bust
ness. The importer asserted that only in
occasional bargains could the American
Sugar Refining Company buy it's goods
cheaper than other firms. It's influence
had been to reduce the price of sugar
throughout the world. Under the present
differential rate of $40 of cent the inn
portations for the last year had been Co.
900, 900 tons larger than ever before. A diff
ferential of IA of a cent pound would
enable the soft white sugars to compete
with the centrifugal refiners.
Solomon HUMPHREYS of New York, the
chairman of the committee appointed by
the sugar trade, explained the dIfncult1eS
of an ad valorem tariff on sugar and
made a plea for a specific system. The
change, he said, was unanimously de-
manded by the trade AID valorem valu-
atoms are unjust on account of the fuc-
tuations in prices. The sugar schedule
had given the Treasury Department more
trouble than any other feature of the
tariff act now in force. 1t had been esti-
mated by the department that it would
yield a revenue of S43, 000, 000 but for the
past year the revenue has been less than
$50 900, 900, and under existing conditions
it would not exceed S21, 900, 900 for the cur
rent year.
Higher prices for raw sugars would I'M
doubtedly be the result of the schedule
desired, Mr.. Humphreys continued, but
the advance would be so small that it
would not be felt by the average family.
a duty beginning at three-fOurths of a
cent at 70 degrees would yield $43,OOO,00O
revenue The production of sugar was
now regulated by consumption, and no
reduction in prices could be expected for
several years.
Speaking of bounties. Humphreys de-
rlared that they were q demoralizing fac
The German Government recently had
raised the bounty to something over one
fourth of a cent pound, which enabled
Germany TO dispose of all her surplus
product The system was working ruin
to all the British Islands, so that they
must resort to the same scheme or go out
Of the business. Instead of one-tenth of
a cent on bounty sugar imported into
his country, the additional duty should
De equal to the bounties
p j. Smith, another importer, made q
brief argument against ad valorem du
lies.
Colonel ]. d. Hill of New York, repre-
sentng the Cane Growers Association of
Louisiana, was the first to speak for the
He argued for a restoration
IF the duty of the act of 1883. He spoke !