Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-02-07


mate and Proper-Prof1ts as High
as Fifty Per Cent, Have been
Divided-A Demonstration Of Dis
approval by the Audience-The
Quarrel Between the Sugar Kings
and the Coffee Kings
New York. February 6.-Before the
legislative joint committee On trust ad-
journed yesterday, Chairman LeXow
announced mat failure on the part of
John e. Searles, secretary and treasurer
of the American Sugar Refining Com
pany to appear before the committee to-
day would bring upon him such pun
ishment for contempt as the laws Of
the State of New York prescribe. Mr..
+ Searles was not on hand to-day. Ed
ward NJ. Shepard and John E. Parsons,
attorneys for the Sugar Company, eX-
planned that the subpoena 10 appear
| before the cOmmitte was served on Mr..
I Searles Just as he was leaving the city;
he was to-day in Washington and could
not meet the committee until Monday.
On that day Mr. Shepard said Mr. Scar
les would be either in this city or IN
Albany. as would best suit the cOnven-
/ fence of the committee and submit 10
I the proposed inquisition. Chairman
Lexow said that the committee would
decide in executive session what should
be done in the premises.
John Arbuckle was then recalled TO
the witness chair.
He said it was not true, as stated by
| President Havemeyer, that the Amer
/ lean Sugar Refining Company dld not
threaten to force him out Of the conee
! business if he engaged IN the rennlng
/ of sugar There is no profit IN the
| coffee business for us now Mr.. Ar
/ buckle said. and he went on TO explain
that the profits from coffee IN 1876 was
only three-fOurths of cent pouhd:
In 1895 a little less than siX-tenOhs oil
a cent. and in 1898 little less tnan SIX
/ tenths of a cent pound.
James n. Jarvie, the business part
ner of John Arbuckle, was recalled,
: and in the course of his testimony sald
that coffee had fluectuated in the mar
ket within the last ten years. He SAID
there was no profit in the coffee Dusi-
ness nowadays and read statistics 10
/ that effect.
Tbis was in contradiction of the state
ments made yesterday by Mr.. Havemeyer'
who stated that the coffee business was
thriving and profitable field of mercantile
| industry. In reply TO Senator LeXoW ne
/ testified that the firm OF Arbuckle " co.
and Vm. r. McLauglin, of Chicago, COL
| troll the coffee packing trade in the United
| States. and that the Havemeyers control
the bulk of the sugar trade 20 the same eN-
tenn. Witness said that there were several
grades Of coffee. ranging in price from ten
to thirty cents a pound. the latter oe44s
paid for Java and Mocha.
What was the purchase price on coffee
when the American Sugar Refining co.
went into the coffee business through the
/ Woolson Spice Coz
"I should say the market price for RIO
coffee was ten cents pound and 1t sold
at 10 cents a pound TO the middle men.
..Vhat price do YOU sell it at nCw?'
AT 1872 cents per pound
Does a profit accrue?
Il am not prepared to say just now
"Aud the Woolson Spice Co. settled at
/ IS cents a pound?'
Yes. sir"
do you as a manufacturer consider /,
| fair to amass from the consumers enor-
nous profits to be distributed among the
/ directors and stockholders in the charge
! of unreasonable prices2
The witness tried to evade the question
and the spectators gave noisy evidence
/ of their disapproval.
Senator Lexow pounded the desk with
| his gavel and ordered that no display OF
| feeling be permitted.
How long will the public stand such a
thing. do you think asked Senator
LoNow.
Witness said that the fifty per cent. di-
/ vidsnd only represented "a five per cent.
dividend for the present value Cf stock.
u- said his company paid $1,000 ior a
single share of the Wooison Spice Co
.Is il a fact that they are putting up q
better coffee AT less price than YOU for
the purpose of driving you out Of the mar
ket@'
"I think our coffee is better than theirs
the witness replied.
Al this Lncture Senator LeXow asked
for II. O. Havemeyer. and Mr. Parsons
said he had just received word that Mr..
Havemever would be on hand at o'clock,
10 which hour recess was taken.
Senator Lcxow then announced that dur-
iue recess the committee would consider
the question of Mr.. Scarles's disobediencc
10 the order of the committee. After re-
cess Chairman LcNow announced that Mr..
Searles would be given until 10 "a. m. Mon
dav 10 answer the subpoena of the COM
( mittee.
President Hlvemeyer was then recalled.
He said that the four redneries in Phila-
de.phia which were absorbed in lSll, sull
! continue i'm operation.
"How many men had yoU in your employ
In New York State at the time OF the or
saaization?'
"I am unable 20 tell YOU
Were these 10000 on the East Side?'
ct should think So
"fs il not true that 1000 men were al
ore time discharged by you?
, 1T is not true; we did not at any time
have that number employed
In reply to another question he denlea
that there were any sugar reiQeries closed
after the consolidation In 1891.
The witness further testified that prior
TO the consolidation six factories employ
ing 600 hands were closed down.
John Bergen who had been i'm the en-
plov of the American Sugar Refining Co.
} in various capacities from 1876 to 1884, was
next called.
He said that in 1S92 ne was i'm the employ
- .,- -.....,~ o,r,r1rr,- % - Toolz foreman.