Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-06-05

tons at the port of New York for Janu-
airy, 1897, Is show by a table which L
submit to the senate which has been
prepared by the customs officers in New
York. The rates suggested show a range
| OF ad yalorem equivalents from 1872 TO
144.3 per cent.
Careful examination of the tables
will show the scale rates adopted bears
very ~unequally upon all low grades or
sugars. The character and extent or
the discrimination has led h commit
tee to believe the schedule should be
modified. The committee determined to
recommend rates which would be in
their effect as high at least az the house
bill, but which would be levied In a
manner that would make advalorem
equivalents more uniform. We believe
the imposition of high specific rates up
on low grade sugars would have the eff
feet to exclude them from the United
States. The total amount of these low
grades produced is unimportant as CON-
pared with the total sugar crop, but they
have a continued importation into the
United States n are very important
when viewed from the standpoint Of our
trade and commerce with other u
tries.
Cannot Exclude Low Grades.
ITO exclude from the American market
all low grade a n uga from the
nearby countries and sugars of all
grades from distant countries would
confine the American purchasers to beet
sugars and c~entrifugals from points
nearest the United States and send all
other sugars to free markets like Can
ada and England, This policy would
undoubtedly increase the price of sugar
from nearby countries and necessarily
add to the cost Of sugar to consumers
in the United States.
Compound Duties.
"These are reasons which led your
committee to suggest an advalorem
rate Of rs per cent on all sugars testing
not above 81 degrees. OF cane sugars
the testing above 81 degrees is very
much larger in proportion than centrifu-
gals, testing above SO degrees. The
committee in considering the question
whether they should add the specific
scale contained in the house schedule
for sugars testing above 81 degrees,
were confronted with the fact that these
s1NND "oeae eioNA AAih III dfO VI
sugars in certain localities and I'm
values against those of others. The
committee after consideration reached
the conclusion that the essential ele-
ments, the certainty of revenue and adj
tustment of rates that would lessen dis
ordinations could best be secured by
the adoption Of compound rates. The
committee, therefore, adopted the sug-
gestions which are confined in the bill
and we reported to the sena imposing
a specific duty, which is equivalent TO
about 40 per centum advelorem with an
additional duty of 35 per centum adva-
loren on all sugars from 81 degrees to
100 degrees with thirteen hundredths of
n cent per pound additional on all SUI
gars above No. 16 Dutch standard in
color and on refined ugars.
Protect Refiners.
More than 80 per cent of the sugar
which is imported into the United States
has heretofore been imported In a raw
condition and refined here, and IL is
therefore important that we should
consider carefully the effect which the
schedule proposed by the senate COM
mittee would have upon the refining in
bdEAl AA0 A11N AAial lIC puSlIltSS a.
conducted today is in comparatively few
hands and that a large portion Of il is
carried on by one company, while it fur.
nishes reason for unusual care in adj
justment of rates in order that no UNI
fair advantage shall be given the sugar
r~efiners, should not be allowed to fur
nish a pretext in the preparation Of a
tariff bill constructed upon protective
| lt-aa Co.. 4hn 1aotranaftna 80 ruzzA T.
dustry. In other words, the business
should not be turned over by legislative
Determinations to the German reflners.
1t is therefore incumbent upon us to
show that no protection Is given the re-
fining interests by the proposed schedule
beyond that which Is adequate for the
continued existence OF the business in
the United States. For this purpose I
have prepared a series OF statements
showing the actual difference between
the rates imposed by the schedule upon
raw sugars of different grades and re-
fined. The first of these tables shows a
differential between raw and refined
sugars by the senate proposition which
varies from LII to 1910 cents per 100
pounds. while the differential in the
house bill varies from 1920 to 1875 cents
per 100 pounds. 1t will be seen that the
d~ifferential between ~granulated sugar
and So degrees centrifugals-this being
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 "a degree centrifugals
the differential is 1913 cents; on SO degree
Muscavadoes the differential is lag
cents. In order to show that the com
mittee's proposition does not give undue
advantage to beet sugars, as compared
with cane sugars, the following state
ment shows the d%ifferential between
raw and refined beet sugars in COMPARE
son with the differential on cane sugars
based on the rates imposed by the exist
ing law:
"Differential rates On raw beet sugar.
IS degree analysis and on German gran
ulated-
Re- Differen.
fined. Raw. tial.
Present law 80. ..104.50 $3.50 14.9s
Senate bill ........1 1861 so ISL. 703 14.797
Bounty Sugars.
Under the existing law German re-
fined sugar receives thirty-eight hun
dredths OF a cent per pound export
bounty. The countervailing duty here
is but one-tenth Of a cent per pound.
The German refiner therefore receives a
net bounty Of twenty-eight hundredths
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 has driven the cane
sugar producers and reiners of the
world to the wall.
I'm the tables I submitted no allusion
is made to the bounty provision con
tanned in both the senate and house pro-
posals.. The adoption of these or simi-
lar provisions for countervailing duties
seems to be necessary IL we are to de-
velop the beet sugar industry in the
United States. Otherwise 1t will be pos
sible for any foreign country by its ex-
tension Of bounties to neutralize entire
ly the effect Of our protective duties. In
considering the important question
whether the differential proposed by