The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-01-14
THE TREATY IS ASSA|LED
BEET SUGAR MEN URGE ABROGA-
TION OF AGREEMENT.
Senator Perkins Makes a Plea for Peet
Sugar-The Matter Before the
House Committee.

nittee today, and it was the most in /
teresting as well as the most impor-
tant schedule so far considered. The
interests of the producers,
refners and importers were brought
out in sharp contrast. The producers
wanted higher duties all along the line,
and the refners pressed for higher
duties on refined and not so high on
raw sugar.
The latter were especially anxious
that in imposing countervailing duties
against export bounty countries the
additional duty should be levied only
against the refined article. The i'm
porters, the cane-growers, the refinA's
and the beet-growers were each given
innings by the committee.
The recommendation of the import
ers are as follows
First, on all sugar testing Is degrees
or less a duty of 1 cent per pound,
adding 3 cents per degree to 100 de-
grees.
Second, an additional duty of about
one-fourth of cent differential on all
sugars above 16 Dutch standard in
color to prevent refiners entering spg-
ars at the same duties as raw sugars
of the same test.
Third, an additional discriminating
duty on all sugars from bounty-paying
countries with authority to the Pres
ident to raise or lower the duties on
goods from these countries, as boun-
ties were raised or lowered.
This scheme, the importers estimat-
ed, would yield the Government rev.
enue of $5O,O0O,OOO year, the amount
of sugar paying duty being about one
and one-haif millions of tons, and the
average polariscOpe test being 92 de-
grees.
The cane growers want:
First-That specific duties depend
ent on both polarscopic test and color
standard be imposed in lieu of ad va
loren duties.
Second-That commencing with lao
cents for sugar testing Is and under
16, Dutch standard, the rate be proper
tionately increased.
Third-That duties equal to EXPORT
bounties be imposed to offset them.
Fourth-A proportionate duty on
molasses.
Fifth-That the new law have effect
from the passage of the act.
Sixth-That reciprocity treaties, if
adopted, be without injury to the do
mestic sugar industry on lines which
recognize the overshadowing import
ance of developing sugar production
in the United States, and by such
methods as insure protection equiv
alent to that suggested.
Henry T. Oxnard of Grand Island,
Neb., President of the American Beet
Sugar Society, in behalf of the indus
try charged that the present tariff not
only failed to give protection to the
sugar raisers, but discouraged the in
vestment of additional capital. 1t has
been predicted that under the McKin-
lay law he beet sugar industry would
grow rapidly and three refineries had
been built in the administration of that
law, but since then the change had de-
TERED new investments. Any sched-
ule on sugar which had been in force
since 1860, except that of the Wilson
tariff, would permit the increase of
beet sugar growing. Beet sugar could
be produced in twenty states, and
under proper tariff the United States
could in fifteen years raise all the
sugar necessary for home consunp-
ton. The beet industry protested
against rates lower than from ~ to
3H cents a pound.
For reasons, supposedly commercial,
Congress had in 1876 legislated for the
free entry of sugar from Hawaii. This
treaty had never been met with favor
with the people, had cost $4s,000,O00
and had not greatly increased our eX-
DOi 10 W tiut hS
duties remitted by the United States
on Hawaiian sugar are Sol 100000. He
thought it was unjust to encourage
these importers at the expense of rev.
enue and our home producers. He
urged the abrogation of the agree
ment.
Senator Perkins, of California, pre-
sented an argument in favor of the i'm
position of specific tax of 1h cents
a pound on imported raw sugars. He
showed that the consumption of inn
ported sugar by the United States is
about 100000 pounds a year, all of
which, if protected, he said, can be
produced in a few years within cur