The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-25
The SUGAR WAR
Will Probably he Fought Out i'm the
Chicago Market.

Chicago Market.
Chicago. Dec. 24.-The Tribune says:
Chicago has become the chief battle
ground In the contest between the SUI
gar trust and the Arbuckles and the
Doerchers, its powerful rivals. fester-
day the price of outside" & was
cut one-eighth cent below trust prices,
reaching almost the lowest quotation on
record. The drop was accompanied by
developments that showed the exist
ence OF a little trust among the whole
sale grocers to support the sugar trust
and also that a new Richmond was in
the field In the shape of beet sugar sup
ply. The trust was not ready to meet
the rivals prices, but is expected to do
so to-day. The circumstances leading
up TO the cut are these:
Arbuckle brothers and the Doerschers
own sugar rehneries on the Atlantic
seaboard and have a daily capacity of
5000 and $500 barrels respectively. Both
plants were started less than six
months q and both invaded Chicago
with their goods early in the fall. The
trust was ready for them. In Septem-
Der, seeing that rival goods were to be
offered, its representatives visited the
jobbing trade and suggested that a
contract be signed by which any
amount of sugar. up to a stated guam
tity, might be purchased by the jobber
at a given price. and that a low one.
una "aF w a. Alodld W
the trusts rivals. but IL was made only
to its factors. The latter are all whole
sale grocers except two or three, whose
arrangements with the trust provide
for n rebate of from one-eighth to one
sixteenth from the list price to be made
periodically.
The Arbuckles and the Doerschers.
when they entered the Chicago market,
made a cut In prices. Ii did not bring the
expected increase I'm sales. as the jobbers
were able under their contracts to draw
on the trust for sugar at the same prices.
The contracts began expiring a short time
ago. Before the date was reached the
trusts representatives visited the factor
les and extended the agreement. When
the Arbuckles and Doerschers found this
out they on Wednesday last announced a
cut to $50. and coupled with II the notice
that they would do business direct with
the retail trade. Yesterday they followed
IL up with a further cut Of 5.15-a full one
eighth cent below the trust price. The To-
cal houses OF the Arbuckles and Doer-
schers were bombarded with business.
Statesmen for the jobbers and wholesalers
came i'm to report that the market was
taken away from the trust. and that all
the retailers i'm Chicago were dealing with
the opposition.
No attempt was made to meet the price,
but there was possibly a reason for this.
A meeting of the sugar committee was
called I'm the commercial exchange. but
adjourned until to-day. when II Is eX-
pected that the trust price will be an
nounced One year ago the differences be-
tween the prices OF raw and reine SUI
gars was about sl.25. Yesterday 1t was -
cents. or nearly 81 a barrel. II is said the
sugar trusts output is 1o.000 barrels "A
day. so a little figuring will give a fair
approximate idea of the vast sum the
fight has cost.
Within the last week or two numbers
Of carloads Of beet sugar have arrived in
Chicago. This sugar was sold below the
trust price. and IL is said arrangements
are making to handle an output of half n
dozen factories built and building I'm near
by states. All these features create a sit
uation which well-informed men in the
trade say point to the conclusion that the
war would be fought out in this market.