Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-17
Made IDLE BY TRUSTS.
Drummer's League President
Gave Strong Testimony.
TRAVELLING MEN DISCHARGED.
Price of Commodities Raised-Warned
Against Giving Testimony-Refiner said
Sugar Monopoly Would Be Bad

WASHINGTON. June 1.-THE indus
trial commission began its session by
the examination of james II. Post OF
BROOKLYN, I, representative of the Mol
lenhauer Sugar company and the Ma
tional Sugar company of New York.
Mr.. Post, referring to Il list of sugar
prices, covering the past nine years,
showed that the margin between raw
and refined sugar had fuctuated with
trance of competing companies. The
standard price of refined sugar, he said,
was fixed daily by the American Sugar
Refining company, and as rule these
prices We're followed by the independent
refinerieS.
MIR. Post said that as a general propo-
sition he thought the American Sugar
Refining company had influenced con-
ditions for the good of the country.
do you think" asked Mr. Ratch
ford, THAT it would be good thing for
the American company to be i'll entire
control of the field
NO" said Mr. Post. Il think the
entire control of an article of universal
consumption i'll the hands of any one
set of men would be very dangerous
power"
THAT is what the trust aims at, :"
said Mr.. Ratchford, according TO Mr..
Haveineyer S own statement.
1.-The business might get into the
hands of men not so broad-minded as
Mr.. Haveneyer, replied the witness.
Mr.. Post denied that either the Ma
tlonal or the Mollenhauer companies
were connected in any way with the
American Refining company.
Mr.. Post said that Ill past Years his
refneries have used Cuban cane sugar
almost altogether. but since the great
reduction i'll the Cuban output they had
been forced to rely largely On European
beet sugar, principally German and
Austrian. The European refined sugar
was cheaper to produce than the Ameri-
can, but not of good quality. Of I'M
ported raw sugar the American retiners
had gotten large quantities from the
Philippines.
On inquiry as to the affidavit plan of
selling to wholesale grocers witness said
that it had recently been abandoned.
The result was in many places gro-
GERS We're cutting the price of sugar
and selling at Il loss. Mr.. Post said he
was sorry for the grocers, but it was q
matter of little interest to the refiner.
The refiners allowed the grocers a profit
of 3-16 of a cent IL pound, which was
as little us they could afford to handle
it for.
Free sugar from Cuba, witness said.
would wipe out American raw sugar
both beet and cane, in the next five
years.
The commission heard statement
from P. F. Dove of New York, presi-
dent of the Commercial Travellers Ma
tlonal League. Mr.. Dove said the opin-
ion of the commercial men at large was
that the trusts were a menace to the
community. He estimated the travelling
statesmen in the United States at $780,
600, SAYING the figures of 10000 were
trusts and combinations We're throwing
a large number of these men out of en-
ployment.
Mr.. Dove said that the trust COM
binations had raised the prices of the
commodities they controlled from 3 to
100 per cent i'll almost every instance
except coffee and sugar. In these they
were still fighting for control of the
field. He said his figures in this line
were absolutely correct, being from re-
liable commercial acquaintance.
This witness concluded by saying that
before leaving New York he had been
warned by an acquaintance, lawyer,
indirectly connected with some of the
trusts. that he was doing dangerous
thing in speaking before the commission
as he was liable ito be crushed like
The commission today probably will
hear M. l.. Lockwood of Pennsylvania,
the last of the trust witnesses, and next
week will take up the Investigation of
A ricultural interests