The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-12-30

Washington that Henry Oxnard has ar
rived there with the avowed purpose Of
remaining all winter to oppose legisla
ton detrimental TO beet sugar interests
This betokens a battle royal between
the sugar trust and the growers OF
American sugar. Two years ago Mr.
Oxnard and the interests that he rep
resents. by calling a halt to the free
entrance of sugar from Porto Rico
caused the reversal of a policy on the
part of Congress which was considered
settled and saved the day for the do
nestle producer. In the present instance
| there are the same arguments to be
threshed out with the additional, and it
would seem strong point, that the pro-
posed beneficiary now is not entitled by
ownership. through conquest or other
wise, to the privileges that Porto Rico
asked for. 1t is simply a demand by
the sugar trust that the tariff be taken
off of raw sugar to the end that the
American Sugar Refining Company
shall obtain its supplies cheaper than at
| present, Wtllle liOSt IuG4AlAiASo WIN -
who have plantations in Cuba shall be
given a profitable market. unhampered
by the present duty of $50 per ton An
other consideration is the investing of
! the SIS. OOO,0 600 of new stock issued this
year for the avowed purpose of enlarg-
ing the sugar-growing end of the bust
] ness where it would yield the largest
returns Nothing is said meanwhile OF
the duty on refined sugar so that while.
/ If the duty is RENTED, one class oil
| American Iabor-that engaged in plant
! ing sugar cane and sugar beets-will be
deprived of what is claimed to be neces-
sary protection, the trust by virtue of
the strength which comes from the con-
1 troll of the sugar business, is free, I'M
der the shelter of the tariff. to make on
/ its finished material whatever price IT
/ likes What the trust would gain by
/ the transaction can be easily figured
out. There is now being brought here
! ]. 800 600 tons of raw sugar annually the
| tariff on which is S49,000000. Havemey-
er and his associates would have this
vast sum taken from the revenues OF
the government on the mere suggestion
that the public would be the gamer
through the reduction in sugar prices
antee that this would be the case is not
forthcoming. however. and anyone who
has followed the course of sugar man
ufacture for some years past and who
believes that the refinerIeS would not
absorb the lions share of whatever eX-
ira profit may accrue from the abolition
of the tariff on the raw material. must
have used his faculties in the mean
time to little purpose.
The public will view with considera-
J BILE suspicion the overtures of the
american Sugar Refining Company,
which stands prominently for all that
represents speculative dealing; whose
capital stock is looked upon as blind
pool and which has persistently refus-
ed access to it's books. Furthermore,
the ups and downs of the stock and the
varying dividends are regarded as hav-
ing no relation to the profits derived
from manufacturing or the intrinsic
value of the properties. This suspicion
that the present move of the trust Off
Gals is dictated by selfish motiVes.e us
warranted by the former efforts to dis
courage the growth of sugar by domes-
tic interests outside of their control.
and is increased by the recent action
OF the American Company in cutting
the price of it's sugar from 5.23 cents a
territory and other sections where oeet
sugar is in competition with cane su-
gar. This crushing out process. II car
ried on for any length of time. Will OF
course free the trust of this class OF
competition. Free sugar. however
would accomplish the same result In a
much shorter time and at less expense
and trouble to the refiners. For with
this duty removed the beet growers
! would be completely at the mercy or
Havemeyer and the rest, and their bus
mess. for which high hopes are held in
some quarters. would soon be a thing
of the past. But not only would oeet
sugar be affected disastrously by free
sugar from Cuba, but the Louisiana
cane would be superseded by the prod
net grown by the Pearl of the Antilles,
which possesses advantages for raising
this commodity that places 1t beyond
connection from the rest of the world
Replanting there is necessary only
once in about twenty years whereas
elsewhere the work has TO be done an
nuauv. AS the domestic sugar could
command no higher price than the i'm
ported. competition under such conui-
tions would be out Of the question. We
are under no obligation TO give Cup.
sugar free entry here, ana least OF al
should 1t be at the behest of trust
which has shown its disregard OF pup
lie opinion and has stified compeutloh'
as but one other trust has been able 10
do. It seeks now to make domestic
beet and cane growing an impossinlilty'
lust as it has made competition WIN
itself in sugar manufacture practlcally
so. depriving the government OF ABOUT
s5O. 900. 10 Of revenue, without sNIns
ANYTHING in return, and would douDl
less oppose with all the resources AZ lCS
command the lowering to the smallest
axtent the present protective duty on
it's finished product.
The present attitude OF the sugar trust
regarding raw sugar duties Is in marked
/ contrast TO that taken by Il when the
/ question was being discussed prior TO the
/ enactment of the Wilson tariff bill. Wheh
\ this measure WAS being formulated lLtS