The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-19

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct IA great
commercial game of chess is now in
progress. The American Sugar Rein
ing Company, commonly known as the
sugar trust" made the first move
when, as was told yesterday in the press
dispatches from New York, it cut the
price of it's product to Missouri river
points. Now comes the move of the
American Beet Sugar Association,
which IS opposing the trust. Henry T.
Oxnard, president of this association,
declares that the trust rate of S1a cents
a pound for granulated sugar is less
than cost price and that the beet SUI
gar men will let Missouri river points
alone and send their product to all
other markets in the United States
This is what Henry T. Oxnard has
to say of the sugar trusts move:
The sugar trust has just made an
other move in its desperate battle to
crush out beet sugar production and
ruin those who are trying to develop
an industry of incalculable benefit to
the farming population of at least two
thirds of our States-an industry so
valuable to the agricultural sections
that European governments are foster
ing it by bounties direct and Indirect
The facts are as follows:
Raw sugar is selling for 3& cents in
New York and graduated ASS cents
or a margin of Ito cents between the
two. But the trust is selling from time
to time and in limited quantities in
the Missouri river markets granulated
sugar at 31a cents or Il of a cent under
the cost of the raw material at New
York, paying in addition the freight of
So cents per hundred from New York
to the Missouri river They are keep
ing the price of sugar high in all parts
of the country except in the Missouri
valley.
The object is plain. The trust wishes
to force the beet sugar producers that
find market in that particular section
| to meet this ruinous price-to sell their
graduated sugar for less than the val
lie of the raw material at New York
| and thus compel them to go out of
business and leave the field to the
sugar trust. If they could succeed in
4
| then turn their attention to the beet
factories of Michigan and other sec
tons and by the power of concentrated
capital crush out successfully the indi-
vidual beet sugar producers.
| Knowing that the above plain facts
must bring upon the trust a storm of
Indignation, it tries to deceive the
public by claiming through the press
that the beet producers can still make
money at the low price it is trying TO
establish. This is false. If it had
been true then the trust would have
tried to establish a still lower price.
They are not sacrificing ~ cents per
| pound in the Missouri river markets
| to make price that will still be profit
able to the beet sugar men.
But this particular move on the part
of the sugar trust will fall fiat. The
Ibeet sugar factories will not sell their
sugar in the Missouri river valley at
~ cents under the market when a
Traction of that IL cents will move their
sugar to every other market in the
United States. What the next move
of the trust will be remains to be seen.
The trust also attempts to justify it's
|
ing that the beet factories have gone
out of their rightful sphere in making
refined sugar instead Of raw sugar to
be refined by the trust. independent
beet sugar producers have always made
and sold refined beet sugar. 1t would
be putting ones head in the lions jaws
with a vengeance for the beet factories
to equip themselves only for The making
of raw sugars at prices to be fixed by
the trust Besides it is an economical
blunder to perform in two operations
what can be done as we'll in one, and
again the making of raw sugar would
cOnfine the beet sugar industry to the
factories near the seaboard where the
sugar refineries are located, for fac
tory located say in the State of Colo
RADIO could not exist if its product had
to pay SO cents per hundred freight IN
the raw state TO the Coast refinery and
then 60 cents per hundred more to come
back to the people OF the same State IN
a form fit for consumption.
| The movement on the part of the
! sugar trust in selling it's refined sugar
far below the cost to it of the raw
material, cannot but fail 20 call down
on the head of the trust the Condenl-
nation not only of the beet sugar pro-
ducers. but also of all fair-minded peo-
pie in the country. They have placed
themselves in an exceedingly poor po-
sition 10 go before Congress and ash
for the perpetuation of their power, as
refiners; although they have recently
arranged to increase their capita
stock to the extent of Sc, 100000 to rivet
: their control of the raw cane product
In view of this act on the part of the
sugar trust the United States Con
gress can lily afford to inaugurate th@
policy of reducing the present rate OF
duty by reciprocity, or in any other
way which would have the certain et-
feet of enriching the trust on one hanc
and on the other the killing of th'