The Hawaiian gazette., 1902-02-04
SUGAR

CINCHED THE HAWAIIANS.

f. c.. Burr, of the Union Sugar Com
pany. gives some striking Illustrations
OF the methods by which the sugar trust
has cinched the Hawaiian producers and
consumers. He declares that the scheme
to abolish the tariff on Cuban raw sugar
is characteristic of the trust.
Burr says
The outlook is blue, very blue, indeed,
for the beet sugar men in the United
States with Congress likely to renew .he
tinkering with sugar duties. Our stock,
for instance. and in fact the stock of
every beet sugar company not in the
trust, Is hardly saleable owing to the
fear of the monopoly. 1t is all a fraud,
a fallacy, n delusion. to think that the
consumer is going to get any beneh.
from the removal of the duty on Cuban
raw sugar.
The United States Is stir a buyer of
sugar. The production of beet and cane
sugar at home has to increase 1850 900
tons n year before the demand is met
fully by the supply. What better or
grander thing can there be done than to
develop this industry and draw out to
some extent from the cereal industry,
which is overdone? At $50 a ton, the
present price, this development would
add about $s2,oo0oo0 year, most of
which would be expended in labor.
the greatest number lies in the protec-
tion of our own people in relation to the
sugar industry of the United States and
Hawaii. l am In favor of applying char
ity at home and not going abroad to re-
lieve people whom we have rescued from
life worse than slavery.
II Congress removes the duty on Gu
ban raw sugar. in spite of what Mr..
Havemeyer says to the contrary, l shall
venture the prediction that the only con-
sumers in the United States who will
profit by 1t are those that refine sugar
In other words, the money will be di-
vided between the Cuban planters and
the refiners in the trust.
Sugar Is cheaper in San Francisco than
in New York, but not for the consumer
The trust has eNacted n reduction In
price from the Hawaiian planters. To-
day the trust cuts the planters down
three-eighths of cent a pound below
the New York price, and why? Simply
because the trust has the power to buy
at its own price, or leave the product
on the planters hands. The same result
will be experienced in New York as soon
6s the proposed reduction on Cuban su-
gar Is effected.
This three-eightils of n cent a pound
In the hands OF tile trust has an awful
power over domestic beet sugar produc-
tion. 1t is supposed that the Spreckels
people are independent of the trust. but
on the street II is well known among
sugar men that they and the trust are in
partnership. They make no secret Of II
TO sugar men. They cut the price on the
planter but charge the consumer the
price prevailing in New York, whereas
the consumer ought to pay three-eighths
of cent less.
At the close OF the war in Cuba the
production Of sugar had fallen from 1,loo
900 tons year to 10000 tons. Since then
1t has grown to 10000 in 1901, and II is
estimated that at least 500 90 tons will be
produced in 1902, and 1900 in 1903. I
infer from this that Cuba does not need
our aid In regard 10 removal or reduction
OF the duty on her raw sugar.
We have given Cuba what she wanted
l-freedom-and now she Is showing signs
OF ability TO take care of herself cuba is
not asking for removal of this duty,
There Is no commission IN Washington
memorializing Congress to abolish the
duty. 1t Is purely a move on the part OF
the sugar trust for its own benent.
FREDERICK O'BRIEN,
| THE BEET SUGAR INDUSTRY.
Crop Reporter OF January, 1902. says
The growth Of the beet sugar industr,