The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-04-24
Especial to The Advertiser)

| Il
agreement of contract formally ratified
all refiners throughout the country will
sell sugars on uniform terms. This
does not mean they will name uniform
prices, but that whatever the price, the
terms shall remain unchanged. In flu
ture. therefore. a price of sc for gran
ulated will mean the same whether
quoted by the Sugar Trust. the Ma
tional Company or the Arbuckles,. and
it will not be complicated by any spe-
| cial or extra discounts. During the
| last year or so there has been consid-
cradle irregularity. so far as discounts
| have been concerned. and refiners have
| charged their rivals with making Sc
tanning list prices.
| The new terms will go into operation
on all sugar sold on and after April
Is. They follow:
List price. less 15c per hundred
| pounds. 80 days.
| Discount l per cent for cash days.
| Extra discount of points to be paid
| at end of 60 days to all who have lived
up to agreements.
The present terms are list prices. less
| 1 per cent trade discount. less a second
1 per cent for cash days. and less
third 1 per cent special discount. The
last-named 1 per cent special discount
was the result of an alleged secret cut
hy the Su0ar Trust which uas onapIy
met by the Arbuckles and subsequently
put into operation by the National
Company.
1t is not a fact that the refiners have
agreed among themselves in regard to
the new terms. The agreement has been
entirely between the individual refners
and the National Wholesale Grocers'
Association. In other words. the gro
GERS have themselves first agreed upon
the terms they believe they can live
up to and enforce. 1t is well known
that for some years past the wholesale
rying out what is known as the Equal
ity Plan for the sale of sugars. In
some portions of the country they have
been able 10 maintain the profit they
agreed among themselves should be the |
minimum, namely 15c per hundred |
pounds; but in many other sections of
the country the plan has not been sue
cessful. The sections in which they
may be said to have been successful are
the New England and Eastern States
and also some OF the Northwestern
States. but beyond these sections any
of prices has been irresu-
lar and the sugar business, which con-
stitutes so large a share of the business
of the wholesale grocer, has in many
instances been carried on at an actual
to use it as leader for the sale of
other merchandise.
The wholesale grccers of the country
through their National Executive Com
mittee have for a year or more been
at work upon plan for remedying this
and Improbable condi-
ton. and they this week completed it
and yesterday secured formal promises
Of cooperation from the refiners. 1t
viii. they believe, enable them TO eff
'ectually carry out the Equality Plan
and enable all grocers to secure a mod
crate profit on sugar. The grocers'
committee secured the cooperation of
he refinerS on the direct assurance that
he Equality Plan would be honestly
The Equality Plan, in
,rief. is one by which grocers at va
'ious jobbing centers throughout the
ountry are placed on equal terms. In
,ther words. the refiners sell at list
rir loss
he bill an amount for freight which
will give grocers the sugar at a deliv- L
red price as low as any other grocer d
hOugh he be in some other jobbingl '
enter. who may supply their natural :
erritory.
The grocers of the West and in some n
ections OF the South feel satisfied the a
ew plan will prove effective. These are
he sections in which the sugar BUSH 2
ess has been most discouraeing II is q
enerally understood that sugars from q
Jew Orleans refiners will in sections ~
here equality prices are in effect. also -
cooperate. .,
With the possible exception of New A
nSland the wholesale grocers' assoc b
ations Will have no financial control u!
yer the operations OF their members .
18th the various refiners-not even in a.
ie instance of the five-point rebate W
lat is to be allowed after sixty days -
the event of the agreement being e.
onestly maintained. The New England
ssociation has in the past. however
stributed discounts among such of it's
emoers who have not been proved TO -
ave cut prices, and IL is possible this
'sociation may also. at the request OF
i its members. be the distributor OF
ie special viewpoint. sixty-day rebate. pF
II not probable. however, that re-
hers win refuse To forward this rebate
rect TO any buyer who may request fl =,
be sent direct =