The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-01-17
SUGAR CONSPIRACY.
Great Trust Called the '"Kartell''
Pound to Exist In Germany.
Through Its Operation the Price Of
Sugar In Forced Down In England
and Other Countries to the
Ruinatl0n Of Industry.

The British sugar n.agnates assert
that their investigations have re-
vealed the existence IL. Germany of .
great trust called the "Kartell,"
which has been in existence about q
year and that it is cniefy owing to
its agency that sugar has been forced
down in England end other countries
to the lowest point in the history of
the industry, and that Germany to-
day is enabled to dictate to the world
the price of that commodity. The ex-
act extent of the "Ka ctell'' was dis
covered, they say, only quite recently.
The magnitude of it's operations sup
plies the missing factors in the pres
ent alarming conditions of the sugar
market.
The abolition of this organization
will be one of the chief objects of the
nations other than Germany attend
ing the forthcoming Brussels con-
ference. Already British firms have
entered into negotiations with lead
ing American sugar interests, and
tables are o being Grawn up show
LIZ "AO VI "AAoCdtAOAS OI LAC XlAltCIl
with a view of submitting them to the
authorities at Washington. The Brit
ish government win be urged to en-
power its representatives at the Brus-
sells conference to- threaten retalia-
tory measures unless che "Kartell" is
broken up. or at least modified.
The latest figures available in Lon
don show that Germany now pro-
duces one-third Of the worlds supply
of beet sugar, of which she exports
no less than 1,250,OOO tons after COM
pletsly supplying her own popula-
ton. These exports. which are al
mosE one-fifth of the worlds avail
able supply, are sent out at a loss to
German manufacturers, but, thanks
to the "Kartell," plus the bounty,
the, are able not only to make up for
this. but to reap a handsome profit
IN addition to gaining absolute con-
troll OF the sugar mar ket.
TIE "Kartell" is run very secretly.
but from confidential reports shown
to Il representative o. the press in
Lon don, it is learned that it consists
OF I'm ironclad combination Of almost
all producers and refil,ers to keep up
the price Of sugar in Germany. This
Is done so successfully that German
coniumers to-day pay thrice as much
for sugar as the Briton does for the
same article imported from Germany.
Tie members Of the. "Kartell'' bind
themselves to buy from and sell to
only those affiliated with the COM
oine. This has worked so satisfac-
tori'y that the "KarteIl" now includes
practically every factor of the sugar
interests in Germany. from the arri-
cultural producer to the refiner. The
latter agrees always to pay 1878
marks per hundredweight for the raw
article, though natural conditions
might ordinarily allow him to buy
three marks cheaper. This, however,
insures a permanently high price to
the German consumer. The enormous
profits consequent upon these meth
obs are pooled in the "Kartell" and
are divided upon an elaborate and in
genious. scale, and tho surplus prod
uct Ia disposed Of at a slight loss in
other European and American mar
kets, though eve this deficit is often
made up by the bounty that Germany
provides.
British sugar authorities ere quoted
as saying that the German "Kartell"
and bounty combined VIII within two
years ruin the beet and cane industry
II other countries, espo cial:y in Cuba
and the other West Indies.