The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-08
NO BENEFIys ' TO THr rsRUST. 7S. Effect otsat in Cuban :. Tariff. MANUEL RIoNDA TESfFIEs Says Native Seller Would Cain by Reciprocity. George E. Bryson, the commissionsr
 of Deeds in Havana, Says That
 Few cubans Nov Own
 Sugar Plantations.
MANUEL RIoNDATEsf

Washington, May 7.-Manuet Rionda, [ member of the sugar brokerage firm oi Czarnikow, McDougall & O., of New York and London. was before the Senate Committee on Relations with Cuba today He said that his firm has business con nection with all parts of Cuba. but has no branch house in that country. He ss' timated the annual product of the inde' pendent sugar refineries of the United states at 5s6.oss tons, and said that his firm sells more Cuba nsugars to the in- dependent reflneries than to the trust. He delivered a statement of the sales of Cuba for the present year. showing that he had sold less than 5000 tons to the trust for that period. ff producer in the world, fixed the price of sugar. In February and March, however, there Is reduction on Cuban sugars be- low the Hamburg price, owing to the fact that at that season of the year, the sup. ply Is greater than the demand. The va rfation is seldom, the witness said, more than Is of'a cent a pound.
 Seller Would Get Beneht
 Senator Platt asked. what would be the effect of a reduction of the duty on Gu. ban sugar. and the witness replied that the Cuban seller would receive hte en- tire benefit. The price on Cuban sugar never would however. go beyond the par ity of beet sugars-that was the danger line-for. the purchaser would take the beet sugar in preference. He did not be. lieve that the American Sugar Refining Company would get any Of the hencftt of a concession. The Cuban. producers could hold their sugar and the rehners would be-compeiled to go to another mar. ket with the result that they would ad vance the price in that market and thu get squeezed ,. themselves instead oi squeezing the Cuban producers. What would be the effect upon Cuban sugars In case there should be reduction in the duty?'
 "Very disastrous. because those who have made advances on Cuban sugar te the extent of one and one-half cents per pound would call all their loans in for fear the price would go lower, and 1t Is to be feared that panic would ensue."
 Would it not lower the price the world over?'
 Not necessarily. because Cuba is very weak financially
 Owners of Plantations.
 cooISc Es. DTysOH, newspaper euttOT ana Commissioner of Deeds of Havana, gave the names of number of large sugar plantations in Cuba which are owned by Americans. One firm. composed of Eng lishmen and Americans, which ships about 10000 hogsheads annually. owns a large part of the land around Guantan- amo Bay. In addition to the large plan tations held by Americans, Mir. Bryson said there were probably 100 smaller plan- tations held in the island by Americans.
 There are many large holdings by Span- iards in the vicinity of Havana, Matan- gas, Colon and Cardenas. As a ruIe how ever. the 6paniards control sugar prodlic- ton of the island more by holding mort gages than by holding the estate outright. He estimated that 20 per cent of the sugar production of the island is thus controiI- ed by Spanish citizens.
 He knew of no large plantation in Cuba owned by Cuban citizens. Many of those described as American citizens are. MT. Bryson said. natives of Cube but na- turalized citizens of the United States. MT. Bryson said much of the sugar pro. duced by Cubans Is grown by peons or colonos. who get only what the plant CT on whose estate they are located sees it to give them. He did not think, as a rule they would receive any benefit from an increase in the price of sugar. As for the Cuban plantations. most of them were burned out.