The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-02
His Company PowerIess to Do
That, Says MIR. Ravemeyer.
BUT SUGAR MEN ARE UNFAIR
He Claimed That They Got His Trade
by Unjustifiable Means, and That
He Made Price Of Sugar Very
Low in Missouri Valley
Until He Regained
Lost Ground.
lBx Associated Press.

vASHINGfoN. May The inquiry in
to the present holding OF Cuban sugar and
Cuban sugar lands, ordered by the Senate.
was begun to-day by the subcommittee
on Cuban Relations. President Henry
@. Eavemeycr, of the American Sugar
ficfiling Company. was the first witness
and all of the memseIs of the sub-com-
sritIee. Messrs. Pia1t (Connecticut). Burn
fan. and Teller. were in attendance. Sen
nior Patterson also was present. Others
present with Mr. Havelneyer were Arthur
Icaner, treasurer Of the company. and
liepry C. Mott, its sugar buyer. All OF
item were sworn.
Replying to questions by Senator Flatt,
ny. IIavemeyer said his company was
geperally known as the Sugar Trust and
slat its Tetineries are located as follows:
Ia Jersey one, New York three, Massa-
chusetts two. Philadelphia TWO and one
an Eew orleans.
THE DAYS SUPPLY
"Wiii you. Senator Platt asked. tell
the committee how mich Cuban sugar.
if any. has been purchased and is now
llsld by your companE?4
Since early in February last we have
purchased fifty thousand tors or 25G,G0o
flags, or about ten da"s' supply re-
piled the witness. "Cf .at quantity &C.
Oan tons is now in progress Of shipment
1rcm Cuba
The prices paid had, he said. ranged
from S1.7a to S1.93. the highest price.
bang paid on March 18th, and the low
est on April 22d.
Where do you buy your raw SUI
Ear?a
"AlI over the world. IN cuba. Java,
Hamburg Trieste, the British West In
dies. South America. wherever sugar is
grown
Does the fifty thousand tons YOU
,nention represent your entire purchases
an cuba since the It + January"
NO: we have bought, all told. ninety
three thousand tons of Cuban sugar
during the present year or abaut three
quarters of q months supply. our con-
!. sumption b5ing about $3.50 tons per
week.
DO YOU control any sugar in Cu0a
other than that purchased.
None whateve-. in any manner.
Have you taken any op--ons on Gu
han sugars?"
II have not
Have YOU made any advance on any
Cuban sugar
None whatever
SO that you wish to be understood
rs saying t..at the amount you have
mentioned as having purchased repre-
cents your entire interest. direct. a:ed in
src,;. IL Cuban sugar?''
That is the statement make
CUBAN CROP
Continuing. Mr.. Iiavemeyer said the
entire Cuban sugar crop is about 90
GO tons. but that much of it has been
Withheld from the market III view of
possible tariff concessions To be made
by Congress. On this account his rur-
chases had been only about cne- third
Of the average of other years. On this
account too. the purchases had been
made principally at outports where ..e
ttar1ce facilities We're poor. rather
than at Havana. he purchases from
rfA cuIi,c;tS had caused mo't Of lha
shipments to be made from those ports
rather than from Havana. where the
company has about 4o,G0o tons now
etored. The purchases at the outports
had caused the sales there TO be made
on a parity with the beet sugar prices.
Speaking of the caracity cf his COM
pany. re said that il refined G5 per
cent cf the American refined proi let
He added that the percentage Of this
ccrnpany's product compared 10 the en-
tire sugar consumption OF the United
States was about 10 Per cent. Last year
Ills company produced 1,2H,vyo tons of
the refined sugar. while the conslmp-
ton was 2.4ooo2n tons.
Returning to the purchases Of Cuban
sugar for the present Year. MIR. Have
Tneyer gave figures Of purchases for
other wears to show the relative VOL
1rne OF the current acquisitions. saying
that IN 1892, 254 .naa tons had been
Bought; in 1923. 2a6,oco tons; in 1894.
S21,ooo tons.
PRICE FIXED.
In reply to other questions he said
that the price of raw sugar in the United
States Is fixed by the beet market prices
IN Hamburg The price there fixes the
ceiling price for the entire world. said
Mr. Havemeyer.
On the subject of the price of Cuban
rugsrs. he SAID that his company could
not determine their price.
we have, he said. no control over
them whatever: they don't belong To
lEs."
cuta has to sell her sugar in this
market, hasn't she?'
".No: that Is not true. She can sell
,,n England. for instance, if she is de-
sirous 10 do so England could take
the entire Cuban crop.
AIR Plat then asked: Suppose the
United States should make d concession
of 20 or . per cent on the tariff rates
on Cuban sugar. couldn't YOU refuse to
buy the Cuban product except at your
own rates and thus secure the benefit of
the concessinn?"
"ln no way" Was the reply. Cuba
would be under no Obligations to sell to
JUS because. as have said. the Cuban
producers could find other markets =
..Ail The duty has been taken off OF
Porto Rican sugar: do you get that
sugar any cheaper on that account?''
Not at ALL
How about the Hawaiian Island
product
ord 3.s,S