Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1903-02-13
TREATISE On BEET
SUGAR INDUSTRY
A Very Able Address by F. R.
Hathaway. Manager Of the
Alma Sugar Co.
DELIVERED AT THE ANNUAL
BOARD OF TRADE BANQUET.
In the Furniture City, Given by the
Business Hustlers of Michigan's
Pride.

The annual banquet of the board Of
trade Of Grand Rapids is quite pre-.
tentioDs affair and according to the
reports published in the daily papers Of
the Furniture City, the one held on Fri
day evening of last week outclassed any
Of previous years.
+. r. Hathaway, manager Of the
Alma Sugar company, gave the closing
address of the evening, his subject be-
ing THE History Of the Beet Sugar
and its relation to Michigan Industry"
Mr.. Hathaway went back 100 years,
first making, reference TO the work of
Napoleon and the. demoralizing effect
Waterloo had on the industry in France
because OF her unstable government;
Germany, on the other hand, had a
stable government, and the beet sugar
industry. gained start III that country
and has grown until now Germany
produces one. fifth Of the entire sugar
product of the world, the annual value
of which is from $3.50 100000 to s175,.
900, 900. "Germany's area is only
about equal TO the state of Texas with
the area of Michigan taken,out. In part
Mr.. Hathaway spoke as follows: Com.
mercial sugar dates back to about 1912
in continental Europe. In 1855 the beet
product was II pr cent of the worlds
product; IN 1902 it was GA per cent.
During the last 90 years cane sugar in
creased POI per cent and beet sugar in.
creased 3 1858 per cent.
Every sugar producing country has
prohibitive protective tariff, ranging
from four to nine cents per pound. In
addition bounty is paid on sugar ex.
ported. Germany and Austria formed
cartel, or trust, which includes 80 per
cent Of the producers. Duties and
bounties are regulated at conventions
held once in two or three years at
Brussels. Sugar is often exported at
less than cost, the loss being made up or
added home price. Germany has sold
sugar in London for about one third the
price asked In Berlin.
"In 1916 free trade England had the
largest refneries in the world. Today
England has one refinery, and every
one Of her sugar producing colonies is
bankrupt AS result of the African
war England put tariff Of one cent a
pound on sugar, and at the Brussels
convention year ago she instructed
her representative to inform the powers
that if they did not stop paying bounties
on export sugar, she would levy a count.
ervailing duty amounting to the bounty
This was Chamberlain's policy as a
means of rejuvenating England's sugar
colonies.
The first beet sugar experiments in
the United States date back 10 1880, and
the first permanent factory was estab.
lished in 1870 at Alvarado, Cal. This
Is now in operation. The first real start
dates from when the Oxnards took hold
in the early SOS. As Eastern refneries
they had been absorbed by the trust,
and were looking around for new
business. The Mckinley bill in 1890
placed tariff of one half cent a
pound on imported sugar and two cent
bounty on domestic sugar, and this acted
as a stimulus TO the efforts OF the OK
nards. In 1894 the Wilson bill provided
40 per cent ad valOrem DUTY. This
checked the beet sugar industry. The
Republican national convention In st.
Iouis i'm S96 adODted a plank pledoing
tariff legislation TO enable the United
States to raise all the sugar il used. and
carried out the pledge in the Dingley
bill. Oontemporaneous with the DinS.sy
Continued ON Eighth Page.