The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-12-20

4 1t SeGIiS lLldL There has DCGn SOilIt
quiet and underhanded cutting in prices
going on for some time past and there
seems to exist quite feeling of dis
content among some of the larger
houses, who long for an open market,
where they can cut prices to their
hearts content.
| THE BIG MONEY IN SUGAR.
| This would make it bad for the
smaller jobber-in fact, almost drive
him out of the business of handling
sugar You must understand that
sugar is a staple article and it is only
| in the handling of great quantities of
1T that the profits are made. The job
Der will make, say, % cents bag.
| There is not much in this for the small
| dealer, but when it comes to the big
iobber, who handles from 100 to 400 and
500 bags a day, you can see how the
profit runs into big money.
1.-The profit on 400 bags would be 800
a day. This means $4,000 clear to the
jobber at the end of the year. To get
this enormous profit don't you think
that the merchant can afford to throw /
off $4,000 or $4,000 to his patrons? That i
is what is being done. but the difficulty
is in catching the jobber at the work.
i
of the Honolulu Sugar Refinery they /
will have to get their crushed, powdered |
and cube sugar from the trust, and on
these qualities they can make no profit. |
They will have to make their money in
the competition of the open market. |
Sugar here is selling at 11s cents per
pound lower than in the Eastern mar
ket in consequence of the encroa chment |
of the rival refinery. If the compact be !
dissolved on Saturday there will prob /
ably be a drop by the trust that will I
make the market look sick, and it is |
probable that somebody will get badly |
hurt"
A succeeding issue of the Post had
the following:
What will be the outcome of the big
meeting of merchants on Saturday aft
ernoon? is the question which is agi-
tating the street.
VIII there be a disorganization of the
Pacific Traffic and Commercial Asso-
citation, or will the majority of the job
bers stand by the sugar trust?
From any standpoint the situation is /
viewed there are breakers ahead. The
opposition has come to stay and it is
said in some quarters that SpreckeIs
secretly cherishes the hope that the
agreement between the merchants and
his Western Refinery may be broken.
He is tired of paying back the one
quarter of a cent rebate, so the story
goes, and would as lief make the sale
of sugar an open fight in the market. |
PRICES WILL BE CUT
Spreckels is bound to meet the in
cargo from the islands from the
Honolulu Sugar Refinery. The pre-
iS that a will
make cut in prices and will keep its.
sugary eye upon those merchants who
desert it for the rival company. When
the time comes reprisals Will be in or
der.
But then there are number of Tner-
chants who have in mind that banquet
IF two years ago-merchants who re-
NAMED loyal to the trust and were
aiken care of by Spreckels after the
light against Rithet was over.
The merchants We're going over the
story of that banquet on the street this
morning and the speech OF one mer-
liant in particular was recalled in
everal quarters.
He alluded to Claus Spreckels as the
frand Old Man of San Francisco, the
avior of the merchants. Mr.. Spreck-
Is took exception to the highly ornate
nd sugar coated remarks. He declared
hat he was no better man than any
ne else.
MERCHANTS ARE AT SEA.
The merchant took back his compli- =
lents two days later and had new Il
anne for Mr.. Spreckels. The trust had q
ut the price of sugar one-half a cent J
pound and the reduction came at a 6
me when the merchants were loaded Y