Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1905-10-12
!nCREASED SUGAR BILL.
Cuban Reciprocity Is COBtins Us
$T5,OO9,O00 "a Year.

ST5,OO0,O0O "a Year.
TIE Cuban experiment ought also to
demoi.strate that our beet sugar indus
tries Were not, as opponents of Cuban
reciprocity alleged In imminent danger OF
extinction.-New York Evening Post.
We suppose our contemporary, the
Evening Post, is aware of the fact that
the beet sugar companies have not suf-
fered extinction, because the price of
sugar is much higher than it was be-
fore the Cuban reciprocity act We sup
pose our contemporary, the Evening
Post, is aware of the fact that sugar is
much higher than it was because there
is now no competition between the beet
sugar producers and the Hayemeyer
sugar trust. We suppose our contem-
porary, the Evening Post, is aware of
the fact that there is now no competi-
tion because the beet sugar producers,
threatened with extinction by the re-
duction of duty on Cuban sugar, were
induced to make an agreement with the
sugar trust for the control of the Amer
lean market and the raising of prices
to consumers.
have quoted the Evening Posts COM
mercial tables showed that the price of
sugar was 6.15 cents n pound on April
4, 1905, as against 40 on April 4, 1904.
one year ago. This increase in price
over one year ago amounts to $50 ton.
The sugar consumption of the United
States is about 100000 tons per tsn-
nf III rnnin, N.
ity act, therefore, has been to increase
the sugar bill of American consumers
by more than $75, ,000,0 year
Our contemporary the Evening Post,
was telling the American people be-
fore the passage of the reciprocity act
that they were groaning under "tar-
ilf tax" of SS.O00,000 year, which was
to be remitted by reason of this "tax''
coming off the importatons from Cuba
and going into the pockets of the con-
sumers. Tariff duties of $S,000,000 are
per capita tax of 10 cents a year.
But the Cuban reciprocity act not only
!ailed to take off this per capita tax Of
10 cents year; it put the $S,000,000 in
to the Golfers of the sugar trust and the
year to the sugar bills of the American
people
What the sugar trust was planning
with its reciprocity act was an oppor-
tunity either to drive It's competitors,
the beet sugar producers, out of exist
ence or to compel those competitors
seeking self preservation to form Il
combine under which the American
people could be plucked through
complete control of the market Natu-
rally the beet sugar producers did not
choose to go out of existence They ac-
cepted the alternative and made an
agreement with the sugar trust where
by the price to the consumer is ele-
vated and kept up. SO opulent
scheme is this that the sugar trust
agrees to buy the product of beet sugar
factories at regulated price, just as
the gas trust buys the product of af-
filiated gas producers at an agreed
price, which permits all the producers
to make eXtortionate profits. since the
helpless public must foot the bills.
The whole result of the Cuban rec-
procity act, then, so far as sugar is
concerned, Is that there Is no longer
competition to protect the American
consumer. He does not get the benefit
of the lowered taxes on Cuban i'm
ports, and he does pay, the whole ma
ton of him, $75, 100000 more year for
his sugar-New York Press.