The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-01-05
owed, and all goods admitted free of

ruin and Whlle am CRITICIZED by some
for differing with the President of the
United States, yet feel that | have
given this matter more thought than
the President has time to give it. While
do not profess to be all wise, think l
know more about the sugar business
than others who have not given it the
careful study and thought that / have.
When think the President is right,
am with him, and when 1 think he is
wrong, am going to say so. applause
The Michigan Representatives in
Congress opposed the reduction on
sugar from Cuba, claiming that the
benefit would go directly to the Ameri-
can Sugar Refining Company. All of
the refined sugar consumed in the
United States that is not made from
oeets is refined and put upon the market
by the American Sugar Refining Com
pany or the Arbuckles, which is one and
the same Nearly all of those who op-
posed the Cuban measure claimed that
the benefits would not go to the con-
sumer or the Cubans, but would be alb
sorbed by the Trust Every word,
every prediction, every claim made has
come to pass. That reduction of duty
| amounted to 33 7-10 cts. per 100 lbs.
Statistics show the sugar Trust has alb
sorbed 23 cts. and the Cubans got but
II cts, while the consumer in this
country has had to pay from one to two
| cents more per pound, than he did be-
fore. L opposed that measure. l
thought l was right and l have every
reason to believe now that was right
and am going to continue to believe
so. When the great sugar refining
companies can put imported sugar upon
our markets for less than it can be pro-
duced in the fields of the United States,
our home industry must perish or the
American workman sink to the level of
foreign cheap labor. If we remove the
duty from Philippine sugar when we
have every evidence to show that sugar
can be produced in the Philippines and
loaded ready for shipment at Manila
| for Z cts. per pound, the freight to New
York is but t ofa cent, the duty today be-
ing but three fourths of the Dingley tariff
OF 81. 6S per hundred pounds and the cost
of refining that sugar by the American
Sugar Refining Company is CT per
Id, which demonstrates that this sugar
can be produced in the Philippine
Islands today, imported into this
country. paying 75 per cent of the
Dingley duty and put upon the market
for 94 ct per ID, which already gives the
trusts $l.15 per 100 lbs advantage-for
my friends, it costs 90. 80 per hundred
pounds to make sugar from beets or
cane in the U. S.
Mr.. Wellburn, Chief of the Industrial
Bureau of the Philippines, made the
statement that the sugar factories of
the U. s. take SO per cent of the value
of the sugar in the beets and the farmer
got but 81 pei cent On the other hand,
you know as cell as do, if you have
Information ~ this subject, that the
farmer receives 81 ct for every pound of
sugar in the beet when delivered at the
factory which is 63 per cent of its value.
Was Mr. Wellburn right? They also
claim there is but one crop raised from
the one planting. in the Philippine
Islands. have the report of the
Philippine Agricultural Departments
investigation made to find out how
much it would cost to purchase $500
acres of land, what it would cost to
plant a crop of sugar, cultivate it,
harvest it, convert it into sugar under
their present immodernmethods. This
report shows that the yield is 80 great
and it could be manufactured so cheap
lv that the land could be purchased,
the crop planted, converted into sugar
and the profit in two years would pay
back every dollar that the land, factory
and everything else connected with it
would cost, and that from seven to ten
crops could be raised from one planting.
asked Mr.. Wellburn, What have you
got to say about that report" and he
said, THAT is not true" This man either
does not know or attempts to mislead.
Mr.. Hathaway, who represents several
ugarindustries in this state, went to the
Philippines this year, took observations
and claims that from eleven to twelve
crops can be raised from one planting
He has photographs showing the tenth
crop, eight months DID, thirteen feet
high, with stalks 24 inches in diameter,
notwithstanding the contention of Mr..
Wellburn that there is no such thing
as two crops from the same planting
We know better. The only thing to do
is to defeat that measure because ac-
cording to the Brussels conference
signed by twelve principal nstions, they
would discriminate against any sugar
produced in any co{iry receiving
special benefits. AZ ctN yduty has been
removed from the Philippine sugar and
the Brussels agreement becomes effec-
tive when 80. cts have beeA removed.
Only cts. more is necessary to be re-