The sun., 1908-12-23
'TaE AMERICAN sUaAR 10Wf..


TAB AMERICAN sUGAR s10Wsss
WASHINGTON, Dec, 22.-The Buneeu OF
Statistics Of the Department Of Commerce
and Labor has issued q statement OF the
sugar consumption OF the country. 1t
gives the figures for 1907. the latest year
for which full returns are available. as a
little more than seven billion pounds, or
a2.e pounds for every man. woman and
child in the country. This is double the
per capita consumption Of thirty years
ago. when the price was twice what It nov
is. Some Of the increase is probably due
to the greater general prosperity prevail
ing during recent years, but the cheaper
price has undoubtedly been the larger
factor. ~ d,
There is one phase OF the sugar situa-
tion 10 which the Bureau OF Statistics
does not and OF course cannot cali attsh-
tion. That ia the price Of the commodity
90 affected by the tariff. The official
returns from 1868 to 1907, inclusive, shoV
the importation OF ss2i 10000 worth OF
sugar. on which s54s. .000. 600 was collected
In the form of duties. This Is a small frac-
tion short of 81 per cent. sd vslorem and
puts this necessary household article into
the class of our most heavily. taxed COM
modities. Coffee Is free. and any attempt
to transfer it TO the dutiable list meets
with widespread and fully justified pro-
test, yet in the national grocery bills the
cost OF sugar 10 three times the cost OF
coffee. In the total of the last ten yeats
sugar has paid more than one-fifth Of
our customs revenues, or In round figures
S550. .0O0. 900 out Of total of 80, 800 000, 900.
This seems an unfair burden to impose
on single article. particularly as that
article is a necessity in every household
in the country.
The question Of free sugar may be dis
missed. From many pointsof view free
sugar Is desirable and there is ample
ground for belief that in the long run we
could afford to destroy entirely our do
nestle sugar industry. Such acourse is.
however. only to be regarded as impossi-
ble at the present time. It Ia possible to
reduce the present rate and 1t should be
reduced in the interest Of the consuming
public. The present rate is less cents q
pound on all standard sugar except that
brought from Cuba, which under the
reciprocity treaty pays 1.S4S cents q
pound For sound political reasons the
Cuba preferential should be continued
under any circumstances. The United
States cannot afford to see it's ward in
extreme danger Of economic disaster
caused by an enforced competition with
European beet sugar and the sugar Of
Java. Without any unjustifiable injury
to our domestic interests the rate could
be reduced to 1.25 cents a pound for q
general schedule and one cent on Cuban
raws, or even TO one cent for the general
schedule and three-quarters Of cent q
pound on Cuban. A compromise might
be effected by adopting the former Of
these schedules for a fixed term of two
years or three years, with the latter rates
to prevail thereafter.
A half cent pound reduction in the
schedule should effect an annual saving to
the American people Of approximately
SIS 200. 900. The argument that the ad-
vantage would be gobbled UP by the
sugar trust win not hold. The busi-
ness OF the trust which is far from
monopoly. is the purchase Of raw sugar
at prevailing prices and the sale of the
refined article. The cost Of refining is
about 90 cents a hundred pounds. and the
average advance on refined over raw
is about 90 cents. The margin between
the cost OF raw centrifugals and refined
granulated sugar shows a considerable
fluctuation. 1t has ranged this year from
90 cents for the week ended November
10 to $1.11 for the week ended May 2l.
The average, however. for term of years
is about 90 cents a hundred pounds, repre-
sented broadly by two-thirds cost of re-
fining and one third profits. The average
price OF duty paid centrifugals this year
has been L. cents a pound and the average
factory price OF refined granulated sugar
has been cents. Had the duty been half
a cent less these prices would have been
respectively SO cents and as cents.
Such a reduction as this, or any larger
cut in rates. would OF course be fought
by domestic producers. but there is still
reason for belief that as between those
producers and the consuming public
the public is entitled to at least reasona-
BILE consideration.