Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1908-08-19
ASA. ". NR|GHISEESH
CONTINUED from first page.

under the Wilson bill. The greatest
sugar price regulator is our domestic
beet crop. which comes on the market
at the very time when the eastern re-
hners are buying their Cuban raws.
The effect is 10 hold down the price
of refined sugar and consequently to
lower the price of raws, thus estab-
fishing lower market on which to
base the price of refined sugar for the
remainder of the year If you destroy
the domestic beet sugar industry you
would, by that act, ultimately advance
the price of refined sugar throughout
the entire country Moreover, the
graduated sugar made from beets,
though as good as any cane sugar, is
sold in the neighborhood OF a quarter
of a cent a pound less than the price
of cane sugar. The consumer gets a
direct benefit from this in all markets
where beet sugar is sold. This sugar
now finds a market from the Pacific
coast as far east as Pittsburg and Buff
falo, thus distributing its advantages
over the major part of the United
States.
at seems to me as though our law
makers have not appreciated the won
derful development of this industry in
the United States during the past de-
cade, in that they have been constant
ly trying to white down the sugar
schedule as fixed by the Dingley bill
in 1907. First there was the free ad-
mission of Porto Rican sugar, which
caused the crop in that island to null
tiply fourfold. Second, there was the
20 per cent concession on sugar i'm
ported from Cuba. which has caused q
marked increase in the Cuban crop, al
Of which comes to the United States
Third, congress passed law which
made a rs per cent concession or
sugar imported from the Philippines
and, coupled with this. law which
provided that IS per cent duties &C
tually collected should be returned tC
the Philippine treasury TO relieve 10
cal taxation, thus virtually, as far a.
our treasury is concerned. establish
ing free trade in sugar between thu
Philippines and .the United States
Fourth, from 1870 to 1903 Hawai-
was granted free trade by virtue o
a treaty with the United States. Ii
the latter year those islands were for
mally annexed 70 this country anC
our tariff laws extended around them
thus giving them absolute free trade
with the United States. This condi
ton existed until 1906, when the ex
else taxes collected in Hawaii, als'
the duties collected on foreign good
entering their ports, were returned t
Hawaii to relieve local taxation. TIL
effect of this legislation has been Il
double the Hawaiian output OF suga
since 1893.
The combined result OF these fou
concessions in the sugar schedule ha
been so TO increase the amount o
free and concessionary sugar entering
the United States that at the presen
time only $4,000 tons OF sugar pa.
the full rate of duty and all the bal
ance comes in either free or at re
! duced rate. The favors extended b.
this legislation covered last year tn
importation of 100000 tons of suga
and reduced the average rate OF dut
on sugar entering the United State
"a per cent from the schedule fixed b
the tariff act OF 1907. 1t would thu
seem that this particular schedule ha
already received all the reduction tina
could in Justice be expected
In view of the steady increase i
the expenses of the government, l al
wondering where the revenue is goin
to come from if the tariff is reduce
much further. Sugar is now the larg
est revenue producer listed in our tar
if. Some people say that if we wi
reduce the tariff on sugar we will In
crease our revenue. Such an increas
could only come from two source:
First by increasing the consumption
but the per capita consumption in tn
United States is now the highest
ever has been and second only to tina
in England. The English per capt.
consumption is greater because Ems
land makes all the jams and preserve
used in her colonies and not becaus
the people in England eat more sugs
than do those in the United State
Second, if the tariff on sugar is Low
cred, the revenue might be increase
by wiping out the domestic crop
beet and cans, which is now aboI
100000 tons, and substituting thereto
foreign sugar. Certainly if the dome
: tic crop remains where it is the II
: creased importations cannot be grea
er than the regular annual increase
: consumption, or about $4,000 ton
}. which would not materially affect Il
F. revenues. He would indeed be DO
man who would advocate the destru
ton of the domestic beet and cane Il