The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-17
SUGAR GROWERS
WANT HIGH TARIFF
Some of Them appear 3efore
the House Committee
CUBA VERY THREATENING
Cuban Sugar Growers Are Prepared for
Anything and Will Start Some
thing If Sugar Tariff Is
Not Reduced.

Washington November 16.-The allega-
ton that the so-called sugar trust
controls the price paid the grower and the
price charged the consumer of sugar,
the Secretary of War putting himself on
record as a champion of free entry for
Philippine sugar, and general 'stand-pat'
attitude OF the beet sugar growers, who
appeared before the ways and means COM
mittee of the House, were the features
of todays hearing ON the revision of the
tariff as it would affect sugar
Secretary of War Wright and Gen.
Clarence Edwards, chief Of the insular
bureau, were present at the hearing to-
day. Asked il he cared to make any re-
marks, the former governor Of the islands
said:
From what I have just heard, the
principal objection by the beet sugar
grower to the admission free of duty of
Philippine sugar lies In the danger that
their markets will be inundated by tho
Philippine article. 1t is not possible that
the Philippine islands could supply the
actual increase in demand for sugar,
year by year, in the United States. In
that case there is no reason why the
Philippine islands should afrect the mar
ket until the beet and cane sugar pro-
duced within the tariff wall increased
10000 TONS Before the beet sugar in
dustry is in the slightest danger it must
increase from 40, 900 tons annually to 2, 100
600 tons, ana from annual reports it would
take so years to do this. 1 can't see
how it would affect the domestic product
II Philippine sugar were placed for a.
time on the free list"
Chairman Payne indicated that the pos
sible action of the committee with regard
to the sugar schedule would be to rec
ommend that a certain amount of Philip
pine sugar be admitted free of duty each
year, and that the present tariff be i'm
posed on any above that amount. He
told Secretary Wright that the menace,
II any, was from Cuban sugar, which
enjoys a reduction in the tariff of 20
per cent
He also intimated that the question OF
Philippine tariff was so important a ques-
ton that it might not be considered as
being strictly part of the work of
revising the Dingley tariff, but would be
taken up separately.
Secretary Wright said that the pro-
duction of sugar in the Philippines
would not increase to any extent. Rep
resentative Fordney of Michigan, who
has a large number of sugar beet
farmers among his constituents, told
the secretary that the same argument
sugar several years ago, and yet the
production In Cuba had increased very
largely and the American beet sugar
industry had not increased very much.
1.-THE beet sugar people say the
American sugar refining company has
no interest in their factories" said the
secretary, referring to the So-called
trust" yet three years ago, they said
a trustee, understood to represent the
American Sugar Refining company,
owned 51 per cent of the stock of all
the beet sugar factories. That may be
the reason why the beet sugar industry
in this country has not grown, rather
than the Importation of Cuban sugar.
There has been reduction in the
price of sugar in number of years"
Much information concerning the cost
of producing sugar the profits derived,
capital invested and methods of grow
ing and refining were offered. d. ID.
Colcock, behalf of the Louisiana
cane sugar growers, said that the
methods by which the trust names
the price which it would pay the grow
ers were unfair and "damnable" Henry
T. Oxnard, F. r. Hathaway, c. n.
Smith F. T. Schales, w. G. Mccormick
and w. II. Baird, representing the beet
sugar manufacturers of the west asked
that the present tariff be maintained,
or If changed, that it be increased,
claiming that the margin of profit on
beet sugar was too small to permit OF
any competition with the foreign re-
flners.
F. r. Hathaway, representing the
Michigan Sugar company, charged that
"E. r. Atkins, who will appear tomor-
row, representing the Cuban sugar
growers, not only proph estes but
threatens a revolution in Cuba, which
would result in the annexation of Cuba
and ultimate free trade If the request
for reduction is not granted"