The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-18
| WRIGHT ATTACKS
 HE SUGAR TRUST To Appear Before House Ways and Means Committee THE PHILIPPINE TARIFFS Various Representatives of Sugar Pro- ducing Concerns Are Questioned as
 to the Effects of High and
 Low Schedules.
THE PHILIPPINE TARIFFS

Washington, November 17.-That the opinions expressed by Secretary of War Wright yesterday in favor of free trade with the Philippines for tobacco and sugar are the views of President-elect Taft was the freely expressed belief in the ways and means committee of the House when the hearing of the sugar schedule tariff was resumed today. Secretary Wright s familitrity with the industrial situation in the American Asiatic insular posses sions leads to the belief that he will dis close some interesting facts when he ap- pears before the committee later
 The Secretary of War took occasion yes terday to attack the "so-called sugar trust" and there is much speculation hearings as to what effect his remarks will have in regard to the readjustment of the sugar schedule in the new tariff bill---
 Representative Champ Clark of Missouri asked Mr Atkins: What is going to be- come of the American beet sugar grow CTS when Cuba belongs to the United States?"
 That is the question:" answered Mir. Atkins. There is the most imminent dan ger of this coming about
 If you get the reduction in the tariff on sugar that you ask" MT. Clark asked, would there be any reduction to the con sumer?"
 There would be a reduction in the re- tail price of about F cent l should say" was the reply.
 How do you know the sugar trust won't grab up that E cent?"
 If they could I would join them,'
 An advocate for the free entry of sugar was Claus A. Spreckles president of the Federal Sugar Refining company. an "in- dependent" company of New York.
 T would be perfectly satisfied if you should finally decide to agree upon free trade,' said MT. Spreckles.
 Wants Moderate Protection.
 "I think we are entitled to a moderate protection on refined sugars but would prefer absolute free trade to the present schedule under which the sugar trust is the principal beneficiary and ena bled to enact special privileges and conditions on sugars produced in Louisiana and the Hawaiian Islands. It is evident that the country desires a revision and expects a reduction of duty whenever 1t can be shown to be reasonable feasible and ad- vantageods."
 MT. Spreckles was interrogated by Se- reno Payne, chairman of the committee, regarding the effect of free entry of sugar.
 Mir. Spreckles said that his concern is compelled to buy it's sugar In Java, Porto Rico and Cuba, as the sugar trust has the output of Louisiana and the Hawaiian Islands contracted for. Upon being aues- toned by other members of the commit tee he said the consumers would get the benefit of the reduction in the tariff.
 MT. SpreolSles claimed that those sugar manufacturers who are making sugar at 212 cents per pound were not appearing g before the committee to give informa- tion about the cheapness of manufact- uring beet sugar. He said that 20 per cent of the sugar beet produced in this coun- try is raised by Asiatic labor. That the American Sugar Refining. or his own company, needs no tariff protection, was asserted by MT. Spreckles.
 stillman Wants Reduction.
 A. E. Stillman, representing Arbuckle Bros, of New York one, of the largest independent sugar refining companies in the country, while admitting that the beet sugar industry probably could not survive on free sugar requested lower duties as much better for the sugar bus iness.
 G. W. Swink, beet sugar grower of Rocky Ford, Col, said that Japanese, Mexicans and Indians were largely em- ployed in the farming of sugar beets Representative Champ Clark drew. from the witness the fact that sugar beets brought $40 an acre, while hay, wheat and corn, three of the principal crops of the middle western states, bring but $15 per acre.