The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-01-08

ISLAND SUGAR

The Philadelphia North American
says;
Plans of the American Sugar Rein.
ing Company for again making the
Franklin raw sugar warehouse a bonded
warehouse are taken as plain indica.
ton that more of the trusts dutiable
sugar, now on its way from Java, will
be ordered to this city. 1t is now
virtually certain that this building will
remain bonded for an indefinite period,
certainly for several months
Chester w. Hill, collector of the port,
when asked yesterday whether the pres
emit arrangements will not stay in force
until next spring, at least, replied: 81
think it will continue for several months
| to come.
When, two weeks ago, the trust radi-
cally changed its policy in the matter
of bringing in dutiable Java sugar, and
within week s time ordered here three
cargoes, amounting to 10000 tons, on
which duties amounting to 100000 will
be paid, it was at first thought that this
might be merely the result of heavy
arrivals at the Breakwater.
However, as the trust subsequently
ordered cargo of non.dutiable Hawai-
ian sugar to New York. il was regard
ed as important proof that the protest
which has been raised over the treat
ment of the port by the trust, and over
the discrimination involved in "acces-
serial allowances by the railroads in
the p"rt of New York, had borne fruit.
The arrangements now made are con-
elusive. 1t has been many months since
the Franklin raw sugar warehouse was
bonded. 1t has been used, of course, for
Hawaiian sugar, but as this is non-duti.
able, bonding was not necessary.
Several days ago, however, the trust
declared its intention of bonding the
sugar there, its bond was sent to Wash
ington and approved and a storekeeper
was placed in charge by the govern
ment. 1t is now certain that dut:able
sugar will be in the warehouse through
out the winter, at least, and that, there
fore, the government storekeeper will
be in charge until spring. There are
now on the way from Java more than
a dozen cargoes of sugar, and it is be-
lieved that several of these ships will
come up the Delaware in The wake of
the three Java ships that have already
come here to unload.
Among representatives of the com
mercial interests, it is maintained that
if no other good had come from the
fight which has been waged against the
allowance system in New York harbor
the reversal of the trust s policy to.
ward Philadelphia in the matter of duti
able sugar, would have been a substan.
tial victory.
No one factor has operated so strong
ly to deprive Philadelphia of its place
as second port in the volume Of duties
collected as the loss of dutiable sugar
A single cargo of java sugar pay;
duties of almost a quarter of a millior
dollars, and the diversion of this duti
able sugar to New York, while the non
dutiabe Hawaiian sugar has been con
centrated here, has cut heavily into
customs receipts of the port.
However, the Philadelphia trades
bodies do not lose sight of the fact
that in the fight in which they are en-
gagged, the question of dutiable sugar is
of secondary Importance. The main is
sue from the beginning has been the
allowances" made by New York trunk
lines to sugar refners il New York
amounting to 10 cents a 100, out OF
the freight rate.
When it has been testified that DIFF
ference of even half cent 100 viii
divert the sugar business from on,
locality to another, it is comprehendeC
how easily rebates sufficient to depriv,
PHILADELPHIA of its sugar industry may
be bound up in such allowances.
But the concession made by the trust
in the matter of dutiable sugar and the
sending here in a week of 10000 tons
of the Java sugar, whereas in three
years time it had brought here but
1900 tons, is regarded as a sure sigr
that the trust is aware of the determin
ed character of the fight which is be
ing made against the allowances.