The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-06-01


ar Refining Company owns the prin-
c'pal refneries in the United States
and Is almost without competition in
refining sugar, Mr. Clay declared that
the duty on refined sugar almost pro-
hibits the importation of foreign
sugar into this country. He said that
the beet grower and tho cane grower
OF sugar both are compelled to sell
to the sugar trust at the price which
1t fixes. Comparing the wholesale
price OF granulated sugar In Ham
burg and in New York, which he said
was 2.3l cents per pound cheaper in
Hamburg, Mr. Clay figured that the
American consumer pays a differences
OF s1S6,OOO,O0O for its refined sugar. OF
this, he said, the government gets
$53,OO0,00O in customs duties. while. he
said, the sugar trust gets the other
$50, coo, 600.
THE American consumers of sugar
have paid to the American Sugar Re-
ining Company, commonly called the
Sugar Trust at least fifty FIVE mil
lions per year In profit" said Mr..
Clay, amounting In twelve years to
$3.50, 0O0,0vv. The American people arc
not aware of the fact that IL the
sugar we import came into this coun-
try free of any duty. both raw and re-
fined, the cost of sugar to the Amer
lean consumer would be reduced
nearly one-half. am not insisting
that both refined and raw, or either,
should come to this country free of
duty, but there ought to be a sub
| stantial reduction over the rates fixed
in the Dingley law"
Replying to tho argument that
sugar Is great revenue producer
Mr., Clay desired to know why one of
the necessities OF life, used by the en-
| tire American people, should be taken
and its cost increased to the consumer
| one-half when, he commended, the
amount of the revenue now produced
| by sugar could easily be supplied by
| an income tax.
Let us give to the American PEG
pie cheap sugar" continued Mr. Clay
Let US grasp the sugar trust by the
| throat and strange It to death, and
| keep in view the interest, the happl
ness, and welfare of the plain people
Of America. We must remember
that sugar is an important article OF
food daily consumed by every man
| woman and child in the country"
Saying that the American worklnL
man, during the last few years, hal
had a hard time to earn a living, Mr.
Clay deprecated the fact that thu
duty on refined sugar remains in thu
Payne bill substantially the same a.
IL is in the Dingley law. He sale
that the sugar trust had no repre-
| IN "a t-tNg t,,l.
committees OF either the House o
the Senate and added, Judging from
i the treatment which the sugar trus
has received. this corporation needed
no representatives before either com
| mittee."
Taking into account the reciprocIt!
duty on raw sugar from Cuba, tn
reduced duty on Philippine sugar
and the free sugar from the Hawaiian
Islands and Porto Rico under tn
Dingley law, Mr.. Clay declared tina
the average tariff duty paid on suga
by the sugar trust amounts 10 10
cents per pound instead of beinl
1.6s5 cents per hundred. He sait
that the differential OF .2i5 per hun
dred pounds on refined sugar Should
be added 20 the average duty OF 10
cents per hundred instead OF to LES
cents as IL done in the Payne bill.
He said the sugar growers of Cuba
Porto Rico. the Philippines. or tn
| Hawaiian Islands or the consumer
In the United states received no bene
~ from the concessions made In tn
duty on raw sugar from those Islands
Mr.. Clay declared that the price o
refined sugar was not reduced be
cause OF the reductions in the rate
on raw sugar.
Reteratng that the American
Sugar Refining Company Is common
~ called the sugar trust, Mr.. Clay de
clared, This trust has constantly
violated both the criminal and civil
laws OF our country. II Is uncon
scionable and has continually robbet
the American people since It's organi
zatIon. Instead OF knocking at tn,
door OF Congress, seeking TO increas,
liz fortunes al the expense OF the
masses OF the people by reason o.
favorably legislation, its officers ant
those directing and controlling "a
formation and operation ought 10 b.
AT the bar OF the criminal courts OF
trial for most serious criminal Of