The Washington times., 1909-05-20
In the Mail Bag

To the Editor cf The Washington Times:
read with much interest and not 4
little surprise an article which appeared
in your issue of the 10th signed ct.
NJ Sullivan, 1903 Rhode Island avenue
northwest in which Mr.. Sullivan criti-
cises your editorials relative to tariff
revision and makes a gallant effort to
defend the Sugar trust from what he
would have the public believe is an
unwarranted attack.
To begin with I want to commend Mr..
Sullivan for the interest which it is
quite evident he has taken in the af-
fairs of the Sugar trust and its progress.
but I do not agree with him that the
agitation should be stopped because il
is necessary TO agitate any question in
order to bring il properly before the
public. For instance. the article re-
ferred TO gives the public some very
valuable information relative 10 the
cost of raw and refined sugar during
the last thirty years and then con-
cludes as follows:
Now, Mr.. Editor. these authentic
Government statistics snow not only
that that trust has been a benefit to
the Consumer but that the Dingley
tariff Is not added TO the cost of sugar.
and so long as the trust has to depend
upon a fraction of a cent for its profits.
and we can buy twenty pounds of sugar
for a dollar, we ought to be satisfied
This constant agitation has cost the
consumer more than all the exactions
of the trusts because the real robber'
the retailer-puts up prices on the
slightest pretext. and ascribes the cause
TO the trusts
a nf
the above Information Just think OF
IL. the sugar refineTS, who have very re-
Gently paid into the United States
Treasury nearly 5000. .000-out Of which
the Governulcnt had been defrauded
through false weighing--tilc "consum-
ers' &" friend and the retailer, who pays
the S484 charged by tie Tefiners-to
which must be added 9 CO, per 100
freight, and 10 cents per 100 wholesalers
profit, and then delivers the sugar to
the consumer at twenty pounds for 81, or
) cents per pound-a ''Tobber." Wonder
full, isn't it,
on, if the writer had only had the
benefit of this valuable information
during the time he was engaged in the
retail business from 1892 to 1904, what
results he might have obtained Pos
sbly he would not even have TO work
from O'Clock in the forenoon to 4:30
o. o'clock in the afternoon, and surely,
not from FIVE o'clock in the morning to
six or seven o'clock in the evening
week days and midnight on Saturdays,
like the retailer. But such is life in q
large city, and while Uncle sam IS
certainly very fortunate in securing the
services Of some peOple-and the writer
shudders at the thought of what the re-
suit might be IL one particular cog in
one OF the wheels OF our Uncle's ma
chinery should happ IN. TO drop Out-yet,
there is some consOlltion to be found in
the hone that the great and good Sugar
trust which has done so much for the
consumer" might fly to the rescue.
Your correspondent would have your
readers believe that the reduction which
has been brought about in the price of
both raw and refined sugar since the
formation OF the trust Is the result
of an effort on the part OF the trust
TO furnish the consumer with sugar
at a smaller cost, and quotes Govern
ment statistics to prove that the cost
l of refining sugar has been reduced from
H55 per hundred, for the tan years
ending in 1887, to Sc cents per hundred
for the ten years ending in 1906 but he
fails to state anything in regard to the
progress that has been made in the i'm
movement of machinery that is being
used bv the refiners. which has very
materially reduced the cost Of refining
sugar.
this country, and to compare the cost
of refining sugar at that date with
present cost is something like compar-
ing the methods used at that time for
gathering news for the press with the
methods you now use, or the cost of
transportation and the time consumed
and hundreds of other changes that
have taken place Mr.. Sullivan. no
doubt, believes that the Sugar trust is
the consumers +" friend, and that the
retailer is a real ''robber," or he would
not have said so, but the writer Is fully
convinced that just as long as the
trust employs some of the methods
used in the past IL will continue to re-
ceivc the condemnation of both the
press and the public, reEa rdless of any
efforts that may be made TO shift the
responsibility to the shoulders of the
innocent retailer. J. N. pENTY,