Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-06-09
WHY SUGAR IS DEAR
People Robbed by Gang Of
Commercial Bandits
THROUGH TARIFF PRIVILEGE
American Families Taxed SO Year
to Enrich the Sugar Trust-Fruit
Canning and Preserving Industries
Ham pered by the Tax.

Canning and Preserving Industries
Ham, ered by the Tax.
Every family in the land pays on an
average II sum of IS a year because OF
the tariff on sugar.
This is the conclusion of MIR. Frank
&. Lowry of New York. the author OF
an interesting leatipt on the sugar tar
itf. Mr. Lowry is secretary to II com.
mittee Ot wholesale grOcers formed to
assist in Obtaining cheaper sugar.
Sugar is an important item in the cost
of living Its price is controlled by
the sugar trust. that notorious gang OF
commercial bandits which. not content
with robbinS the people OF the above
amount through its tariff privilege.
has descended TO the meaner robbery
of using short weights to cheat the
government that gave ii the privilege.
Some of Mr.. Luwry's facts are given
below:
The duty on raw sugar. although
given aS Al little over l % cents per
pound. Is really equal to 1887 per cent
Of its value The increase in price to
the consumer Is nearly cents per
pound This means that when a house.
wife purchases ten pounds of sugar.
for which she pays, 80 cents. she could.
II there were no tariff. buy the same
quantity for 30 cents. The average
consumption of sugar per head of the
population is ST. pounds. Reckoning
five persons to u family. this amounts
to 4O5 pounds annually. The tariff
tax at 2 cents per pound means $S
year per family.
Our manufactures also would benefit
considerably II sugar were cheaper.
Our fruit canning and preserving in
dustries would take on vigorous life
At present they are dwarfed and Grip
pied because sugar Is 80 dear In
Great Britain. owing to cheap sugar.
the jelly. jam and preserve industries
are flourishing and are supplying the
whole world. and we cannot compete
with them; hence preservers like the
II. j. Heinz company of pitsburg have
had to establish factories in England.
Think of it," said the late Edward
Atkinson. Dundee marmalade, known
the world over. made in Scotland from
imported oranges and imported sugar..
The National Gamers association.
numbering nearly 1000 firms. passed
a resolution last year urging congress
to abolish the duty on raw and refined
sugar. The National Food Manufac.
turers passed Il similar resolution. But
nf tn hDV
as much weight with congress as the
sugar trust
The independent sugar retiners do
not need the tariff. They would be
perfectly satisfied if sugar were on
the free list. Claus A. SpreckelS. pres
dent of the Federal Sugar Refining
company. which relines about 3 per
cent of the sugar used in this country,
pleaded before the ways and means
committee at Washington for re-
moval of the duty both on raw and
refined sugar. All such pleading was
Intellectual.
The Louisiana sugar growers do not
need the tariff. They nave been grow
ing sugar for eiyhty-spvpn years. and
yet it is still an "intaut industry" witt
them. 1t has made them lazy and IN
enterprising and negiectful of up IT,
date methods. Why should we carry
them on our back if they are so incOm-
petent!
The Hawaiians do not need the tar
if. because they are able to hold their
own with all the world. They made Il
profit of $15.0O0OO0 in one year on
their crop of only 100000 tons. They
made it ut the expense of the Ameri-
can consumer after sharing most of
the plumber with the sugar trust. The
Porto Ricans are about in the same
position as the Hawaians. They can
take care of themselves without the
tariff.
AS for the domestic beet sugar in
iustry. the people engaged in it have
no claim upon the bounty of the con
sumers. Some of the beet sugar grow
ers. such as those in California. Utah
and Colorado. can do perfectly we'll
without protection. Men who know
the trade say that the beet sugar re-
fineries located in these states can pro-
duce granulated sugar at 21a cents
pound In other states less favorably
located the industry may be less prof
table. but why not grow something
else instead of beets?
The sugar trust Of course controls
the beet sugar industry. 1t has been
paying dividend OF 20 per cent upon
a capitalization of $0O.OOO.OOO. Is it
to enable it to pay this dividend that
American families are taxing them
speak of the injury inflicted upon those
important branches Of manufacture
into which sugar enters?