Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-17
lheSugar Trust in the Beet Sugar Industry


have been its motives. and whatever
may have been the factors causing II
| 10 enter the field, IL is we'll known that
| its coming was the salvation of the beet
| sugar industry 10 the United States. IL
| Is true, II did put money into the in
| dustry. IL is true that ii did put money
! into many of the factories already es-
tablished and Ii is true that 1t did es-
! tablish new factories. But this. IN
stead of being the destruction of the
| Industry or the wreckng OF the inde-
! pendent concerns was rather their sal
vatlon- The struggling factories were
in discouIaging condition More CAPT
tai was required for extension. II the
industry was ever To emerge from the
chaotic condition and become one of
the permanent and established enter
prises OF the country of national i'm
portance; more capital was needed for
improvements and education In order
tnat 1t might hold even the place il
then had. This money under the cir
cumstances WAS difficult to secure Tho
coming OF the trust into the field put
new IRE into the industry and rescued
the ialtering and tagging zeal of the
discouraged holders of factory securl-
ties already in the field; they opened IN
new fields and made new factories pos
sIble. This opporture0 introduction of
the capital invested by the trust mado
possible the establishment OF experi-
mental laboratories and experimental
beet farms for the study of agricultural
problems; II educated a line of Ameri-
can experts capable of handling and
managing the business. An this
brought system and order and cstab-
hshed firm basis on an American
footing. American machinery manufac-
turers were encouraged. Thousands of
acres of hitherto unavailable lands were
found suitable for beet culture This
opened the field for new lines OF enter
prise and gave employment to thou
sands. 1t is not for us to say whether
this would all have been done had the
trust not come into the field, but GER
tain ii is. that 1t did do 1t and that at
an opportunc time.
1t does not appear that the trust has
attempted to dominate the control or
the beet sugar industry 1t does not
appear that it has forced small and
weak factories to the wall or that it has
made 1t difficult for independent
concerns to establish factories That
1t has not dominated the capital
in the concerns now in existence
Is evidenced by the fact that the trust
holdings do not amount To 80 per cent
of the aggregate sum invested in the
sugar industry. That It has not de-
tered capital from investment In indc-
pendent factories is proven by the fact
that more Independent concerns have
been organized since the operations OF
the trust in the beet sugar field than
were in existence before that time. That
1T has been an aid to the independent
factories is shown by the record of the
Independent factories which have re-
covered and placed themselves on solid
ground since the entering of the trust.
The failures of Independent factories
have been very few, and when inyeSti-
cation is made 1t will be found that
these failures have been due more to
poor and injudicious locations. coup
led with inefficient management, than
it has to any interference of the trhst
1T is true that number of factories
were not successful in the original loca-
ton, but since new and suitable loca-
ton has been secured they have all re-
cuperated. Today there is but one idle
factory in the United States.
Whatever the attitude of the trust
may have been in relation to the tariff
question it is certain that the agitation
melted has led to tariff rates that
are not inimical to the beet sugar inter-
ests.
That it has controlled the price of
sugar may be admitted. but that this
control is to the disadvantage of the
independent concerns Is not so evident
In fact it has been to their decided ad-
vantage, in that it has made cut
throat competition impossible. The
trust has been large enough to make
the price of sugar firm and stable It's
interest in the beet sugar market Is
large enough TO cause 1t to protect the
market price of sugar. Whatever it
may have done In the past in regard
to railroad rebates has been made i'm
possible by railroad control. and is now
q condition OF the past.
One has but to look at the factories