The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-10-08

the grip of the sugar trust upon Cal
;fornia and a war is on with prices
and the casualties so far all on the
side of the combine, reports the San
Francisco Bulletin of September 30,
which makes the story of the sugar
fight the principal one of the day.
Continuing, it says: There has been
sharp break in quotations and tim
orous retailers, previously held In
subsection by a coterie of trust job
beers, are venturing to handle non
trust sugar.
II is within of fate that Claus
Spreckels, in carrying war to the com
bine has found the enemy 5 country
in the very city where his father start
ed out generation ago to oppose the
sugar trust At that time the enemy
undertook to invade the territory Of
the elder Spreckels and he promptly
retaliated by establishing a refinery at
Philadelphia and beating the trust at
its own game.
But since that time the trust has
gobbled the whole country and Claus
Spreckels comes back at this time to
fight it on the Coast. For the first
time in the history of San Francisco
cargo Of refined sugar has been
brought into this port around the
Horn and 100000 bags are the mu-
nitions of war with which the first
engagement is being fought.
With the output of the Federal
Sugar Refining Company of New
York, the one refinery of the coun-
try Independent of the trust, Spreck-
els is entering the field against the
Hawaiian production controlled by his
brother, John D. Spreckels.
On his entrance into the local mar
ket Spreckels met with opposition OF
the jobbers who stand in with the
sugar trust.
Trust Tries Intimidation.
The jobbers demanded a concession
Of twenty-five cents a hundred pounds
for handling the production of the
Federal company The reply of Spreck-
els was circular to all the retailers
of the city and State. quoting them
price of FIVE cents a pound on cane
graduated sugar. Typical trust meth
DDS of warfare followed quickly. Yes
terday representative of the com
bine was stationed in front of the
Federal company s Office at % Davis
street to take note of all the retailers
who would venture to break away from
their grasp. He was reluctantly forced
to move on by policeman after he
had kept his vigil for four hours.
The retail dealers have eagerly ac-
cepted the quotation of five cents a
pound The trust price has been five
and three-fourth cents a pound and
at that price the trust has adulterate9
It's cane sugar with beet sugar, which
sells at twenty cents less on the hum
bred pounds. 1t does not brand its
sacks as pure cane sugar in order to
escape the attentions of the pure food
inspectors.
The Federal Refinery brands all its
packages Pure Cane Sugar guaran-
iced under the Food and Drugs Act, -
10 give assurance of the quality of its
product
The campaign of the Independents
nas quickly brought results. Already
the Johbers are offering terms of peace.
But the Federal Refinery is in the
California market to stay and is pre-
pared to supply the local demand by
ire Horn. It's plant at New York now
has capacity of 1850 tons a dav.
Even after getting its raw material
from the West Indies. paying the high
dn'y written into the tariff by the
trust, refining it in New York and ship
ping 1t around the Horn. the independ-
eh's are still able to cut under the
Coast.
What the Tariff Does.
what the tariff does II California
through the sugar schedule is summed
up IN one important statement:
California pays $12.0O0.O00 duty a
year on sugar to protect total annual
PRODUCTION in this State of 81 .OOO. 900
Inc people aud industries Of the
SIa'e pay more than 81 600. 600 for the
,pehenf Of having 100000 worth of
ueet sugar produced in California. and
'HeN Stlil have to paw for the sugar in
ADDITION to this tariff. The figures are
o' % ne disputed. In the eight months
Tom January TO September / o04 600
.ohs OF sugar came into this port on
maieh $50 q ton duty was paid. That
makes 100000. or little more than
onn "a LtpIt II as against the = l.
oeooo annual output of the beet sugar
+ .SnherIes Of the State, controlled by
9, And while California pays this price
~ protection that swelIs the profits
IN. trust. It IS itself throwing away
unions Of dollars worth of its fruit
pa because it can not afford to
Eay the price for sugar to preserve
s rnein. The removal of the duty on
sugar would do more to plant fruit
th tses IN the rich valleys of California
n rraa all the colonizing and irrigating
p 20 that have vet been under
~. .saen. It would provide use for all
W vIe fruits which California could raise,
om;l le now the production is limited
my TO the exorbitant cost of can
ana preserving them.
bara orh'a canneries now actually
br ne 70 waste enormous quantities of
; nto which could be converted
n, MOI good Jams and iellies. but for the
f'0nioitlve price of sugar Only choice.