The Detroit times., 1911-12-15
BEET SUGAR GROWERS
ORGANIZE TO DEMAND
BETTER PAY FROM TRUST
Colorado Farmers Lead Fight in
Which Producers of Other
States Are Also Enlisted.
MONoPOLY'S PROFITS BIG.
Longmont Factory Makes ITO
Per Cent on It's Actual
Investment.
MoNoPoLY's PROFITS BIG.
Rx w. c. ROBERTSON.

IONGMONI- IOl., DeC. 10 SuSoi
is such a staple that nobody makes
more than an infnitesimal fraction OF
a cent per pound on IL.
SO they were tellin me.
But the fact is that the sugar trust
makes millions more every year, net
profit ON the sugar grown in Colorado
than al the growers together get for
planting, raising and marketing the
beets. And makes II in few weeks
OF factory operation in the fail, at
thai.
60 the sugar beet growers OF Amer
Ice are organizing 20 gcJ lair price
fcr their. bccts.= MANY growers In
Michigan, California. Utah Idaho,
Wisconsin and other states are join
fnb with Colorado farmers under the
lesdcrship OF Attorney Albert Dakan
OF Longmont TO fight the trrst.
Nothern Colorado, acre Tor acre. Is
the greatest sugar beet producing
region In the world. Here the Great
Western Sugar Co. a subsidiary OF
the trust operates Its Longmont fac
tory alone this year cleared SoO5,OO0,
or 10 per cent on its actual invest
pcnt, It's profit was greater than the
total receipts of the growers for all
+ the DSetS AZ DOuSnt.
Northern Colorado produced 100000
\ TONS OF beets: for them the growers
got $3,S50,000 from the nine factories
in the district The total cost of re-
fining was $1.925,000. The jobbers got
$i,575,000 for selling il TO the store
Keepers for $l5,700.000: giving the
trust profit of sS,40O,cO0 besides
T5,000 tons of pulp sold for SS1.5OO
as cattle feed. and $4,000 tons OF
molasses worth s2S0,000- -by-products.
That made the years net profit for
the trust $S.592,50O on an assessed
tex value OF S2.500.000 It's actual
value is $7.50Q00O. and it's capital is
4 $4,000, GOO
Here's farmer Z. l.. Montgomery.
Ills beet crop was one of the best in
The district. II went 2S tons 70 the
acre. and ,0S0 pounds OF refined sugar
were made from the beets of each
acre, paying him Sl6S an acre. From
this S92 must be subtracted for cost
or production. leaving net profit OF
STft5 an acre. From this farm the sugar
trust made S7i4,60 clear profit per
mere.
Often farmers crop does not go
90 tens an acre. Then he loses money.
Blu; tho trust makes as great profit
per ton as in "bumper" years.
Last summer the trust sent out
etories about the ruin OF the Ameri-
can bee. sugar crop. When that lie
WAS nailed rumor came that foreign
CROPS had failed. Then how is it,
nskcd tho American grower. that
prizes OF beets don't go up?i
a Chester A. Morey, head OF the Great
Western. didn't know. Nor could he
sexplain how the high tariff protects
fhe American grower. if the failure of
Foreign crops didn't effect him. IF
the Irice you pay us for our beets
isn't dependent cn the failure or sue
cess OF European crops. why this pro-
tection?'" they queTied.
IS Weelly Papers and certain farmers
.in the beet regions have been per-
.suaded TO speak well of the trust
Business men have been urged TO do
Ahe same thing. The factories might
be removed. you know Some few
Favored growers are given higher
price for their beets and buy back
pull at lower price. They influence
heighboring farmers.
But now the best farmers are arous-
ed. They have found a champion in
Dakan. Possibly they will own and
operate refneries OF their own.
AZ any rate, the growers argue. the
government should supervise the test
Ing of beets as TO percentage of
sugar. and force payment for the full
percentage shown. Now anything less
than a half of one per cent is not
counted at all--"yelvet" for the trust
-The sugar refiners could pay the
growers higher price than they now
do. treat them fairly In the matter of
Testing. and cut the price of sugar to
shc consumer in half, II they paid a
dividend only on the amount actually
invested I'm the business" said Attor-
5ncy Dakan, after a thorough study Of
beet sugar from the field TO the fac
tory 10 the table