Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-10
HardWick Committee Wants to
Know Profits on Sugar.
REMOVAL OF DUTY URGED
Adjournment Taken Until After the
Holidays.
FORMER GOV. BUCHTEL HEARD
Denial Of Charges Of Peonage in the
Sugar Beet Fields Of
Colorado.

1t developed at yesterdays hearing Of
| the House committee Investigating the
| sugar industry that Claus A. Spreckels
of the Federal Sugar Company vas the
| only subscriber to the Wholesale Gro
GERS Association, whose committee sec
| rotary. F. c. Lowry. testified before the
committee. Mr.. Lowry admitted author
ship Of letters to farmers and other pub
locations containing arguments for the
| removal Of the tariff on sugar.
At the conclusion OF yesterdays session
the committee adjourned until after the
holidays. Subpoenas have been issued
for many farmers and other witnesses.
| which will prolong the Investigation be-
yond the time anticipated by Chairman
Hardwick. Yesterday. on the request
Of Representative Fordney Of Michigan.
a call was made on the American,
Spreckels. Arbuckle and beet sugar inter-
ests for sworn statements OF the cost OF
production Of imported and domestic
sugars, the prices charged for them to
the consumer and the net profit earned
by the companies
F. c. Lowry. secretary Of committee
of wholesale grocers, told the committee
that sugar imports produce II per cent of
the revenue of the government. He con-
tended II necessity of life be compelled
to yield this proportion Of revenue all SUI
gar should pay its share. He said that
sumed in the United States paid the duty.
Sugar from Porto Rico. Hawaii and the
Philippines pays none OF the duty. Mr..
Lowry said his association advocated the
removal Of the duty.
Urges Removal Of Duty.
Take the duty off raw and refined SUI
~,
lower the price of sugar and absolutely
protect the consumers from increases in
the price Of sugar" Mr.. Lowry said.
Representative Fordney suggested that
the Federal Sugar Company was made up
of more watered stock than any other
company.
But the Federal Sugar Company is not
asking a tariff to pay the dividends on
its watered stock as the beet sugar in
terests are asking" replied the witness.
Replying to Representative Baker. Mr.
Lowry admitted that his company and all
sugar refners will charge the consumers
all the traffic will bear
Mr.. Lowry said that with the price OF
sugar in Russia at 915 cents, the import
duty was SIS cents
We'll, I'll admit that's a pretty high
rate said Representative Fordney,
while the democrats laughed.
c. G. Hamhn. chairman of the executive
board of the United States beet sugar in
dustry. followed Mr.. Lowry. Because Of
the hroadened scope of the inquiry his
testimony was postponed until the COM
mittee meets after the holidays.
Sugar Trust Selling Holdings.
The American Sugar Refining Company.
commonly known as the sugar trust. Is
disposing of some of its holdings In beet
and cane sugar factories. This infor1na-
ton was given to the congressional in
vesdgating committee yesterday In let
ter to Chairman Hardwick, written by
Secretary J. f. Freeman Of the company.
The letter stated that since fling It's
report with the committee the American
Sugar Refining Company has disposed
Of all It's interest in the Western Sugar
Company Of California. cane sugar re-
finery. This interest amounted to 80 per
cent of the Westerns stock. The COM
pany has sold its stock in the Carver
County Sugar Company of Minnesota.
Secretary Freeman stated that since
May % the American Sugar Company
has sold 100 shares of the Michigan
Sugar Company, refiners Of beet sugar.
and that the American Sugar Refining
Company owns less than 30 per cent OF
the Michigan concerns stock.
w. +. Willet. publisher Of New York
sugar journal and an expert employed by
the committee, in a letter to the COM
mittee asked to be sent to Colorado to
Investigate labor conditions and the re-
lations of the Great Western Sugar
Company with the sugar beet growers.
Serious charges have been made to the
committee by Colorado beet farmers. The
committee declined to authorize the trip.
Albert Dakin of LOngmont. Col. con-
Guided his testimony yesterday. He
charged that the sugar company controls
the editorial and news columns of thirty
i've Colorado newspapers.
Denies Charge Of Peonage.
In a statement made public here yester-
orado vigorously denied that conditions
approaching peonage existed in the sugar
beet fields of Colorado. The statement
referred TO the testimony of James Bod
kin Of Colorado before the House sugar
Investigating committee that men and
women in the beet fields worked sixteen
hours a day at back-breaking labor. Gov.
Buchtel explained that these men and
women were Russians or Italians who
worked by the Job. not by the day.
BY the aid Of his wife and children,
month in Colorado than he could make In
two years in Russia or Italy, said the
former governor. Usually that man will
own his own farm at the end Of two
years. He and his wife viii each earn
and each OF his children will earn about
three dollars day.
Classed as cold Crime"