The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-21
CHEAPER SUGAR PROMISED.

The Hypocrisy of the Sugar Trust
with respect to the alleged cause for
the raise in price of sugar is shown in
the announcement made that sugar will
be cheaper next month.
The sudden rise in the price of sugar
came upon the people Just at the time
when households all over the country
were putting up their fruit; that IS,
lust al the time when the Sugar Trust
could reap the biggest profit out of the
raise. The settled opinion of the coun~
try with respect to this raise has been
that the Sugar Trust inflicted 1T upon
the people because it has The monopo-
lstic power to do so, and does it he
cause of tbc prosecutions tho gov
crnmcnt has inflicted upon the trust.
First. the government caught the trust
in defrauding the customs by tricky
with tho custom house scales;
aud the case was settled by the trust
paying 10 the government something
over 50 100000 on account of its dc.
fraud of the customs. Then the gov
ernmcnt undertook and put through Il
pretty severe investigation of the Sugar
Trust, aud this also cost the trust
money. The public believes that the
trust put mp this raise IN order TO re-
coup itself by reason Of it's expenses
in reimbursing the government on the
trust weighing frauds. aud to repay TO
the trust the expense it has been put 10
in defending itself in the investigation.
We believe ourselves that this is cX-
acty the truth with respect 10 the
raise, and is the real cause of it,
On the other hand, the trust alleges
that the cause for the advance is q
shortage Of 100000 tons in the cane
sugar crop of Cuba, that conditions III
France, Germany, and Austria indicate
. falling OF Of from million to mil
lion and half tons in the beet sugar
crop Of Europe. The trust also alleges
that there is an artificial raise in the
price Of sugar caused by excessive spec
ulation in London and Hamburg, the
leading sugar markets of the world, the
latter city especially undertaking TO fix
the price of sugar for all the sugar mar
kets everywhere, But, if there is any
basis whatever for these pessimIstc cX-
plansti there would appear To be
only one of the things brought forward
that would initiate toward n reduction
Oh price of sugar next month. and that
is the collapse of the speculative move
nIent in London and Hamburg. Still, |
if the shortage is as claimed, amount.
half tons altogether. the spectators in
London and Hamburg would be all the !
more confirmed in putting through their |
speculation and maintaining high prices |
for sugar. and If the fact is as stated !!
as TO the lessened Weld. the spectators |
would have all tho more strength to
their movement. and all the more cer-
tsinty Of carrying it through.
The raise began about the middle of
June. and was progressive for three |
months On June 18th tho manufactur-
ers were selling grauulated sugar in
New York for 40 cents per pound net !
On the 10Th of September the same
quality of sugar was selling around : |
cents per pound; the highest quotation |
for sugar in New York for the last /
twenty-five years. The increase in
price vas approximately 43 per cent, an
rise that cannot possibly be |
explained on the basis on which the
Sugar Trust undertakes 10 explain il.
There would appear to be no possible
doubt of The fact that the raise in the |
price is vindictivc. and that the alleged II
reasons for the raise are in large de-
gree fictitious; Indeed. these alleged rea-
sons. coupled with the announced dc. II
crease of the price OF. sugar next month,
are mutually destructive: for if il is II
true that there has been such tre-
shortage Of sugar yield in