The Oskaloosa herald., 1911-06-15
SEARCH MADE FOR
| SUGAR AGREEMENT
Noting Head Again Before Trust
Inquiry Committee.
LIGHT ON PACIFIC PRICES
z. r. Atkins Admits Commodity
Should Be Lower There, But Is
Not, Consequently Profits
Are Greater.

Washington, June 14.-Effort to dis
cover whether non-competitive zones
had been established by the American
Sugar Refining company in an effort
to control prices, marked the resump
ton of the sugar trust" inquiry. Ed
win F. Atkins, acting head of the su
gar corporation, who became an Off
cial Of the company two years ago
said he was unable to answer from
personal knowledge many Of the ques
tions put to him.
Mr.. Adkins declared however that
the american Sugar Refining company
owned practically a majority of stock
In the sugar refineries in California
and that it did not attempt to com
pete with them. He gave as the rea
son for this abandonment of the coast
business the freight rate difference OF
half cent pound on sugar transpor
tation from the eastern refineries
This, he insisted. was the principal
reason for the failure of competition
Owns California Company.
Interrogated by Representative Nal
BY Of New York, the witness said that
30 per cent. of the Western Sugar Re,
filming company in California was own.
ed by the American Sugar Refining
company, while the Spreckles family
owned the other so per cent The
American also owned, Mr. Atkins said,
40 per cent. In the Alameda Sugar Re,
timing company. What the purpose of
the purchase of this stock was, Mr..
Atkins was unable to tell the commit.
tee
do you have any understanding
that there shall be no competition?
asked Mr.. Malby.
so far as my knowledge goes, there
is not the slightest"
Mr.. Malby sought light on the meth.
cd Of electing directors in the Cali
fprnia companies. but Mr. Atkins could
give him no satisfaction.
Ills TIA matter of indifference to the
American Sugar Refining company as
to how the other companies conduct
their business?" he queried.
Mr.. Atkins replied that he was not
informed on the subject.
Pacific Refineries Benefit.
The sugar tariff, according to Mr..
Atkins, enables the Pacific coast sugar
refineries to make a larger margin of
profit than the eastern refineries. Re.
plying to Representative Raker of Cal
ifornia, Mr.. Atkins said the price Of
sugar was the same on the Pacific and
the Atlantic coasts, but the Pacific
manufacturers are able to sell as far
east as Chicago, while the eastern re-
fineries cannot ship further west than
Kansas City and Omaha.
"The reason is that the Pacific coast
has free raw sugar" said Mr.. Atkins.
"The refineries there get the Hawaiian
and Philippine sugars without duty,
while We have to pay 1914 duty on
each hundred pounds of Cuban sugar"
Ought sugar to be lower on the Pa
cific coast?" asked Representative Ra-
ker.
Yes" said Mr.. Atkins, who added
that he knew nothing Of the conduct
of the far western companies. He did
not know Mr.. Spreckels, he said, nor
what interest the latter had in various
beet sugar companies of the west.
4 haven't been able to get any in
formation from any of the companies
In which we are largely interested"
said Mr.. Atkins. I'VE are minority
stockholders and they refuse to tell
as anything about their business"