The Washington times., 1911-04-21
CAMPAIGNING TO
FREE LIST SUGAR
Independent Refners Charge Immediate Revision of Tariff
Schedule Is Necessary to Prevent Trust Monopoliz-
ing Business In This Country
By JUDSoN c. wELLIvER.

and more serious year after year for
the competitors OF the trust. Before
the Spanish war. the only free sugar
came from the Hawaiian Islands, and
Its volume was 50 small as TO De COM
paratively unimportant.
When Porto Rico became part of the
United States, entitled to free admit
tance for Its sugar, its annual produc-
not constitute an important factor.
Moreover. at that time Porto Rico was
still an open market. and the independ-
ents had as good a chance to buy
from 1t as the trust enjoyed.
Much the same was true OF Cuba At
that time we bought nearly as much
sugar per annum from Java as from
Cuba. Cuba was an open market, and
the trust and the independents compe-
ted for all they could get of it's sugar
at the reduced rates.
But In recent years the situation has
completely changed. The Sugar Trust
interests have pretty effectually elbowed
everybody else out Of Porto Rico, and
most of the supply from there goes to
the trusts big refinery. The Porto
velous rate, because the removal OF
the duty made the business peculiarly
profitable.
Cheap Sugar Monopoly.
The same is true Of Cuba. Scores Of
huge corporations have gone into Cuba
and either bought or developed i'm
mense sugar estates. These corpora
tions are for the most part affiliated
with the trust or controlled by people
In this country who are stockholders in
the trust; consequently year by year
the trust has Appropriated closer and
closer to a complete control of the
sources from which it's supplies of raw
sugar are drawn. The Independents
have been crowded away from the sup
plies Of cheap sugar, and have been
compelled to take that on which the
full duty must be paid, and with this
to compete with the cheaper sugar of
the trust.
The truth Is that this situation has
now developed to a point from which
no eye of prophecy is required to de-
scry that in the near future the trust
will have all competitors crowded to
the wall and will enjoy an absolute
monopoly of the country's sugar supply.
This situation Is rendered the more
acute because in the last fifteen years
the trust has carried on a systematic
campaign with the purpose Of securing
control of the beet sugar industry of
the country.
For many years after this campaign
had attained approximate success, the
trust and the beet sugar companies
persistently denied any affiliation. The
confession, however, was finally forced
from the trust that It was a very heavy
stockholder in most Of the beet sugar
corporations.
Trust Has Confessed.
In mis- annual report issued in Janu-
AIRY, 1910. the trust finally made a COM
plete confession to the public. 1t showed
that 1t was a stockholder in nearly 30
per cent of the beet sugar concerns
Its investments in these aggregated
about S2S,0oO,o00. When the trusts books
were brought into court by the Depart
ment of Justice In connection with Ifti-
cation in the last year, the exact dis
tribution Of these holdings was made
known to the Government. 1t then be-
came plain that the trust was actually
the dominating partner in most of the
beet sugar companies. The Department
Of Justice has since been at work in the
preparation Of case which is expected
to be filed some time this wear. to COM
pei the Sugar trust to relinqUish its hold
on the beet sugar concerns. under the
antitrust law.
William NJ Dykman, of Brooklyn.
counsel for the Arbuckles, has been in
Washington telling the Ways and Means
Committee and other people who will
vision schedules, his view of the situa-
ticn.
Wants Sugar on Free List.
In the interest Of the consumers and
of maintaining any competition what
ever, he demands that sugar be placed
on the free list. He tells them that sugar
is being made to ccst the American
people s150, 100000 a year more than it
ought, in order that about $50. 0OO. 900 a
year revenue NAV be raised from it;
that the beet sugar concerns are max
ing immense profits because of the big
protection thev enjoy: and that II the
trust is permitted to go on a few more
years surrounding the sugar supplies,
1t will be so intrenched that It will be
too late TO do anything for the people
through a revision.
The Ways and Means Committee is
expected to formulate a new sugar
schedule during the present session.
Free sugar is regarded as impossible,
though there Is a growing demand for
it. If it were not for the political in
fluence back of the beet sugar concerns
controlled by the trust-free sugar
might he secured at this time