The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-15
OF DUTY
 ON SUGAR |SSURE ID
 BENEFIT CONSUMER
Lowry Reiterates Assertion Before Sugar Trust
 Committee

Washington, July 14.-Frank c. Lowry, sales agent for the Federal Sugar Ref1n- ing company, spent his third day on the witness stand before the House sugar in- vestigating committee today. Louisiana oane-growers and sugar manufacturers who had been called to testify today will be heard tomorrow.
 MT. Lowry had said the elimination or reduction of duty on sugar would bene- fit the consumer .and Representatives Malby of New York and Fordney of Mich- igan sought repeatedly to have him ad- init that facts and figures which they laid before him proved that this was not true.
 The witness said most of the sugar workers in the Philippines, Hawaii and California were Orientals and in Louisiana they were negroes.
 Representative Baker read figures show ing that practically all of the sugar in- dustry employees in Hawaii are foreign ers s per cent of them being Jap anese. MT. Fordney insisted upon know ing where the figures came from and MT. Baker reluctantly said they had been cpdlcu Dy Ddlliei J. V htSlt, COlHlliS- sioner general of immigration, for his use, but not for introduction as an of f1clal document. He said MT. O'keefe would not be permitted to furnish such a paper officially.
 MT. Fordney thought the committee ought to find out who would not allow the information to be furnished, and laughingly suggested that MT. O'Keefe was liable to get in the "Dr. Wiley class
 The witness said he did not know of any restriction or destruction of compe- tition in the sugar business in the United States. He admitted his company prob ably employs in their factory at Yonkers persons who are not citizens of the United States, but insisted upon explaining, de- spite MT Malby's objection, that his com pany is in a different position from the trust in that 1t is mot kown here ask ing for high protective duty for the benefit of it's employees"
 MT. Lowry said the sugar compa nies in Michigan and California add the amount of the freight rates from New York to their prices though their products do not travel any appreciable distance, cutting off just point or two In order to keep out competition from the east.
 Malby Is Insistent
 MT. Md1DN lnSlSttu upon yes ana mo" answers to his questions. and when MT. Lowery invariably offered explanations for figures read. intimated that the witness was being unfair to the committee and practically refusing to answer.
 MT. Malby said that in 1905 Cuban raw sugar was admitted al a duty of .34S cents a pound. while the products from other countries carried a rate of 1885 cents a pound-and that despite this reduction the price of refined sugar to the consumer increased.
 Asked by Nk. Malby if the fact that prices of ,sugaf quoted by various com panies on certain dates did not sug- gest that there was an agreement be- tween the companies, the witness said that so far as the Federal Sugar Re- lining company was concerned. there was no such an agreement. He ad- mtted the advance in the price of sugar in the United States during the last 30 days was due to an increase in the world price on account of crop news.
 'Intercepting" Reduction
 Mir. Malby ascked Mr Lowery whether his company would object to the elim- ination of the duty on refined sugar
 Not if we could get the raw material free of duty" replied the witness.
 MT. Malby asked if German sugar manufacturers did not pay their labor CTS about half what is paid in this country. The. witness said he didn't know.
 Mir Hines asked if manufacturers and dealers did not endeavor to reap the benefits of reduced prices or raw prod ucts by ''irtercepting" the reduction before it reached, the, consumer. The witness did not. think this was fact as far as the sugar business was con cerned. He thought the competition of his company prevented the "trust from making prices still higher and the re- moyal' of the tariff would let manufac- turers of the world in for competition
 Peaches Are Scarce