The Oskaloosa herald., 1911-06-15
SEARCH MADE FOR
| SUGAR AGREEMENT
Acting Head Again Before Trust
Inquiry Committee.
LIGHT ON PACIFIC PRICES
e. r. Atkins Admits Commodity
Should Be Lower There, But 10
Not, Consequently Profits
r. 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-
tons 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 refner1es,
This, he insisted, was the principal
reason for the failure of competition
Owns California Company.
Intercepted 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.
filming company. What the purpose OF
the purchase of this stock was, Mr.
Atkins was unable to tell the commit.
tee.
that there shall be no competition
asked Mr.. Malby.
80 far as my knowledge goes. there
is not the slightest"
Mr.. Malby sought light on the meth
cd of electing directors in the Cali
fornia companies. but Mr.. Atkins could
give him no satisfaction.
, lis it 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
retineries to make a larger margin oil
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 fal
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 S1.34 duty or
each hundred pounds Of Cuban sugar.
Ought sugar to be lower on the Pa
citic coast?" asked Representative Ra
ker
Yes" said Mr.. Atkins, who added
that he knew nothing of the conduct
of the far western companies. He die
not know Mr.. Spreckels, he said, mol
what interest the latter had in various
beet sugar companies of the west.
81 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 tel
US anything about their business"