Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-02-06
Interesting Letter Sent by
President to Congress,
Being a Report by Secretary
OF State P. c. Knox.
important In Connection with Sugar
Tariff Revision Bill.

| Washington, Feb. 5.-Sugar. univer-
| sally consumed and universally taxed,
| is subjected TO government control and
| regulation as To price in almost every
| country and to varying trade methods
| as Wen, reported Secretary of state
! Knox H. a letter which President
| TAFT today forwarded to Congress.
The letter, important at this time
| in connection with the sugar tariff
revision bin which the House Ways
and Means Committee begins framing
this week. was brought out by The
House sugar trust" investigating
committees request for foreign data.
1t summarizes consular reports which
Secretary Knox called for from every
part of the world. showing sugar 70
be source of customs and internal
revenue by Ireans Of import duties and
by taxes on consumption in the form
of national excise duties and local or
municipal charges.
Retail prices of sugar, varying even
in different localities in the same
country. generally showed an increase
throughout the world between July
and November last, attributed 10 the
shrinkage in the Cuban cane crop and
prospective shortage in the beet crop
OF Europe. The increase ranged from
one To three cents q pound. averaging
about cents on ordinary white sugar.
The great range of price quotations
is shown by the fourteen cents a
pound charged in Italy and Spain and
i've cents in Glasgow. Scotland
Secretary Knox said that in Spain.
where the July prices ranged close 10
10 cents, actual decreases even took
place in some cities. In Russia, where
a large surplus stock had been carried
over from the preceding seasons, the
government kept the prices unchanged
The sugar combination in Sweden,
which had been enforcing Il high price
TO the general deficiency in the sugar
supply found it difficult 10 make
increases
Russia exercises absolute control
over the prices. Trade guilds in Japan
and Brazil individually assert the
right 10 manipulate prices. The
Argentine Republic fixes prices by
law. In Canada, Montreal refineries
control the situation In Sweden re-
tail dealers combine TO keep the prices
lust low enough to make import IN
profitable.
The United Kingdom, the Nether-
lands. Belgium. Switzerland. Greece
and Peru treat sugar solely as a source
of revenue. Sweden. Roumania, Japan,
Mexico. Brazil, Chile and the Union
Of South Africa subject sugar TO hish
import duty to protect and develop
domestic industries with secondary re
gard TO the revenues. Russia. Spain.
Italy Canada and Denmark treat Ii
as o means of fostering native pro-
duetion and of providing for national
revenues.
Austria Hungary, Germany anu
France. signatory To the Brussels con-
ference, which abolished bounties on
production, may. be said to form
class by themselves in their treatment
of sugar in relation To import duties.
THUS Austria Hungary, Germany ana
France hold in allowance their regular
tariff rates in so far as they exceed
the SO cents a hundred pounds aVolr-
dupois which the conference permits
as the maximum import duty allowed
above their excise duties. Some or
these also remit the excise taxes on
sugar when imported and France and
Portugal give sugar from their cot
onies preferential treatment.