The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-03-30

|tcrcst Is the wholesale price OF rchncd
sugar. and the Wholesale price Of su.
gar in the last forty years shows with
conclusiveness not to be denied by
any fair man that something beside
the tariff makes sugar cheap or dear
to the consumer.
On page a. Of the testimony taken
by the sugar investigating committee
are given the average wholesale
prices for each year from 1870 until
1909. What does this show?
That from 1870 to 1882, and there
was no change in the tariff for those
years, the price dropped from 1879
cents a pound to 91a cents. Some
thing besides the tariff affected the
price of sugar in those years.
In 1883 the tariff was reduced by
about half cent a pound, and in the
next seven years on this basis sugar
oscillated between rs cents a pound
and 60 cents a pound entirely mega
living the idea that the tariff was
primary factor in the price, because
the oscillation of the sugar was sew
eral times the change of tariff.
In 1890, from a tariff of 2.24 per
pound, sugar became free, with a
bounty of two cents a pound to en-
courage domestic production. Now,
the effect of bounties has always been
to reduce the price of sugar below q
fair market price, and it is not sur
prising that the taking off of the duty
and the adding of the bounty, too,
should have made a substantial re-
duction in the price of sugar in 1890.
l do not attempt to deny that a part
of that was due to the taking off OF
the traiff, because do not deny that
such would be the immediate effect on
run, of two, three, or four years, that
!, | am arguing here. The advocates
of this bill will not fail to point out
that for the three years of free sugar
the wholesale price was lowered, and
that is true; but it is curious fact
that, when in 1894 an ad valorem duty
Of nearly a cent pound was put on
the consumer for the next three years
got sugar even cheaper than he got il
under free sugar with a bounty. Ev
IDENTIFY then something besides the
tariff interests the consumer of SUI
f. gar.
Il The gentleman from Georgia [Mr
u Hardwickl has quoted Mr. Dingley, o.
+ Maine, as speaking in 1890 in favor
e of free sugar. He did undoubtedly, il
Z the gentleman so quotes him. but
! have no doubt that Mr.. Dingley il
Il 1897 remembered the effect of putin:
u on the one cent ad valorem duty il
e. 1894, and that may explain why, whe1
{ he made the bill for which he was re
e sponsible, he did not give free sugar
s but put on tariff of nearly one cen
le and three-Quarters.
u Mr.. Sterling-Has the gentleman
u any figures to show what effect tn
IS change in the tariff of 1890, the taklnJ
"a off of the duty and adding the boun
lt ty-
lie M. Hinds-I just said that the pric
~ of sugar fell at that time.
ly Mr. Sterling That is not the uues
lie tion-then adding one cent a pound i,
III 1894; will the gentleman state wha
lie effect it had on the American produc
lg ton of sugar?
'e Mr. Hinds-I do not remember tn
IL effect on the American production @
II sugar l did not examine that in tina
re connection. Something happened, be
er cause sugar was cheaper.
" In 1907 the Dingley law raised IN
s. duty on sugar to about one and two
lie third cents a pound, yet for the 81
~ years of the full Dingley tariff tn
wholesale price of sugar ransed onl
10 t1tth of a cent pound over the az
Of erage of the free-sugar years. Som
N great force other than the tariff wa
lie evidently working on the price of ST
gar.
e. In 1903 twenty per cent reductio
u In Dingley rates was made on sugar
ry from Cuba, yet in the next six year
of the price to the consumer was slight
OF higher than for the six years befor
IS the duty was reduced Some cond
IL ton other than tariff rates must hay
g. been operating on the price of sugar
IN In 1909 the Payne tariff law, witt
out changing the raw-sugar duty re
e, duced slightly the tariff on refined s,
is gar, but last September the wholesal
in price of refined sugar in New Yor
scared to IA cents a pound, a pric
ut Tar above the average of any year fo
SIX the last twenty years. Evidentl
IN something besides the tariff made tina
&c rise in price to the consumer.
is The Sugar Supply the Great Facto
ne That mysterious something tha
if neutralized the tariff increase of 1879.
That sent sugar Drices edward Ios