The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-04-13

and the rate of consumption has
grown rapidly, until it is about so
pounds per capita, and we now con-
sumo more sugar than any other peo-
pie except the Britons, who use about
SO pounds per capita per annum. A
careful comparison OF prices Of foo1.
stuffs for the years from 1890 90
l9O7-the latest available statistics
shows that while nearly everything,
such as butter, cheese, eggs, meats,
lard, flour, meal, and so forth went
up materially, the increases ranging
from II per cent to 81 per cent, SUI
gar was gradually reduced in price,
and was actually 20 per cent cheap
err in 1907 than in 1890.
Another interesting fact is that
sugar is sold to the consumer cheap.
err in the United States than any
where on earth, except possibly in
Great Britain. We learn from House
Document No. $40, Sixty-second Con
gress, second session, that in Novem-
Der, 1911, sugar retailed abroad at
the following prices: Great Britain,
55 to 6.3 cents; Germany So to rs;
France, IA to SO; Italy. 1877 to 14.9;
Austria, S.3 to 81; Russia, ~ To 81;
tie Netherlands, 1913; and Canada, 6.5
to rs cents. These statistics de..lon-
strate that our tariff on s,gar has
not made II even keep pace in price
w''h articles whose supply Is pro-
duced almost wholly in the United
States, and that our citizens buy their
sugar nearly as cheap per pound as
t" people of free-trade Great Brit
ain, where wages are lower than with
us, and much cheaper than those of
any other country. Surely the sugar
tariff can not be such bad thing
when a showing like this can be
made.
Let us seek now to ascertain the
probable affect of free trade In SUI
gar on its cost to the consumer by
examining the facts in regard to it's
cost to the consumer by examining
the facts In regard to coffee-anothsr
article of practically universal con-
sumption. From 1866 to 1870 coffee
paid a duty of cents per pound,
when 1t was reduced to cents, and
In May 1872, 1t was placed on the
free list where 1t has since remain
ed. The wholesale prices OF coffee
on the New York market have been
as follows: For the seven years.
1865 to 1871 inclusive-1S.33, l7.ly
1914, 1862, 9.31, 10, and 1881 cents
per pound, respectively-an average
price of 1884 cents. During the first
five years Of this period the duty was
cents pound and for the other
two 1t was cents. There were big
promises of a cheap breakfast table
when the act of 1879 placing coffee
on the free list was passed, but we
find on the contrary, the following
price for coffee for the next seven
years 1873 to 1879, inclusive-1Si37
:l25, 1906, 1888, 1914, 1888, and
i4.Sl, respect, ely, being an average
for the first seven years under free
coffee of lI.Ss cents per pound as
compai ed vita 1884 cents during the
proceeding period, or Asa cents per
pound higher under free trade than
before the duty was removed Dur
ng the ten years-1SS7 to 1896 the
price of caffee vas 1885 cents--not
much cheap breakfast in that. For
the past 10 years the average whole
sale price of coffee has been Y.7S
cents. Its price was 6.75 cents in 1872
and 14.35, or more than twice as
high, in 1911. Evidently the price OF
coffee has been affected by causes
/ Independent OF the import duty there
| on.
| 1t Is well known that in Brazil ant
other countries impose heav expoit
! duty ON coffee shipped abroad, unt
! lave no doubt uat when we remov
ed our import duty on coffee IL en-
abled these countries to collect mucl
higher export rates, thereby beneli;
ing their governments but not siy
ing our people any cheaper coffe.
The same thing may happen in re
gard to sugar in such countries .
Cuba and Java, which produce It II
very large quantities and SO cheapl
if we destroy our home sugar and be-
come entirely dependent for thi
great necessary ON outside markets.
recall with much interest a yisi
to Costa Rica several years age
. Many fine coffee plantations wor
pointed out and we were told that
| nta 81 tho n