The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-06-07

ed % four billion seven hundred and
twenty million dollars, and has drawn
two gpd one.half billion dollars in gold
from other countries. through the sale
20 them of her surplus sugar.
The report shows that in ten years
our acreage Of beets has increased 207
per cent, tons of bects harvested per
acre 90 per cent, total tons Of beots |
harvested 300 per cent, number of fuc-
tories III per cent and sugar produced |
5Si per cent.
Capital Invested.
The report also shows $70,0O0O00 in
vested in the domestic beet sugar indus
try and several times that amount in
Louisiana. Hawaii and Porto Rico. 1t
further shows that to injure the in
sular and Cuban sugar industry would
ieopardize our export trade with those
islands TO which we ship our products
70 the value of S14i 100000 annually
and take our payment in sugar
All for Refners.
81 In common with other fnishers of
raw material which can be more cheaply
produced by the lower priced labor of
foreign lands than by domestic labor,
the seaboard refners are seeking that
much coveted prize free raw material.
The testimony given by refining inter
ests before the special committee of the
house which was appointed to investi
gate the American Sugar Refining Co.
and others, developed the fact that 1T
was sugar refining money which for
several years has fomented the agita-
ton for a reduction of duty on importa-
tion of raw sugar; the refners admitted
with one accord that the reason they
desire a change in the duty on sugar
~ because the annual marketing of
100000 tons of home produced sugar,
so lowers the price of sugar that during
the three to five months while domestic
sugar is being marketed, they are com
PEELED to operate their refneries Mt a
loss or close them down and withdraw
from the market. -
"The production of domestic sugar
has the same effect on the refners price
Of sugar that the Erie Canal and the
Great Lakes have ON railroad freight
rates. When navigation opens, freight
rates 90 down, and when navigation
closes, freight rates go up. When domes'
tic sugar comes onto the market the
refners' prices go down, and when the
domestic sugars are sold out the re-
fners' prices 20 up"
at is therefore apparent that the
greater the supply of domestic sugar,
the longer will be the period of low
prices to the consumer and regardless
of all other highly important consider.
ations, il is to the consumers interest
that the home production of sugar be
encouraged and not allowed to be de.
stPoyed by a, wave of low prices, after
which a small group of refners could
fix the price at will throughout the year,
as they did before we began to produce
and market domestic sugar. Healthy
domestic competition, rather than com
plete monopoly, is the best guaranty of
low prices to the consumer.
: FThat the refiners' power to fix the
price of refined sugar at will, regardless
90 the cost of raw sugar, is inherent,
except during the three to five months
! when domestic beet sugar is being
marketed, was demonstrated last sum.
: mer when some of the New York re.
! fhers marked the price of refined sug
= ar up to seven cents and Others ia
Iseyen and one-half cents per pound
: When in October, domestic beet sugar
:, entered the market at five and one-hali
cents per pound, factory price, and six
= and one.half cents jobbers' prIce, the
/. refners, owing to this competition
= we've compelled to reduce their prices
!, to normal figure, and thus many mil
" lions of dollars which otherwise would
have been extOrted from American con
q sumgs, were saved to them"
/, Free Sugar, Dear Sugar.
The report says that after the free
y sugar bill of 1890 went into effect
Ia. 4 Ia.
= margin bel ween raw and refined from
. increase of forty.6ve cents per hundred
z or sIxtyfOur per cent in their margin
y and adds:
"SbOuld sugar be returned to thu
n free list and the domestic beet sngai
= industry be destroyed, your committe,
. ASSUMES that the rehners would repea
the experience of 1893 and by absorb
' ing fOrty.fivo cents hundred Of tn
, tariff reduction, place in their privat
: treasures 500, 100000 Of the $50, 900 ,00
!" q year which the people would lose II
= TeveDrcs.'
IL Duty Is Small.
u According 10 the report, the ayerag
T. rate Of duty collected on all dutiabl,
/, sugar imports IN one and one.thir,
u cents per pound, and that inasmueh a
n but 6ny'tbree pounds Of sugar pc
u capita are purchased by tho consume
n ~ sugar, tho direct saving, II neithe
II The re1Ders, the jobbers nor the 70
. tallofa advanced their margins, bu
n pissed the sugar over 10 the consumer
- ~ price lower by the full amount o.
10 The thriH reduction, would be bn
asYeDtytwO cents per capita por an
N nun, N the duty w6re removed from
y sugar new duties would have 10 b.
! Imposed on something else 10 take ihi
y plafe NJ the 1fiy,eigbt rents per eaplii
u per ADHHm nov collected IN sugar duties
y and deGgeiigg tbs per capita loss o.
\ feKeDne from The per capita saving bl
n removing ihG duty would leave lhi
y ee1spigef net nayigg NJ less thar
T. fourteen cents per anDum BY reason 81
y taking ibe auif on NJ sugar
n the ffpDu hayhl