Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-02-06
SUGAR SUBJECT TO CONTROL
In Many Countries Prices Are Fixed
by Government.
COMMODITY UNIVERSALLY TAXED
Last July, when Values Were High
est Prices Ranged from Four
teen Cents In ItaI. to Five
Cents In scotland.

| WASHINGTON, u. c.. Feb. 5.-sugar
universally consumed and universally
taxed is subject TO government control
and regulation as to price In most every
country and TO varying trade methods q.
well, reported Secretary OF State Knox In
letter which President Taft today for.
warded 10 congress.
The letter. important at this time IN
connection with the sugar tariff revision
bill which the house ways and means
committee begins framing this week. was
brought out by the house Sugar Trust
Investigating committees request for for.
eign data. II summarizes consular re.
ports which Secretary Knox called for
from every part OF the world, showing
sugar to be a source OF customs and in.
ternal revenue by means OF import duties
and by taxes on consumption In the form
Of national excise duties and local or
municipal charges.
HiRset Prices In Italy,
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 TO the shrinkage I'm the
Cuban cane crop and prospective shortage
In the beet crops in Europe. The increase
ranged from one to three cents n pound
averaging about two 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
five eente oiv lfaaony- Gnosln.a
Secretary Knox said that in Spain,
where the July prices ranged close 10
10 cents actual decreases took place in
some cities. In Russia. where 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 high price prior to the general
deficiency IN the sugar supply, found Il
difficult to make increases. Russia exer-
cisos absolute control over the prices.
Trade guilds in Japan and Brazil indl.
yiduslly assert the right to manipulate
prices. The Argentine Republic fixes
prices by law. In Canada. Montreal re-
flneries control the situation. In Sweden
retail dealers combine TO keep the prices
Just low enough to make imports unprof-
table.
Revenue aud Protective Taxes.
The United Kingdom. the Netherlands.
Belgium. Switzerland. Greece and Peru
treat sugar solely as a source Of rev.
enue. Sweden. Roumania. Japan. Mexico.
Brazil. Chile and the Union Of south
Africa subjes. sugar TO high import duties
TO protect and deAralop domestic indus
tries with secondary regard 10 revenue.
Russia, Spain, Italy. Canada and Denmark
treat IL as means Of fostering native
production and Of providing for national
revenues.
Austrou-Hungary, Germany and France,
signatOry to the Brussels conference,
which abolished bounties on production,
may be said to form a class by them
selves in their treatment Of sugar in re-
lation to import duties. Thus Austria
Hungary Germany and France hold in
allegiance their regular tariff rates inso-
far as they exceed the IS cent per 100
pounds avOIrdupois which the conference
permits as the maximIm import duty al
lowed above their excise duties. some Of
these also remit the excise taxes on
sugar when imported and France and
Portugal give sugar from their colonies
Preferential treatment