The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-11-29
PREPARED FOR CUT
IN SUGAR DUTIES
Bumper Beet Crops and Present
Market Conditions Permit
PhiloSophiC View.

NEW YORK, November IS.-Sugar
merchants in the wholesale sugar dis.
triet of lower Wall street and nearby
offices are quite prepared for reduction
of the sugar duties by the new Demo
cratic administration.
Convinced that the legislation of last
session in congress, though it did not
actually materialize, was a prelude of
this, they are not concerned over the
prospect sufficiently to lie awake at
night. They are the more content to
take philosophic view OF the situation
owing to the present market conditions
and the bumper crop production, in con
sequence of which lower level of
prices is expected to prevail for some
time to come.
Apart from the expectation that the,
Cuba crop of 19l1-12 will turn ont a
high record sof l,S95,9s4 tons while the
estimate for 'the new crop of 1923
lis tor 100000 tons, the domestic beet
crop is unprecedented in its magnitude.
The crop of 19ll,12 was Sal ,10l tons,
whereas the new crop, which is already
coming to market, is 625. 900 tons. There.
| is the greater desire to dispose of this
crop because of the big yield and from
the. duty on, imported sugar, which has
acted as great bounty for the beet
sugar growers of the United States
West of the Mississippi prices are be-
ing cut owing to the keen competition
of the Great Western and the American
Beet Sugar companies, while the inva-
sion of the Eastern and New England
States by beet sugars in competition
with the sugars refined from the cane
raw sugar imported on the Atlantic
seaboard is becoming more pronounced.
The line of demarcation of territory
between the beet and cane refined SUI
gars has-become thing of the past dur
ing the last five or six years, with the
consequence that the sugar factories
of the East are finding the Western
beet factories very formidable rivals.
They complain that under the present
duties imposed on raw imported sugar
the beet sugar growers and nianufac.
turers are reaping disproportionate and
inordinate profits, ranging as high as
| 100 per cent. -
The beet sugar of the United States
represents only three-sixteenths of the
total consumption of sugar in the coun'
try, the other three 7sixteenths being
made up of sugar grown in Cuba, Louis.
lana, Hawaii, the Philippines, Porto
Rico and odds and ends imported from
the East Indies and elsewhere as mar
lset opportunities may arise. The Unit
ed States is almost independent of SUI
CARS imported from the outside coun
tries. as is shown by the fact that there
has been only one arrival of Java sugar
this year.
The wholesale sugar people know that
a change in duty is coming. They de
not look for that change to be made
effective within the next eight or min,
months, and whether there will be {
radical alteration by the total remova
of the present duty or only partia
reduction, in order that the government
may not give up entirely the usefu
J source of revenue afforded by sugar, tn
effect has in a great measure been dis
; counted by them.
c Whatever reduction is made Their
still remains the doubt whether tn
householder consumer of retail suga
will reap the full benefit of such
reduction in the selling cost of sugar
This for two reasons. First, sugar i
perhaps the cheapest article in the re
tail grocer stock from a traditiona
custom, a heavy intermediate prof
never been placed upon it as in tn
case of tea, coffee, spices and specia
ties, so that there is cOmparativel
Il little margin between the purchas
o price of the refner and the, sellin
+ price to the family housekeeper. SCI
( ondly, the present production of suga
y is not keeping pace with the norml
e growth of population. There is a no
al rlu Of x
% consumption of sugar due to til
- growth of population. Even if thei
n should be free sugar-which is hare
:, ~ expected, because sugar raises MOI
- revenues for the United States tina
~ any other imported article-it is
~ moot point whether the full extent {
4 the removal would be enjoyed by col
a sumers, because the increased deman
for sugar would naturally tend to a
rs vance prices. The chances are, howeve
No that within year or two, if produetic
m kept pace with the consumption, Il
consumers ought TO be able to enit
Is the full benefit of any reduction TIL
Ell might be made in the tariff
ne Many members of the trade belize
TO that some reduction Is inevitable al
ar will be made, They think that thoul
I'd the immediate handlers of sugar mig
~ suffer 10 some extent, get the inereas,
e. use of sugar owing TO its greater rel
tive cheapness for canning and pI
We serving fruit purposes would inuTo /
gh timately 10 the benefit " the trade
ne large,
az Furtuer, export sugar would email
M Gamers and preseTyars "a build nap
export trade for their products, A.
the effect upon consumption by
dueiion or removal Of duty ihny pol
.,. a. ihe stimulus given 90 sugar co
~ sumption hy che renewal Of the du
M. be- lspi, whleh was follosed ig aH
on efoAsrd consumption W ape year of
tpw cent
ar owing 90 tbr rplpflipu VI ibe ron.
M rf ihn uDa Hufsr tiif pNssrd lY I
M house of representatives, and q
nd uurfmeni urpR ihr supiliuie b
b. nmhlna rsnlifi h sflpnl lealslai.
noe trfsier fhe nNHf uhlfrlinF N
'af alll hf mair DO o. ioiil Ffnsl ~
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