The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-03-04
TRUST WARS ON
OHIO PRODUCERS
Control Of Market Threatened
BY Beet Industry.
COMPETITION CUTS PRICES.
Rsfinsrs Whs Have Been Ferosd TO Re.
pay Government 93,6oo, 900 For Frauds
New Demand elimination Of Growing
Farm Industry.


Farm Industry.
For the tirst time in the quarter cen.
tury thnt the sugar trust has been ~
existence Its domination over the sugar
market Of the United States has been
broken this year. temporarily ut least.
according to trade experts. This re-
suit has been accomplished not BY gov.
ernment prosecution or through the
competition Of other refiners. but by
the increase In the market supply Of
sugar.grown by American farmers and
manufactured in the seventy y-three beet
sugar factories scattered from Ohio to
California.
The production Of beet sugar during
the present year u9i2-l1 was much
larger thnn at any time since the cul-
tivation Of sugar beets was taken up
by American farmers The output is
estimated at 100000 tons. or enough to
supply practically the entire population
| Of all the states west OF the Mississippi
| II 1t were confined entirely to that Sec
tou. The coming Of this sngar upon
| the market and the sharp competition
| Of the beet sugar manufacturers among
| themselves put down prices through
out the central and western states 10
q point at which the cane reHners
could not compete For several months
domestic sugar was sold throughout
this territory at from 30 to 50 points
below the seaboard price Of the i'm
ported product. Not only WAS the for.
eign grown sugar driven out Of the
west. but for the first time beet sugar
actually invaded the New York market
and undersold the cane product under
the very caves Of the trust re6neries.
| Two of the Dig refineries on the At
lantic seabOard closed down entirely.
aud others We're put on reduced time.
| It Is agreed by trade experts that tie
competition Of the domestic grown
beet product made sugar an average OF
half cent pound lower than It
otherwise would have been and that II
will have the effect Of keeping prices
low throughout l0l3-
Under examination before the con
gressinnni committee appointed 10 in
vestigate the sugar industry 4. y AZ.
kins. acting president Of the American
Sugar refining company. popularity
known as the sugar trust. declared that
the refne,'s must operate ut loss dur
ing at least three months Of every year
on account Of the competition Of beet
sugar and that this competition was
becoming more .,evere every year. The
other lending refiners made similar ad-
missions. With the rapid increase In
the output Of beet sugar the period dur
ing which refiuers are unable to con-
troll prices aud to operate at their usual
profit grows steadily longer and points
to the time when they will be unable
longer to earn high dividends on their
heavily watered stocks.
1t Is this menace to their continued
domination Of sugar prices throughout
the United States. created by the rapid
expansion ut the home sugar Industry,
that has caused the refners to open
war ON the beet growing farmers Of
Ohio aud other states and upon the
manufacturers Of beet sugar who get
their supplies from these farmers.
With the admissions Of the sugar beet
growers and manufacturers themselves
and the statements Of such agricultural
authorities as Secretary OF Agriculture
Wilson that It Is impossible at the pres
ent time for American farmers and
manufacturers. with the higher wages
and higher prices for beets which they
pay. to compete against the sugar Of
the tropics grown by yellow and black
labor without duty on the latter prod
uct. the reiners have adopted the policy
of concentrating their efforts upon on
. attempt to secure the reduction or re-
movai of this tari6 duty In an attempt
to destroy the home industry before II
becomes fully established. 10 accom-
plish this they have spread broadcasi
the claim that such course will result
, in a saving to the consumer and have
, employed agents to induce people Il
write letters to congressman advOcat
ing FREQ sugar
That the re0ners propose TO make
. this an attack In which no quarter will
be offered to tue American fnrmer aud
manufacturer Ia shown BY the fact
that they ARE willing 70 forexO the ad
, vantage which they now derive from
being able to buy thelr raw. supplies
: from Cuba under the reciprocity aci
| 1t third of . cent . pound cheaper
II than they can be brought 10 froD any
other part Of the world,
For several years this provision. II
addition to the excess duty 0f,1la cent,
ON refined sugar above the raw sugal
] duty. has given them an advantage
, over foreign reAnerx which made u
} impossible for the latter 70 enter thu
, American market. Not content witt
the advantages TINS legally conferred
upon them. however, both the sugaI
trust and the 80 called independent re
finers rcsOrtsd to nnmeroms devices Il
chcnt the government out OF the reve
nue. due II nn'rr the law The fni
am0unt of these frauds never has ieeI
divulwrd bui under the slinr ~ fedora
Drs,sprutiOn nprry x2.rak.thW WIS re