New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-08
THE BENEFITS OF FREE SUGAR
They Would Be Very Slight for the
Consumer, II Is Argued

/ To the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir. Information from apparently zee
liable sources Indicates that the income
tax il To- be- a far more important feature
! of the fiscal legislation which is 10 be
proposed 10 the extra session OF Congress
/ than II was earlier Intended 10 hv. II Is
now being urged that the limit OF eXemp-
I ton be- reduced 10 Si0oD. and mat the
tax be a graduated one. rising to d
much higher rate ON larger incomes. II
this scheme il adopted the members OF
/ the Socialist party will have the salts
faction OF seeing one of tine most i'm
/ portant OF their platform planks carried
/ ont. FOR one OF their leading demands iu
! the 1872 campaign was for a graduated
income tax
/ n Is Well known among those ho have
/ followed the course OF recent taum plan
ming hy the Democratic lead 'is of the
! House OF Representatives that the real
! reason for the imposition OF the income
tax at this time is to supply the deficit
| In customs revenues that will fo!iow the
admission Of sugar duty free. Sugar is
! the greatest revenue producer d. the en-
| tire list of dutiable articles ana turns
| into the Treasury about tj2ooo.000 a year.
what are the great advantages that the
people Of the country are to derive from
| free sugar that Justify the calling into
play OF an emergency taxation measure?
The people of the United states con-
sumo yearly about " pounds OF sugar per
capita. An inquiry conducted by the De
partment of Commerce and Labor shows
that each person purchases for direct
consumption about 50 pounds ,he .omain-
Ing ~ pounds being consumed Indirectly
in manufactured foods. ON this latter
part Of the consumption the removal Of
the sugar duty could result In 40 saving
to the consumer. The fraction OF cent
saved In making a pound OF candy OF a
can OF condensed milk would ne prompt
~ absorbed by the manufacturer. H.
therefore, reduction I'm the retail price
of sugar equal 10 the full amount of the
present duty We're made each person in
the country would save 80 cents a year
It Is well known. however by all those
cOnyerSant with trade conditions that
nothing like the full amount OF the duty
IL charged against the purchaser Of sugan
TO begin with. all our sugar except that
produced within our own territory is sup
piled by cuba and comes In at q 20 per
cent tariff reduction. paying duty of
1913 "A hundred pounds. During the pres
ent year sugar has been selling about 10
cents "A hundred below party that Is.
below the worlds price with the duty
. added-so that the effective duty has been
less even than the Cuban rate. Al the
present rate the saving To the American
people 10y the adoption of free sugar cas-
Stunning that they get the bencht OF the
fun possible reduction would be just
about the amount of the present revenue
of Sj2.000O00 I'm other words. under pres
ent conditions of increasing domestic
sugar production and active competition,
sugar is perfect revenue producer
Judged by the Democratic theory or
tarin for revenue Changing To an IN
come tax would mean simply that We
were paying the same amount In taxes
out Of our right hand pocket lnsteau OF
out of our left-hand pocket.
but II Is altogether unlikely mat the
consumer would actually get even TINS
small advantage. except perhaps Tor
| very brief period. The retiners are COM
planning bitterly that the competition Oh
nome grown beet sugar Is cutting DOWN
their profits and making II necessary 10
operate at Il loss Tor not at alb Tor an
| increasing portion OF each year. AS sooh
as they hcd driven out the beet sugar
ihdustf W outing prices (as they couiu