Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-05-19
FACTS A;
SET FORTH IN
BULLETINS

Interesting not Only 10 those MHO
know nothing particularly about sugar
but also to the most experienced of
the sugar men themselves and the
bulletins that are being published
daily by the Washington bureau in
charge of the public end of the sugar
tariff campaign. Here are two
articles from the bulletin of May i:
HOW ABOUT THAT TWO CENTS
A POUND REDUCTION?
In his testimony before the Hard
wick committee Up. 1721) Mfr. f., G..
Lowry. the self-censtituted evangel of
free sugar, said:
"A saving OF two cents per pound
to the American people on the amount
of sugar they consumed last year
would be about $150,000,O00. and
would mean that when the housewife
purchased 10 pounds of sugar, for
which she now pays 60 cents, she
could, under free sugar. but the same
quantity for about 40 cents
i The American housewife at the
present time, without free sugar, +"
can buy 10 pounds for about 40
cents" Does Mr.. Lowry still claim
that free sugar would reduce prices
two cents pound and enable the
housewife to get her 10-pound package
for 20 cents?
KILLING COMPETITION
In a statement given out today,
Senator John r. Thornton. of Louisi-
ana. attacked the sugar schedule of
the pending tariff bill as certain to
defeat the one object which has been
claimed by the president and Leader
| Underwood as the primary purpose
of the proposed legislation Senator
Thornton said:
Il am in thorough accord with the
view expressed by President Wilson
that a tariff bill should be SO framed
as to encourage competition aud pre-
vent monopoly But the pending
tariff bill, in so far as it concerns
sugar, will have Just the opposite eff
feet. The provision for free sugar
without doubt will put the entire con-
troll of the sugar industry of the
United States in the hands of the big
refiners. At the present time they
are meeting with very effective COM
petition from the domestic sugar in
dustry. Its effect has been. and now
is, to cheaped the cost of sugar to the
consumer
The admissions of the refiners
themselves under examination before
various congressional committees
show that for several years they have
been annoyed and embarrassed by
the rapid growth of this competition.
They have declared
that without any tariff they have
nothing to fear from the competition
of foreign refiners.
With the removal of the competi-.
.tion now afforded by the domestic
industry, these dominant refinerS
would control the market and they
could put MP prices at will as soon
as the domestic industry was ami
hilatcd. There is not the slightest
doubt that such a course would be
followed Conditions in the sugar in
dustry are radically different from
those obtaining in some other indus
tries. While II is true that the re-
duction or removal Of the tariff duty
may promote competition in in
dustries which secure their raw ma-
terial within the country. it car have
no effect upon a trust or combination
which inmorts its raw material ex-
eept to make its dominance easier
and more complete.
In view Of this situation. il is easy
20 see that free: sugar Will Re slllt only
in the destruction of competition. and
the opening OF the way IL the estab-
hshment OF 4 burdenscme and OPP
pressiye monopoly. able to- impose
its will upal the public and to exact
higher prices from the consumer"