The Washington times., 1913-05-29
WHERE THE REAL SUGAR FIGHT IS

WHERE THE REAL SUGAR FIGHT IS.
IN the interest of proper illumination Of the
sugar lobby situation, attention is called to adver
tsement published yesterday by the Domestic Sugar
Producers This is the name under which one lobby
group is working Another interest calls itself the
Wholesale Grocers Committee, and is managed by
Frank C. Lowry. The Domestic Producers demand
retention of high tariff. The Lowry group want
free sugar, and the Domestic Producers make big
point of the following testimony which Mr. Lowr,
gave before the Senate Finance Committee last year
I'VE 1.-THE Wholesale Grocers' Committee) have
spent up to April 1872 about $4,000 in three years
al of which money has come from the Federal Sugar
Refining Company"
That expression of Mr.. Lowry is used to make
il appear that the refners," as group, were hght
ing for free sugar. Let's see about that.
The refners" are, FIRST, the trust, with vas
preponderance of all refining; the Federal Sugar Re-
lining Company (the Spreckels group; the Warner
interest the Arbuckles, and the National Company
The National is at least first cousin to the trust;
was organized by the Havemeyers and Havemeyel
control of it has been shown in the courts, though
is now claimed to be independent. Perhaps; but II
trade nobody believes the independence is more thar
nominal
Is the Federal Company's interest in the suga
tariff t,e same as the trusts? Is the Federal fight
ing the trusts battle when it finances so-callee
wholesale Grocers Committee to demand fret
sugar?
The Domestic Producers lobby would have US as
sumo So But that is not the fact is easily to be
shown.
The truth is that there is fundamental antagon
ism of interests between the trust on one side ant
the minor or independent refncrs on the other. lhs
trust substantially controls the sugars of Hawaii
Porto Rico, Louisiana and the Philippines, NONE OF
WHICH PAYS ANY DUTY. The trust also sub
stantally controls Cuba sugars which come IN at y
per cent of the full tariff rate. The independents
must pick up such odds and ends of Cuban and Port
2ican sugar as they can get, along with full-duf!
sugar when they can get nothing else. Refining
these more expensive sugars, they must sell them II
competition with the trusts duty-free or 80 per cen
sugars. That means that the independents are places
at q tremendous initial disadvantage.
To put it another way. The free raw material o.
q refiner is brown sugar.. Suppose there were twt
refining interests in the country, one OF which wa
permitted to import its brown sugar at ST per hun
dred, while the other got its brown sugar free. How
long would the refner live who paid the ST duty?
Manfestly he would live just as long as tn
more favored refner allowed him. That would b
JUST AS LONG AS THE FAVORED REFINEF
WAS WILLING TO KEEP THE PRICE OF RE
FINED SUGAR HIGH ENOUGH TO LET THE
OTHER REFINER HAVE ANY MARKET AT ALL.
That is just bow the independents DO live.
Look into the facts about sugar. The lobbies arr
ali advising to do that It's good idea. Here ART
some of the facts, then, that have not been told b.
any lobby:
The Sugar trust has contract with the Hawaiian
Sugar Planters Association, under which it controls
the entire Hawaiian raw output Hawaiian suga
comes in FREE.
Likewise, the trust dominates the sugar industr,
in Porto Rico and through its contracts there get
most of the FREE brown sugar from that island.
The Philippines are not an important factor now
but the trust has bought great areas of land there
and is going into primary production, developing it
own plantations, BECAUSE CONGRESS HAS AU
THORIZED THE FREE IMPORT OF O,OOt
TONS ANNUALLY FROM THE PHILIPPINES
THE TRUST is GETTING READY TO PRODUCE
CLEAR UP TO THAT LIMIT, AND THUS MO
NOPOLIZE THIS SOURCE OF FREE RAW MA
TERIAL.
Next comes Louisiana. Who dominates it?
Unqualfedly, the trust does. 1t has built at Chal
mette, La, a suburb of New Orleans, the creates
refinery in the country. That refinery not only re
fines the Louisiana product, which formerly wa
nearly all shipped to New York for refining, but alst
large quantities of the Cuban sugar. which are ship
ped there by it.
In locating this great refinery at Chalmette tht
trust served double purpose. So long sugar con
tinues to be raised in Louisiana it is economical II
refine it right there. The product is handy to thu
great Mississippi valley and Southern market
Moreover if Louisiana should be nut out of bust
ness by free sugar tariff, that refinery would merely