The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-07-13
Refiners' Benefits

"
II government derived in customs revenue Of
sugar and ,moIasseS $6177963O, This apoun
would hhvei beeh lgteatar. Il, 1t had not been 10
the fact that for four months of the twelve, IL e
March to june both inclusive, the sugar import
came in at cut OF Is per cent provided for il
the Underwood tariff. "l
The total amount derived from customs revenu
for the twelve months under consideration wa
$292320OlS Sugar, therefore, paid just twenty
per cent of the total
The two branches of government responsible 70
that burst Of inspiration, the Underwood tariff
which cuts off all revenue on sugar after May
1916, that is the legislative and the executive
in other words, that part made up of the congress
and the President himself cost the government
about $6,93S,242 year. 1t was this seven million
dollars worth Of gentlemen which decided it could
with impunity, deprive the United States govern
ment of nearly seventy millions in revenue year
In other words they cut off government income
that was eight hundred and eigntv-nne time
greater than their own.
After deducting the amount necessary to taxi
care Of the statesmen in question, there was lief
$54y84l 1888 to apply elsewhere. 1t is sufficient t.
take care of the following departments: state
postofice, agriculture, commerce, labor, and ex
ccpt for about two million dollars would also TAX
care of all expense Of the District of Columbia.
The salaries and expenses of the state depart
mcnt amount to $5,253912 which includes tn,
salary OF the genial secretary himself, and tn,
consular officers abroad. The postofice costs 81,
23o202 The department ofaagriculture, including
everything, costs $22,2o8,l4l.s The departments q
commerce costs, everything included $lO958, SS2
and the department of labor costs $3,76S,9O4 W
This is what they did. They said they did it tc
save the consumer on his sugar bill.
To shut off any criticism that the war and tho
high prices consequent thereto, to be blamed
for the consumer failing to notice any saving il
his sugar bill, points out sugar in its June issue
the answer is that the re6ners' margins are q
better index than anything else we know Of Sugar
might soar to the sky, both at wholesale and re,
tail, but long the prices the rehners paid had
kept pace with it, nobody could truthfuIly accuse
them of holding out" but when their average
margin for any period Of months shows an up
ward tendency, may be pardoned for insnuat
ing that perhaps that is reason the CONSTANT
of sugar is not saving the amount of the tariff cut
Here are few facts regarding margins. Fol
the period beginning with June a, 1913, and end
ing with May %, 1914, the average duty-pait
price of 90 degree centrfugals at New York wa,
S598 cents pound; the average of the lowest net
prices on refined at New York, at wholesale, dur,
ing the same period was AIS cents pound The
difference amounted to III cents hundred This
is the rcfners difference between raw and refined
During corresponding period beginning with
June 4, 1914, and ending May H. 1915, the average
duty-Paid price of 90 degree centrifugas at New
York was 4.4O cents pound. The average of the
lowest net prices at wholesale in New York for
refined during the same time was $40 cents The
difference is " cents per hundred pounds.
The difference between 81 cents and TT cents
is 24.3 cents per 100 pounds which is what the
rehners "copped' off The tariff reduction ON
Cuban sugar amounted to twenty-five per cent or
in the case Of Cuban sugar, which makes up prac-
tcaly the total Imports "a cents per 100 pounds
One reason why the consumer has not saved
as a result OF the tariff cut is plain when the
rehners margin shows an increase of 24.3 cents a
hundred Deducting 243 cents from "a cents,
which is the tariff cut, leaves 097 cents a hundred
pounds which the rehners we!'s willing the con-
sumers might have as far they were concerned
Consumers didn't save it of course, but if they ha /
the average consumer would have saved on his
eighty-hve pounds of sugar consumed during the
year at the rate of Oo7 cents hundred. If any
body has the time to run down the actual saving
they are welcome to go to work at it, 1t is easier
to figure that if he had eaten 1000 pounds he could
have saved ninety-seven cents-if somebody else
hadn't taken that, too, before it got to him
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