The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1915-01-09
SUGAR NOMENCLATURE

Correct Distinction Should be Made
Between Various Grades Manufac
tured-Present Grouping Partia
to Refiners, Jays Bass.
Mr.. Leon NJ Estabrook, Chief o1
the Bureau of Crop Estimates
(Formerly Bureau of Statisticsl
Dept. of Agriculture, Washington
D. c.
Dear Sir:
Your favoi of December Is, 1914,
to hand which states:
Replying to your inquiry of the
18th instant, the question OF sugar
nomenclature was not directly IN
volved in recent estimates Of this
bureau concerning the cane crop and
probable sugar output of LOUISIANA.
Your valuable suggestions, both oral
and written, are by no means over
looked, but as yet no estimates nave
been obtained in such detail as to ad-
nit of separate figures for various
kinds of sugar"
One evening, but a short while
ago. as / was smoking a cigar with
a gentleman of years and well versed
in sugar and other issues before the
limited States government, the re-
mark was made: ''Mr. Bass, it
would seem as if the officials OF the
government never fail to cater to
the pleasure and desires OF the trusts
and this particularly in connection
with sugar. Some of the numerous
reasons which would prompt serl-
GUS minded man to utter such an ex-
preston may interest you, and
know of no more opportune mo-
ment than this to indicate a few,
not all of them.
Since 1897, when congress adopted
the Dutch-Standard stipulation coup
led with the scheme of lesser duties
on material to supply the reflners-
thus penalizing imports to the det-
riment of the consumer-the most
clever minds in both the house and
senate have been actively Interested
in retaining GIs arrangement; de
spite the fact hat none of them were
willing at all !, time to champion its
propriety, WI :, few were inclined to
denounce anA aart of it.
The execute S Of the government
since 1897, in ike manner, have in
dicated no small partiality to the
pleasures of the refiners, regardless OF
the interests of the domestic pro-
ducers and consumers Of sugar. The
late President W. Mckinley signed
the tariff bill Of 1897. President T.
Roosevelt, in his day, snared no eff
fort to increase the advantage the
refiners already enjoyed, by his ac-
tivities in connection with the re-
ductions on sugars from Cuba; which
reductions, by their nature, We're
not to the advantage of the Cuban
producer nor the American consumer,
while they were and are materially
and actively damaging to the Ameri-
can producers of both cane and beet
sugars President W. H. Taft, in his
time, failed to even recommend any
revision Of the sugar schedule; there
by rendering what support he could
to the continuance of the undesira-
BILE conditions,
The attitude of. the present presi
dent, W. Wilson,. is but too well
evidenced by his approval Of the
tariff of 1918; containing, as it did,
the wicked stipulation Of having the
first 25 per ce5 Production take place
in March, 1917 in the middle of the
spring tropica rush, after the high
grade America beet sugar was made
and marketed in Which the refiners
hold material \ lterests), and while
the Hawaiian ana Porto Rican crops
were in the process of delivery yet
subject to the influx of Cuban low
grade sugars to supply the refiners
(Both Hawaii and Porto Rico max
ing as they do refiner's stock and
mot high grade sugars).
This besides the menace of the de- |
ferred "no-duty'' stipulation, which |
while it does not produce any reduc-
tion of the price of the article in the |
interest of the consumer, so demor-
alizes the standing and credit of the |
existing American producers that it |
both deters them from improving
their mechanical equipment and pre-
vents any new domestic sugar-produc-I
Ing enterprises from being installed;
thereby making the consuming pub
the refiners, who supply themselves
SO extensively with unrefined mate |
rial from foreign sources.
Meanwhile, the individual officials |
OF the United States government |
nave not failed to repeatedly indicate |
their partiality to the interests of |
the refiners in contrast to those of |
the producers and consumers. From |
the statistics compiled by the de- |
partments of agriculture, treasury |
and commerce, there are no records
winch will present in an intelligent |
manner to a member of congress, or |
other, the actual status of the pro-
duclng and consuming features of the
sugar industry; While the refiners
are most prolifically featured at |
every occasion the government has
to issue Statistics or circulars on
the topic of sugar. If a member of |
congress desires to learn even the |
most elementary distinction of the