The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-05-25
BILL VILE ADD +.
TOSUGAR PRICES
War Revenue MeasureaWln Affect
Hawaiian Product To Extent
Of Third Cent a Pound

II the senate enacts the War Revenue
Bill in the shape il has passed in the
house as respects the tariff schedule.
the duty son imports of Cuban cane
sugar, the sales of which fix the sell
ing price for Hawaiian sugars, viii be
an Increase Of thirty-four cents n hun
dred pounds, or approximately third
Of d cent a pound. .s ~ ,
In figuring this out, the Louisiana
Planter says in its issue of May II:
every few persons are familiar with
the difficulties incident to the cal
eulation Of duties on imports. II is
very naturally thought that I'D valOrem
duties, or duty based upon the value of
the product in the country from which
II was imported, should be true duty.
1t is often found, however, that some
countries have export duties and the
value therefore of some commodities at
the place Of production is considerably
below the recognized commercial level
in the world at large. 81 .nl +
"Fof instance, SO test sugars were
selling in New York at 5H cents in
bond, the price to .include the Cuban
cost, and the freight from Cuba TO New
York, and the incidental expenses, yet
the official quotation of the college Of
brokers In Cuba was then AL cents,
and even this is open to further dedue.
tions as to the actual value Of the sugar
in Cuba, which although sold delivered
in New York at 5l1 cents, is reduced
nearly cent pound in the final re-
turns made to the owner in Cuba for
his sugar. G'......
t'This latter constitutes the price for
value and IL we call that vn1ue Az
cents, then the 10 per cent ad volorem
additional duty on such sugars would
be 421a cents per hundred pounds, from
which deducting One.fifth, or 20 per
cent, the privilege Of the Cuban sugars,
or 50 cents per hundred pounds, we
should then have net result of the
"a valorem increase In duty Of "a cents
per hundred pounds.n
Willett q 0ray's Views S
The Louisiana Planter, in the above,
takesr for 'srhnfed that the Cuban Re
ciprocity Treaty win prevail to give
the existing twenty per cent prefer
entail. Willett q Gray, in their jour
nal Of May 10, figure that there win
be no Preferential allowed on the ex.
cess tariff. These sugar experts also
appear to believe that there Is still a
pvsslmlity of the senate enaeting an ex
else duty clause representing sugar. The
Willett & Gray Journal says, after
quoting the tariff clause Of the bill.
From this it will be seen that as
the 4, o. b. Cuba values are 4.s0c to
490c per h., an increase in the duty on
sugar would be approximately lae per
ID. OF course it may be considered that
the entry of the general l09s ad valor-
EN- duty in this form is only pres
liminary. The matter ia still in EN-
bryo, and as we understand that the
senate will hold hearings on the en-
tire subject, there is good chance of
the tax being changed, not only on
sugar, but other goods as, well.
Favors Consumption 't..2. .Lr.
1.-THE application of the ad valorem
duties, which are so difficult to admin
lister because of variations in 4. o. b.
shipping port values and fluctuations
In prices between time of placing CON
tract Of sale and arrival of goods at
destination, together with specific duties,
is SO drastic as to be almost sure of
change by the higher legislative body.
A consumption tax ON all sugar con
sumed in the country would be much
easier of collection, and yield much
more revenue. ..-a...tE. 81 a,
"The objection to the tariff clause,