The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-01-21

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! fishing these limits on October l, anC
anything over this amount TO be agreed
| eNtortionate under the law.
! In the course Of these investtga
tiouS it was found by canvass Of the
! Cuban producers that their sugar had
! during the first nire months OF the
! past year. sold for nm average of about
| N424 per hundred f. o. h. Cuba, t.
which duty and freight added to the
| refinerS' cost amount TO about $3.6t
| Per hundred. The average sale price
| OF granulated by various reflneries, &C
| cnrding 70 our investigation. was about
s.. 80 per hundred. or a differentiaf OF
1884
In reducing the differential to 81. &c
| there was II Savin" 10 the public OF a
| cents per hundred Had such q diff
| ferential been in use from the LIST OF
| January. 1917. the puhlic would have
saved in the first nine months of the
year about 1900 900"
Next Year.
With a view TO more efficient organ
! i..ation of the trade In imported sugars
l,s.xt year two committees have been
| formed by the food administration
l. committee comprising repre-
sentativeS of all of the elements OF
American cane refining groups. The
principal duty of this committee Is to
divide the sugar imports pro rata to
their various capacities and see that
absolute justice Is done to every re-
| finer
>. A committee comprising three rep
resentatives Of the English, French
and Italian governments two repre-
sentatives Of the American retiners
with a member Of the food adminlstra-
ton. Only two Of the committee have
arrived from Europe, but they repre-
sent the allied governments. The du-
ties of this committee are to determine
the most economical sources from
transport point of view of all the al
lies to arrange transport at uniform
rates, to distribute the foreign sugar
between the United States and allies,
| bject to the approval Of the Ameri-
can, English, French and Italian gov
ernments.
This committee, while holding strong
views as to the price to be paid for
Cuban sugar, has not had the final
voice. This voice has rested in the
governments concerned, together with
the Cuban government, and l wish to
state emphatically that all of the gen.
uemen concerned as good commercial
men have endeavored with the utmost
patience and skill to secure a lower
price, and their persistence has re-
duced Cuban demands by Is cents per
hundred. The price agreed upon is
about $3.50 per hundred pounds, +. o. b.
Cuba, or equal to about Sc duty paid
New York.
"Thls price should eventuate,"
Mr.. Hoover said, "to about $3.50
per hundred for refined sugar from
the refiners at seaboard points or
should place sugar In the hands Of
the consumer at from sH to
cents per pound, depending upon
locality and conditions Of trade, or
at from to cents below the
half to a cent per pound cheaper
than today.
There Is now an elimination OF
speculation, extortionate profits, and
in the refining alone the American
people will save over So, 100000 Of
the refining charges last year. A part
of these savings goes to the Cuban,
Hawaiian, Porto Rican and Lousjanian
producer and part to the consumer.
Appeals to prejudice against the
food administration have been made
because the Cuban price is "a cents
above that of 1917. 1t is said In effect
that the Cubans are at our mercy |;
that we could get sugar cent lower.
We made exhaustive study Of the cost
Of producing sugar in Cuba last year
through our own agents In Cuba, and
we find it averages $3.50, while many
producers are ut higher level. We
found that an average profit Of at
least a cent per pound was necessary
In order to maintain and stimulate
production or that minimum price of
10
would stifie some producers.
The price ultimately agreed was %
cents above these figures, or about one
fifth of cent per pound to the Ameri-
can consumer, and more than this
amount has been saved by our reduc-
ton in refiners' profits. If we wish to
stife production In Cuba we could
take that course just at the time Ct all
times in our history when we want
production for ourselves and the al
lies. Further than that, the state de-
partment will assure you that such
course would produce disturbances In
Cuba and destroy even our present
supplies, but beyond all these material
reasons is one of human justice. This
great country has no right by the
might of its position to strangle Cuba.
Therefore there Is no imposition
upon the American public. Charges
have been made before this commit
tee that Mr. Rolph endeavored to ben
eft the California refinery of which he
was manager by this "a cent increase
In Cuban price. Mr.. Rolph did not fix
the price. 1t does raise the price to
the Hawaiian farmer about that
amount. It does not raise the profit Of
the California refinery. because their
charge for refining is, like all other re-
finers, limited to $1.3O per hundred
pounds, plus the freight differential on
he established custom Of the trade.
Mr.. Rolph has not one penny of In
rest IN that refinery.
Irish Crop Report.