Evening star., 1925-06-15

pound. duty unpaid, on raw sugar
Mr.. Coolidge declares, lis below the
average of pre-war prices. Only in
the slump years OF excessive produc-
ton, such as 1921 and 1913. have the
prices Of raw sugar sunk to such low
levels AS compared to pre-war com.
modify prices, sugar is relatively one
of the cheapest articles on the Amer
lean market. Refined sugar, approx
mately back to pre-war prices, stands
out in contrast with the general food
price index, which is estimated at ap-
proxinately so per cent above pre-
war
The American farmer receives ad-
vice on every hand to diversity his
crops. He proceeds to do so by going
in for sugar beet culture, protected
from the competitive impact Of cheap
Cuban labor by a tariff duty OF 1.7s4
cents per pound on Cuban raws. The
American farmer is thus in process
of building up a great home agricul-
tural industry, which at once i'm
proves the farmers soil, enables him
to diversity crops and tends to release
the American people from dependence
upon the foreigner for a major item
in the national food supply. The
farmer is entitled to share along with
the manufacturer direct benefits un-
der our national policy Of protecting
domestic industry.
Money Is Needed.
Money must be found to meet the
appropriations voted by representa-
tives Of the American people. 1t is es-
timated that the sugar import duty
Welded the National Treasury last
year u924 s135, 5,oss,lo6 out OF total
revenue from all imports of n1erchar-
disc Of s545.231 ,S59. To make the pro-
posed reduction would cost the Treas
i,rv about $40, 600, 900 each year"
II do not say" he continued, that
such foreign combinations in restraint
of trade exist in sugar at the present
time, but the whole tendency of the
development of foreign sugar produc-
ton is in the direction Of larger hold
inss. In the long run there lies in this,
therefore. certain dangers to the con.
surner which can only be safeguarded
by an assurance of competitive do
mestic supplies.
"Our annual consumption of sugar
has increased by about 100000 tons
In the last decade, until it has reached
lO3 pounds per person yearly. The in
terest of the consumer will in the long
run be served only by the ample sup
ply Of the product. This can only be
assured by the maintenance OF our
beet sugar industry.
"It must be borne in mind that the
retail price of sugar to the consumer
during the past six years has varied,
due to the changes In the volume of
supply and demand, from 6h cents to
2s cents per pound. The proposed re-
duction of duty amounts to onehalf
cent per pound, and did the consumer
benefit by all Of it temporarily land
from the forces in motion even this Is
unlikely he would in the long run be
more likely to suffer from much larger
rises in prices due to the shortening
of supplies.
with reference to the wide diver
gence in calculations as to the cost of
producing domestic and imported
sugar. the President said this appeared
| fundamentally due to wide fluctuations
In costs in different years and parts
Of the country for which averages
have been taken.
Varied 200 Per Cent.
These variations" he declared
have been as much as 200 per cent
and in itself seems to indicate that a
| longer period of more stable condi-
tiqas. is desirable before senclussaas,' q