Honolulu Republican, Volume IV, Number 503, 22 Ianuali 1902 — GERMANY’S SUGAR TRUST. [ARTICLE]

GERMANY’S SUGAR TRUST.

It Absolutely Controls the Home Sugar Market for Both Raw and Refined. From the Philadelphia Press (Rep.) The fact that the greatest sugar trust in th" world exists in Germany under the name of the "Kartell” need cause no surprise. It is well known that there are more trusts in Germany than in any other country, and that nowhere else are they so powerful. Evidence of that fact has been furnished by the British diplomatic and consular agents in Germany, and has been widely published. We have our own sugar "trust’’ in Ihe United States, and we-are by no means proud cf it. But it is not with out competition, and it has never controlled alone the mark c t for refined sugar. But the German "Kartell” absolutely controls the sugar market of Germany for both raw and refined. The German government is supporting the "Kartell" by means of bounties. beth on production and exports. As a result. Germany exports no less than 1.250.000 tons of sugar, after completely supplying her own popu lation. These exports, which are almost one-fifth of the world’s available supply, are sent out at a loss to German manufacturers; but owing to the bounty paid by the German government and the absolute control by the "Kartell" of the German market the trust makes a handsome profit. The German consumer pays a great deal more for his sugar than is paid by the foreign consumer of German su gar. and some short-sighted persons contend that the foreigner, under such circumstances, has no ground of complaint. But there is another side of the question. If the German exporter is allowed to get control of the foreign market by selling at a loss, and thus destroying the sugar-grow-ing industry in countries that do net pay bounties, making such countries dependent on Germany and other bounty fed sugar at the opportune time the “Kartell" may put up the prices and recoup its losses in the foreign trade from the foreign consumer. The production of sugar is n, t the work of a day. a month, or a year. Once Germany gets control of a market and destroys the home production in that market, it will be more or less at the merev of Gtrma ny. The abolition of sugar bounties in Europe may be put down as certain at some future time. Congress was wise in providing countervailing duties against this bounty fed sugar and thus enabling the United States to build up its own sugar industry. In that way in time we will not only keep at home the •nr mens millions we now spend abroad for sugar, but we will give < mployment to a vast army of men in producing sugar in the United States. The helpless condition of such of the British colonies as make sugar production their chief industry is an illustration of the folly of Great Britain in depending on the bounty ted sugar or Europe for her home consumption. One of these dsvs the bounties will bo abolished and then Great Britain with her ruined colonies will here to pav much higher prices for sugar. If it were not for the markets the British colonies find in the United States for their sugar they would to-day be hopelessly bank rupt In fact, they are new to a large • xtenl depending on subsidies from the British trust.