OCR Text |
Show SUGAR GROWERS TO REAP THE BENEFIT WASHINGTON. April 12. Seer eta ry Rodfleld of the department of commerce Issued a utatcment tonight connecting Hawaiian sugar growers and eastern sugar su-gar refiners with the Panama canal lolls fight, pointing out that they arc the shippers chiefly Interested In the exemption exemp-tion of Amorlcan vessels from tolls. His .statement followed a rocent trip to the Pacific coast, nnd investigations by the bureau of foreign and domestic commerce, com-merce, "The question as to who will be the largest shippers through the canal." the secretary said, "has perhaps Incidental interest- in connection with ,the discissions discis-sions concerning Panama canal tolls. If It Is assumed that the carriers will, as thev ay, distribute the charges over the freight tonnage carried, the question as to which kind of freight might have to assume the burden has somo Interest, "Possibly, therefore, tbo answers to cortaln questions may throw light upon tho situation. "Who are at present the largest shippers ship-pers over the Isthmus of Tehuantepec? The sugar growers of Hawaii. To whom arc their shipments made7 To the sugar refiners in and about New York and Philadelphia. Do these shipments amount to a. great deal? In the last fiscal fis-cal year there were 02S,00l),000 pounds, or 264,009 net tons. "In the present method of shipment, the movement over tho Isthmus of Tehuantepec, are then? two transshipments transship-ments of freight one on the west coast of Mexico and one on tho east coast and a railroad charge botween? There nre, and tho through rate from Hawaii to New York must Include tho cost of such transference and freight charge. "Would not the opening of tho canal do away with these two transfors and the railway charge? Tt would, and doubtless doubt-less tho sugar growers would be benefited bene-fited thereby, and properly so. "In view of their serious complaints as to the effect of the placing of sugar on the free list In the near future, Is It not normal that, the sugar growers should exert every means In their power to reduce the cost of transporting their product to tho market? That would undoubtedly un-doubtedly be good business." Gore Takes a Poll. WASHINGTON. April 12. First rotums from a poll Senator Gore Is making of delegates to the Democratic national convention con-vention at Baltimore on the canal tolls Issue wcro announced tonight by the Democratic national committee. They showed 33S in favor of repealing the clause of the canal act exempting American coastwise shipping from tolls. 6fl ngalnst tho repeal, and 11 noncommittal. Debate on the administration's repeal policy has centered largely upon the declaration of the Baltimore platform In favor of free tolls, and two weeks ago Senator Gore addressed personal letters to each of tho thousand odd delogates to the convention asking for an expression of opinion on tho issue. "Up to date the returns are alike astounding to tho champions' and opponents op-ponents of the repeal," said the announce-mcnt announce-mcnt tonight. |