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Show INDEPENDENT SUGAR " MEN WUfr HEKHUK Western Manufacturers to ! Attend Meeting' at Na-I Na-I tional Capital. MAY READJUST PRICE Fear That Larger Producers Will Attempt to Under-sell Under-sell Small Ones. Insisting that the independent beet sugar manufacturers of the United States had not been granted a hearing by Herbert Her-bert C. Hoover, food administrator, when the price of sugar was tentatively set a few days ago, the Independent companies of the intermountain country are sending representatives to attend a meeting of j the beet sugar producers to be held In j Washington on September 17, when theSt price of sugar will be decided upon. George E. Browning, president of tho People's Sugar company, left yesterday for Washington to attend the conference and a number of other representatives are going from Colorado, California and Idaho to the meeting. It was announced after the conference between Mr. Hoover and a number of representatives of beet sugar companies that a price of $7.25 had been agreed upon for beet sugar during the war. Independents Complain. The independent plants complain they were not given a hearing in connection with the fixing of this price and that further fur-ther concessions would have to be made. In addition the threat was made that all sugar brokers throughout the United States would be done away with and that factories would be compelled to sell direct to the wholesale houses. Thin proposition did not suit a number of sugar companies and as a result the whole matter as regards the price of the sugar and the selling agencies is to be gone over again. The government is to be urged by the independent manufacturers to send a number of unbiased men into the fields and see that none of the companies violate vio-late the agreement which will be reached at Washington. The independent companies com-panies fear that the prices may be fixed in such a way that the larger companies might undersell the smaller ones. The purpose of the meeting is to determine all of these matters. May Readjust Price. Mr. Browning is going to the meeting to present the case of the new companies , which are Just entering the sugar beet business and will ask that a number of changes be made in the plans which have been submitted to the government by the larger companies. It is conceded by all of the sugar manufacturers that they can make a fair profit when the price of sugar is more than 4 cents a pound, but it is conditions surrounding the sugar . sales that the Independents are con- . 1 cerned over. It also developed yesterday that the price of $7.25 a hundred, announced sev-eral sev-eral days ago, is not the price which may be fixed. This price was a tentative tenta-tive price and the independents will probably fight it. N. G. Strtngham, secretary sec-retary of the People's Sugar company, said that there might be developments at the Washington meeting which may result in a new price being fixed and new " conditions imposed. Representatives of other sugar companies may not leave for the east until today, as the meeting in Washington is to be continued over until Monday, in the event all parties do not agree on all points on Friday. Among others who will attend the meeting at Washington are Thomas R. Cutler, Merrill Nibley and S. H. Love of the Utah-Idaho Sugar company; Ue V Roy Eccles of the Amalgamated Sugar company, and George E. Browning, president of the People's Sugar company. ' |