Show witnesses for the american sugar refining company testify as to how much sugar has been purchased in cuba washington 2 arthur donner of the american refining company today testified before tho cenate committee on cuban relation concerning american holding 0 cuban sugar lie said that clr statement yesterday to tho that ilia company had purchased tons of sugar since the arnt of january last waa correct no more cuban augar could have barn bought as none could have been purchased without hi knowledge as treasurer of tho company ho promised senator matt to send to tho committee a memoranda allowing tho made and riving batee the aich had been purchased aed had he eaid been paid for senator blatt called attention to the between sir statement afta to purchase amounting to sowo too and the return mad by ahja war department placing the american at tons to ularce 26 but mr ponna wa not able to ex plain it to question by senator teller mr donderi confirmed Mr have mezpra huntr anent that alx trust chasm of cuban a fkr anna ellal iu cuba 1 sigid jua his I 1 company dealt entirely matli brokers principally etli co franck co and citak bokow co of havana anil new york aej did not know tho of the producers the american company hiis biado no advances to tho cuban plan tere and biad not advanced any money to the cuban bank for plant cre while be did not know lie eaid ho pre fumed there other cre of cuban sugar betide bie own company in the held as to realty holding in anba he eaid that the trust had none there knew nothing of the primate holding s of of the trust you haaf taken ome interest in securing a reduction of eug duties by con grese have you nott naked air aci ler 1 I have not wn the reply senator platt asked bo far ai you know giai the american sugar refining company taken interest in fora or opposing the at the autv on cuban sugar i ier I 1 dont think it ha senator teller i you gacak of it a n corporation M do a aether tho f i i f w filist fIll St era have taken any interest such in tho reduction I 1 ido I do not I 1 know nothing about it henry C molt ahser of raw su the wan the next fitce wit ce lie aid he lial acted in that capacity for the past avo adars and thai ho buys i the raw sugar for lie company except the louisiana augar lie con previous tat duent that tho trust had bought ton of cuban ugar ince january ast 1st mr molt aleo taid that in the course of a year the american company probably purchases CO per cent of the sugar product of cuan and that h supposed the other SO per cent i secured by ahe oilier sugar in the united stacee senator be ft i of cuban sugar duties would the buyer get the full of it or anny part of it I 1 the cs tho buyer bouhl not get anny part fit the benefit the tion would not make anny in the purchase price the benefit would accrue afi ohp caluin seller the holder of alic suka ta porto page CUBAN SUGAR AND THE SUGAR TRUST continued from page 1 rico sugar which comes in free justifies that conclusion mr mott had not concluded when the committee adjourned until monday yesterday near the close of hazemey ers testimony he was asked by mr teller whether lie was still buying sugar in cuba and said we are still trying to buy but we have not succeeded in making any purchases since april when the sugar was withdrawn from alie market on account of improved chances of securing the american concession how do you account for the fluctuations in the price of cuban sugar which you have mentioned as having occurred within the few months they are due to the changes in the beet sugar market in hamburg there has been a constantly decreasing market there on account of the increased beet product which has amounted to about a million tons in the past year then you regard the beet sugar producers as competitors of yours T 1 I certainly do there is what you might call a commercial rivalry last summer you fixed the price of refined sugar at points in the missouri valley very low did you not yes we did wa put it at cents per pound whereas the price before had been 4 12 1 2 cents and the price in atlantic coast points was still maintained at the higher figure how long e did vou keep the price down until we recovered our trade the beet sugar makers undertook to control the markets by contracts with dealers which I 1 consider in restraint of trade consequently we reduced the price until our trade was restored to us keeping it down to the lowest point for about two weeks he denied having notified beet sugar producers that ho intended to keep up the war until he should drive them out of business he had nothing to do with them he added in response to further questions mr said there had been a fluctuation of prices at missouri river points for about six months but that when the trade was entirely restored to the trust prices had been restored to their normal statu which isted deiy york price with freight rates added under these conditions asked mr teller where are alio beet sugar men to sell their product 1 I dont know Is their business and they wont tell me because they know if they did I 1 would get at them again I 1 do not they shall control the trade and it h all that I 1 can do to take care of the american companas comp anys interests mr declared however that lie had had not intention of driving the beet sugar industry out of the country but said that he biad put down the price to less alian cost in order to secure iiii share of trade tor that purpose he said 1 I will go as far as my directors will allow me as long as there is any money in jour treasury further explaining vis position he said that the beet sugar producers had entered into contract with dealers giving them tho exclusive market and to ifon ho had objected because after the beet sugar men had sold their entire crop the brands of the tant would be comparatively unknown and would be at a great disadvantage they took my customers he aard by unfair agreeing to beat any pricel eliat I 1 would make and that is what I 1 objected to asked as to uie control the sugar trust exercised over the price of raw sugar witness said it ROCS without saying that a company which produces C 5 per cent of the refined renders it impossible for any competitor to secure a higher arico for its product than it gets the examination drift tm to the fler lion of mr cuban u par could find a market in england mr teller asked if england is a good market for cuban sugar why has not the cuban product sought that market in the mastt because was the reply the beet sugar product can lie secured from germany at much lower freight rates Is it not a fact that the united slates affords j he only market that cuba hax ever hadt ko ohp states li not the only market for cuban sugar but owing to it geographical position country ii the particular market for it but years affo cuba made largo exportation i to harland Hn Rland now the freight rate ia in arof the united stales and against england 1 |