The Weather Today: I'Z’AoISE?! Partly Cloudy. The News and Observer. VOL. LII. NO. 41. Leads all Worth CarolinaDaiMesinMewsandGipenilawon CUBAN SUGAR KOI TRUST CONTROLLED - - - - - # Havemyer so Testifies Before the Committee. NO OPTIONS ON THE CROP Reduction in Tariff Would Not Mater ially Affect Him- TRUST HOLDS NO CUBAN SUGAR LANDS The Price of Raw Sugar in the United States, He Says, is Fixed by the Beet Mar ket Prices in Ham burg. (By the Associated I’ress.) Washington, May 1. —The inquiry into the present holding of Cuban sugar and Cuban Sugar lands, ordered by the Sen ate, was begun today by the sub-eom inittec on Cuban Relations. President Henry O. Havemeyer, of the American Sugar Refining Company, was the first witness and all of the members of the eub-committeq* Messrs. Platt (Conn.); Burnheim and Teller were in attendance. Senator Patterson also was present. Others present with Mr. Havemeyer were Arthur Donner, treasurer of the com pany. and Henry C. Mott, its raw sugar buyer. All of them were sworn. “Will you,” Senator Platt asked, “tell the committee how much Cuban sugar, if any, has been purchased and is now held by your company?” “Since early in February last we have purchased 50,000 tons or 256,000 bags or about ten days’ supply,” replied the wit ness. “Os that quantity 26,000 tons is now in process of shipment from Cuba.” The prices paid had, he said, rapged from 1.75 to 1.03, the highest price being paid on March 13 and the lowest on April 22nd. “Where do you buy your raw sugar?” “All over the world; wherever is grown.” “Does the 50,000 tons you mention rep resent your entire purchases in Cuba since the first of January?” “No; we have bought, all told, 93,000 tons of Cuban sugars during the pres ent year, or about three-fourths of a month’s supply, our consumption being 35,000 tons per week." “I)o you control any sugar in Cuba other than that purchased?” “None, whatever, in any manner.” "Have you taken any options on Cu ban sugars?” “I have not.” "Have you made any advance on any Cuban sugar?” “None, whatever.” “So that you wish to be understood as saying that the amount you have mentioned as having purchased repre sents your entire interest, direct and in direct in Cuban sugar?” “That is the statement 1 make.” Mr. Havemeyer said the entire Cuban sugar crop is about 750,000 tons, but that much of it has been withheld from the market in view of possible tariff conces sions to be made 4 by Congress. On this account his purchases had been only about one-tbird of the average of other yea rs. Speaking of the capacity of his company he said that it refined 65 per cent of the American refined product. He added that the percentage of this company’s product compared to the en tire sugar consumption of the United States was about 50 per cent. Last year his company produced 1,200,000 tons of the lefined sugar, while the consumption was 2,400,000 tons. In reply to other questions, he said that the price of raw sugar in the United States is fixed by the beet market prices in Hamburg. The price there fixes the selling price for the entire world, said Mr. Havemeyer. On the subject of the price of Cuban sugars he said that his company could not determine their price. “We have.” he said, “no control over them whatever; they don't belong to us.” “Cuba has to sell her sugar in this market, hasn’t she?” “No, that is not true. She can sell it in England, for instance, if she is desir ous to do so. England could take the entire Cuban crop.” Mr. Platt then asked: “Suppose the United States should make a concession of say 20 or 25 per cent in the tariff rates on Cuban sugar, could not you re fuse to buy the Cuban product except at your own rates and thus secure the benefits of the concessions?" "In no way,” was the reply. “Cuba would he under no bligations to sell to us, hecatise, as I have said, the Cuban 1 products could find other markets." “All the duty has been taken off of Porto Rican sugar; do you get that su gar any cheaper on that account?” "oNt at all.” “How about the Hawaiian predifet?” “We are under contract for the en tire 350,00 ft tons produced in Hawaii. There is no tariff on that product but the price is not affected by that cir cumstance.” “It has been stated repeatedly that | in case the suggested concession is made j the sugar trust will be in a position to oblige producers to make reductions that you will secure the entire benefit of the legislation—is that true?" “We could not ‘oblige’ any reduction. . In case of a concession to Cuban sugar j the price might be lowered, say one-six- j teenth of a cent a pound, but that would , be nothing as compared to the reduction in the tariff rate which would amount to about one-third of a cent a pound. Even so great a reduction as 1 have men tioned would depend on the necessity for marketing and if there should be any pressure on that account, the necessity would be that of the producers and would not be ours.” In reply to another series of questions, Mr. Havemeyer said that his company, as such, holds no sugar lands in Cuba, but he added, that he had himself made some purchases there of a comparative ly small character. Here Senator Platt conclude! hiss questions and Senator Teller took the witness, bringing out in the beginning the fact that the capital stock of the trust had been increased in recent years from $75,000,000 to $90,000,000- “Are you aware,” asked Mr- Teller, “that at the time your company made this increase of $15,000,000 the newspa pers stated that the increase had been made for the purpose of purchasing su gar lands in Cuba?” The witness replied that he did not recall the fact. “What then,” asked the Senator, “was the purpose of your company in this in crease?” “The purpose was to promote our gen eral corporate interests. The company never has directly or indirectly purchas ed any sugar lands in Cuba, nor have we ever contemplated the purchase of any sugar lands except in Porto Rico.” Asked by TAr. Teller whether he was still buying sugar in Cuba, he said: “We are still trying to buy, but we have not succeeded in making any pur chases since April 26, when the suc r ar was withdrawn from the market on ac count of improved chances of securing the American concession.” “How do you account for the fluctua tions in the price of Cuban sugar which you have mentioned as having occurred within the past few months?” “They are due to the changes in the beet sugar market in Hamburg. There has been a constantly dropping market there on account of the increased beet product, which has amounted to about a million tons in the past year.” “You regard the beet sugar producers as competitors of yours?” “I certainly do. there is what, you might call a commercial rivalry.” Mr. Havemeyer declared that while ihe had had no intention of driving the beet sugar industry out of the country he had put down the price to less than cost in order to. secure his chare of trade. “For the purpose.” he said. “I will go as far as my directors will allow me, as long as there is any money in our treas ury.” Senator Teller questioned the as to statements that his company con trolled the price of raw sugar. Mr. Havemeyer said: ‘‘lt goes without saying that a company which produced 65 per cent, of the re fined sugar renders it impossible for any competitor to secure a higher price for its product than it gets.” MONEY TOO ILL TO APPEAR His Counsel Moves to Drop the Case The Judge Will Decide Tnesdny. (By the Associated Press.) - Washington, Mfiy I.—An unexpected move to nolle pross the ihrce cases of alleged assault growing out of the alter cation on a street car last week in which Snator Money, of Mississippi, Conductor Orpha H. Shaner and Truck Foreman James E. Hooper, of the District Fire Department, figured, resulted today in positioning the cases in the police court until Tuesday. After a protracted con ference between counsel of Senator Money in District Attorney Mullowney’s office it was decided hy them to allow th,. cases to drop. The attorneys for Shaner and Hooper protested against this ac tion. Senator McLaurin, Senator Money's colleague from Mississippi, who, with At torney Bell, represented Mr. Money, ex plained that Mr. Money had been con fined to his room since Saturday and was threatened with pneumonia. Mr. McLau rin thought “it as unnecessary to state the cause of the trouble.” He produced a physician's certificate dated yesterday addressed to whom it may concern, set ting forth that Senator Money xvas suf fering from congestion of the lungs and confined to his room and bed and it would be five or'six days before he could leave his house. All he wanted, said Mr. McLaurin, was to relieve Senator Money from further prosecution in this case for any alleged offences charged against him. The court stated that the only point was as to power f the district attorney to nolle pross, which he was inclined to sustain but he finally agreed to postpone announcing his conclusion until Tuesday morning. Five Hundred Cords of Wood Burned. (Special to Nexvs and Observer ) Scotland Neck, N. C., Mav 1— Mr. John B. Gray has lost fi\'e hundred cords of wood by fire this week. It xvas cut and penned in the woods near Palmyra, and it is thought the fire occurred by the carelessness of fishermen. The Carolina Telephone Company is putting up new poles along the line from Tar boro here and making other im provements. he line will be extended from Scotland Neck to Halifax and com pleted perhaps by the first of June. » Rev. J. E. Hertson. of Richmond, is holding a meeting in the Baptist church here ihis xveek. He has held several meetings here before and received a warm xvelcome by the people generally. ’ The Pennsylvania Railroad has de clared a semi-annual dividend of 3 per cent. Success covers a multitude of transac tions of the gold-brick variety. RALEIGH. NORTH CAROLINA. FRIDAY MORNING. MAY 2, 1902. BIG FIRE AT NORFOLK Block Threatened With Des truction. Loss $83,000, Insured. (By the Associated Press.) Norfolk, Va., May I.—Norfolk xvas visi ted by another enflagration this morning Avhen a fire started in the building of the Virginia Candy Company on Commercial Place and gained such headway that at one time it was thought that the entire block, bounded by Commercial Place and Water street and Roanoke avenue, would be destroyed. The loss will aggregate $83,500 but it is fully covered by insurance. The es timated damage is as follows: Virginia Candy Company, $20,000; R. W. MacDonald, $2,500; M. Hofhcimcr &. C., $4,500; L. P. Roberts & Co., $5,000; Dispatch Printing Co., $4,000; Old Domin ion Paper Co., $1,500; other firms, $2,000. Damage to buildings, $14,000. On the Diamond. A Row on the Field, American League Games. Baltimore, May I.—The game today be tween Baltimore and Boston ended in a row, which but for the interference of the police, might have resulted seriously for Umpire Sheridan. In the last inning, Mr. Sheridan refused to allow McGraw his base after having been, it was claimed, hit by a pitched ball. The vig orous protest offered by the manager of the Baltimore team resulted in his being ordered to the bench, at which the occupants of the bleachers took exception. At the conclusion of the game the crowd surged onto the field and surrounded the umpire menacingly. One man threw a brick which went wide of its mark and cut the face of a policeman who was trying to protect Sheridan. He was finally escorted from the grounds without sus taining bodily harm. Score. R II E Baltimore 2001 ft 000 I—41 —4 12 3 Boston 11200100 I—6 12 0 Batteries: Howell and .. Roberson; Dineen and Criger. Tune 1:55. Umpire Sheridan. Attendance 2,500. (By the Associated I’ress.) At Detroit: RH E Detroit 1 000002 1 x—4 7 2 Cleveland 00000100 o—l 9 0 At Washington: R H E Washington ....1 0020000 o—30 —3 9 4 Philadelphia ...0 0 0 0 2 4 0 0 o—6 7 2 At Chi caco: R HE Chicago 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o—o 8 1 Cini. ...0 0 0 0 0000 00 0 0 o—o 5 0 Game called on account of darkness. At St. Louis — Score: R. H. E. St. Louis 3000 00 0 0 *—3 S 3 Chicago 0010 00 0 1 o—2 10 1 National League Games. At Pittsburg: RHE Pittsburg 09310302 x—lß 19 ft St. Louis 0 0023010 o—6 9 6 At Boston: R H E Boston 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 x—s 11 0 Brooklyn 0 0000000 o—6 5 2 At New York: IT II E Philadelphia ...0 0000000 o—o 2 2 New York 10 11 00 0 0 x—3 8 2 Davidson College claims the champion ship of the college baseball teams of the Carolinas. Weldon Climbs Over Wake Forest. (Special