THE TARIFF IN ITS RELATION TO THE SUGAR-BEET INDUSTRY 
HISTORY OF THE TARIFF RATES ON SUGAR AND SUGAR BEETS 
The tariff on sugar beets has never compared in importance with 
the tariff on sugar. Because of their bulkiness the shipment of beets 
for long distances is not economical, and the only imports have 
consisted of a small movement of Canadian beets across the border 
to domestic factories, a movement insignificant in comparison with 
sugar imports. During the period 1921-1925, the average annual 
value of imports of sugar beets approximated $136,000 and the aver- 
age annual value of imports of sugar was about $267,000,000. 
The duty on sugar beets under the various tariff acts since 1894 
has ranged from the equivalent of 5 to 25 per cent ad valorem. 
Under the present duty of 80 cents per ton, imports have continued 
to be small, even though the ad valorem equivalent of the duty in 
the period 1922-1925 was only 1314 per cent, and the ad valorem 
equivalent of the duty on sugar was much higher; the duty on Cuban 
05° and 96° centrifugals during the same period equalled 45 and 46 
per cent ad valorem, respectively. Imports of these two grades 
during that time constituted 95 per cent of the total imports of sugar, 
so that these rates may be considered as representative. 
Table 6 shows the rates of duty on sugar beets and on sugar in 
effect since 1909, together with the ad valorem equivalents. The 
duty on 95° and 96° centrifugals from Cuba is given. In 1925, 
because of the low prices of sugar, the ad valorem equivalents of 
these duties rose from 41 per cent in 1924 to 68 and 69 per cent. 
TaBLE 5.—Sugar production in the United States and its possessions, 1866-1926 
[In short tons) 
Cane sugar 
Period 
0-vear average: 
‘866-1875. 
876-1885. 
RRO6-1805, 
896-190... 
906-191. 
1918-19025 
AX. 
014... 
3m 
1916 __._. ... 
HN 7 iin mnens o 
97, lo. 
926. 
Beet sugar 
‘chiefly re- 
fined) 
126 
531 
10, 698 
149, 012 
501, 750 
T2378 
22,054 
74, 220 
20, 657 
65, 207 
'60, 950 
26, 451 
189, 021 
20. 48¢ 
gd. 
United 
States 
59, 131 
19, 747 
23, 164 
325, 466 
297, 679 
21. 365 
46, 620 
3R 620 
aco 
840 
#4 Aq 
~ nL 
Porto Rico 
91, 860 
32,010 
66, 696 
101, 385 
336, 150 
{82 585 
346, 490 
183, 590 
103, 081 
153, 794 
06, 002 
<= 071 
pe 1p 
2 
Hawaii 
* 25, 577 
51, 558 
143, 989 
342, 946 
557,253 
322.498 
48, 000 
592, 763 
544, 663 
576, 700 
300, 312 
155, 727 
21, 579 
192, 000 
337, 000 
591, 000 
769, 000 
187, 246 
R10. 000 
Philippine 
Islands 
100, 521 
179,172 
236, 379 
121, 850 
252, 109 
518 628 
121, 192 
112, 274 
25, 266 
174, 745 
153, 346 
a6, 912 
“8, 499 
2189 
75,325 
29, 091 
779, 510 
607, 356 
Total 
277, 615 
433, 068 
680, 926 
1,040, 650 
2 044, 941 
2 717 454 
2, 382, 356 
2, 501, 467 
Y, 704, 567 
516, 2868 
2, 505, 010 
»’ 356, 286 
885, 031 
881, 704 
~, 362, 232 
2,713, 410 
* 3, 387, 404 
43.050, 222 
Compiled from statistics of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 
Average for 1874 and 1875 only. 
- Does not include cane sugar in States other than Louisiana. 
"Unofficial.