CHAPTER X 



COMPETITION 



THE remarkable and sudden growth of the beetroot 

 sugar industry, as related in the last chapter, was 

 stimulated in every possible way, first by a quiet, unseen 

 but well-known system of under-estimate of the duty 

 to be levied, coupled with full payment of drawback 

 on exportation ; and afterwards by the payment of a 

 direct bonus on exportation. All this the reader must 

 have thoroughly realized from the facts just described. 

 He must now be led, for a moment, a step further back 

 in the history, to a time in the early sixties when the 

 beetroot industry was still in its youth and the dominant 

 factor in the European sugar markets was the refiner. 

 We made all our own refined sugar in those days and were 

 quite happy. But our comfortable times were to be 

 rudely disturbed. An invitation was addressed to the 

 British Government to join France, Belgium and Hol- 

 land in an International Conference on the sugar duties. 

 The refiners here got no benefit from the duty and were, 

 therefore, quite willing to have the matter discussed. 

 It was not very clear why the other countries should 

 desire us to join them in reforming their own tariffs. 

 To judge from the result it would almost seem as if they 

 brought us into the discussion in order to get our duties 

 altered. If so, they were entirely successful. Our 

 Government did exactly what they wanted, and kindly 

 did it even in advance of the international agreement. 

 This may have been magnanimity but can hardly be 

 regarded as good business. It would have been better 

 to wait and see how the terms of the Convention were 



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