In April, 1916, a bill was passed by Congress repealing the free-sugar clause of the tariff act of October 3, 1913. The President signed the bill on April 27, 1916. The Democratic party was defeated in 1896 and the following year saw the passage of the Dingley bill, which levied a duty of 1.685 on 96-degree raw centrifugals under 16 D. S. in color and 1.95 on raws over 16 D. S. and on refined sugars. Under the beneficial influence of this law the industry revived and within a period of about two years from the enactment of the bill twenty-four beet factories sprang into being. One-half of the number were unsuccessful[33] because the stimulating provisions of the new tariff caused ventures to be made hastily and without regard to actual conditions. Of the twelve factories that survived, nearly all were situated in California and Michigan. From 1900 to 1902 the building of beet plants was not so rapid, for the reason that the failures just mentioned and the popular demand for preferential terms for Philippine and Cuban sugars were not exactly encouraging. A 25 per cent preferential was given to Philippine sugars March 8, 1902, and a concession of 20 per cent of the duty was allowed Cuba December 27, 1903; still, notwithstanding the failures and the political agitation, five or six beet factories were erected each year during this period. The number of beet factories operating in the United States in 1915 was sixty-seven and the total daily slicing capacity was 73,320 tons. The acreage harvested was 611,301 acres, ninety-three per cent of which was worked by independent farmers and seven per cent by the factories. The total amount of beets sliced during that season was 6,150,293 short tons, which produced 874,220 short tons of sugar. The following is a list of the factories themselves: DATE SLICING BUILT CAPACITY ARIZONA Southwestern Sugar & Land Co.[34] Glendale 1903 600 tons CALIFORNIA