, 1885-01-07

prices.
/ think, that a careful survey of all cir
cumstances as far as they are within our
reach, proves that there is no reason to
apprehend a continuance of the present
distressing position of the market, and I
shall endeavour i'll the following lines to
impress the same encouraging aspect ON
the minds of the readers. &.
1t is admitted on all hands, that the
cause of the evil is, simply, and exclusive
ly, overproduction, and that the over
production is mainly owing to the ex-
cessive expectation Of beet-root sugar,
principally from Germany and Austria.
Let the cause stop and the effect stops
with it. And how is tho cause to
stops Certainly and inevitably, when
1T shews itself, that without a great restric-
ton of the production nothing but loss and
ruin can result from it, and the question
therefore reduces itself to this: does the
price OF sugar as it stands at present yield
profit or loss to the producers OF beetroot
SUGAR. in other words: can they be ex-
pected to go on as hitherto with their manu-
facture? IT a comparison between cost
and income as things are at present, shewS
an unfavourable result, nothing can be
more certain, than that people will cease
to produce at the present rate an article
which not only yields them no profit but
leads to ruin. We outsiders have OF course
no other means of gaining information OF
the data constituting this proportion than
what We can collect from publications Ill
newspapers and similar sources; and Il
information will refer partly to the publish
ed statements of the cost of production,
partly to the effects Of the present prices
on the producers, as far as they become
visible.
In the European Mail of End May 1884
we fnd a statement, but without details,
taken from the Journal DIES lubricants .dw
sucre giving los. (S4) AZ the average cost
i'll Germany of 1cwt. of sugar, and lis. 3d.
to 12S. Sd. as the cost to the fen most adj
vanced manufacturers; to which is to be
added Is. cost of shipment and 10 pr. ct.
profit commercial y bringing the whole up
to las. ed. per cwt. for the last mentioned
manufacturers. (.
The same number of the European Mail
contains one specification OF costs from n
correspondent of high position in Magde-
burg Germany and another detailed
Statement taken from the Glasgow Herald.
The items in the aforementioned OF these
statements is in Marks and TT. the other
in e and s., both however agreeing IN the
main points. / prefer giving tue first
statement as based on the decimal system,
and therefore easier to follow. The pro-
portion of roots to sugir is here taken at
1O4 cwt. of sugar from 100 cwt. roots, ahG
the cost is specified as follows:
100 cwts. roots at INK. pr. cwt.....l0OMk.
cost of working up roots $3.50. -. "
tax on roots ~
$50
AT the rate of 104 cwt. obtained, each
cwt. of sugar would cost 253 Marks; the
fraction is then left out as being covered Dy
the sale of pulp and refuse molasses. VI
the 20 Nix. remaining, 8 Marks are covered,
on sugars exported, by the Governments
bounty, and this leaves 16 Marks = 10 8.
or 81 as the cost of 1cwt. of sugar, which
is about the same result as that OF the
Journal des lubricants du Sucre.
The result of the statement from the
Glasgow Herald, based OH similar data
gives los. 81. after making allowance for
the bounty on expectation, as the cost or l
cwt. of sugar free on board, leaving nothing
for interest and capital or depreciation OF
buildings and plant. The European Mail
then puts the question, show then is Urea
sonable to suppose that all increased acre
age will be planted with beetrootst tor the
new season 1SS4), even i'll Germany, with
the present selling value clos. f.o.D.)I
There is but one answer, namely that
during the now closing season lubricants
cold ont &c tbou mada an1 fnr forward e..