Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-12
cisco To Sign the Final Papers.-Plans
for the Factory.

For more than two years Richard
Gird, the enterprising proprietor Of the
Chino ranch, near Pomona, has been
actively engaged in an earnest effort to
get a beet root sugar factory established
on the property. His negotiations have
been conducted mainly with Henry. T.
Oxnard, of the Oxnard Brothers of Phil
adelphia, sugar refiners, who have a
beet sugar plant at Grand Island, Ne
braska, and who are putting in another
at Sioux City, Iowa. 1t is quite certain
that but for the agitation on tariff ques-
tions, the Chino factory would
have been in operation for months past.
But simultaneously with Mr.. Gird's
first efforts began this agitation, and
until something definite could be known
no one would invest the large sum of
money necessary to put in such a plant.
The Mckinley bill as finally passed put
bounty of two cents pound on all
domestic grown sugar for period of fiji
teen years. This at last made it possible
to compete with foreign-grown cane
sugar in the production of beet root
sugar, although the manufacturers would
prefer to have had the tariff protection,
even at reduction of 20per cent. on the
duty imposed on sugar under tine old
schedule. The reason for this preference
is that the bounty is direct tax, and
the principle is a. new one in American
economics.
The bounty, however, makes it possi-
BILE for the people of this country to
compete with the growers of the West
Indies and others. Therefore a week
ago today Mr.. Oxnard arrived at Chino,
and since then he and Mr.. Gird have
been making their plans for the estab-
lishment of the factory. The two gem
tlemen left here yesterday for San Fran
cisco, where the terms OF their compact
will be reduced to legal form and duly
signed. byron Waters, ESQ, of San
Bernardino, accompanies them as the at
torney of Mr.. Gird. There will be a
plant to extract the syrup from the
beets and a refinery to convert it into
crystalized sugar.
That the enterprise will be successful
there is no question. Twelve years ago
Mr.. Dyer, then at the head OF the Al
varado factory in Alameda county, told
the writer he could make refined
sugar at a cost as low as Az cents
a pound. With the Improvements since
made in the extracting machinery and
in the production of the beets, it is
quite possible that it can now be made
at a cost below cents. The bounty of
cents is quite handsome profit to the
refiners, and therefore if necessary they
could sell their goods at cost.
Chino, as we'll as many other points in
Southern California, will produce as fine
beets as grow in the world. The usual
percentage of saccharine in beets in
Germany is IA. The beets must be all
harvested in that country within a
period of six weeks. II allowed to lie
in the ground longer they lose their
sweetness. Beets grown at Chino during
the past two years have developed sweet
ness ranging from IL per cent. up to over
20. The roots may be allowed to lie in
the ground all the year around, and
they will continue to grow all the time,
and not lose their sweetness. Moreover
crop after crop may be produced all the
year around, and thus plant which in
Germany, in the eastern states, or even
in Northern California would be effec-
tive for six weeks, or at most ten weeks,
may be kept alive here all the year
around. These are very great advan-
tages which must make the Chino plant
profitable venture. At least 1000
acres OF beets will be planted
and 400 men will be employed in the
industry. This is only the beginning OF
what will be a great industry in this
section within the next five years.
Farmers make about 5000 an acre from
their beets. Here they can double that
sum by raising two crops a year. We
can grow all the sugar needed in the
United States. There are rumors al
ready in the air with reference to the
second plant to be put in at another
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