The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-06
RICE, SUGAR AND PROTECTION.
a Comprehensive LITTER from Lou
!sianan
To the Editor OF the EaS.e,

son. They are well aware that the party
are pledged to reduce the tariff, and in
that reduction what will be the effect on
their two principal crops that are pro
! tected by the government, that Is rice
and sugar. Rice by tariff and sugar
by bounty. At the present time the
rice industry has made such gigantic
strides in the production that the market
| for unmlled rice IS overstOcked, and IN
consequence the price has fallen below
! the imported article; therefore, the pro-
/ lection that would be afforded by a tariff
! is not to be taken into consideration.
Then the only article of production that
needs protection is sugar upon which q
bounty is now paid, and tie party com
/ ing into power viii repeal the bounty
now given, according to their pledge.
! The result to the planter if that Is done
will be disastrous In the extreme. There
| Is good reasons for making such a state
| ment. First; the cast of production in
! this country Is in excess of tropical cOun-
| tries from the factltha it IS noCindigenous
! to the country, but rather forced pro-
/ ducu0n, nece5sitatlng replanting often,
| and subject to climatic disasters, which
| OftentlrneS cause the destruction OF the
| plant, il being too far north for its fullest
! development. The cost of seed cane be-
! ing an important item of cultivation,
| averaging $50 per acre. and requires re-
! planting every other year, thus costing
! $40 for seed cane alone, each
/ year. There IS also the item of labor,
which Is an important factor in the cost.
| While cane can be produced in tropical
countries for Sl5 per acre, in this coun-
| try it costs S27 per acre, while the cost of
manufacture will DE relatively the same
in both cases. At the present price of
sugar without protection, either by a
| bounty (Which is wrong) o. a tariff
| (Which is right there would be ces5a-
ton OF advancement in its production or
manufacture There has been in the
last eight years, under protection, an
advancement in the process Of cultiva,
ton whereby the yield per acre in ton.
mage has been largely increased, also in
the process of manufacture, enabling the
manufacturer to produce more sugar per
ton Of cane, therefore making it possible
for the planter to realize a profit in cane
cultivation although the cost for labor
and material has been increased. There
has been a tendency in the last few years
to erect large central plants, and purchase
the cane from the small planter, thereby
reducing the number of sugar houses
for manufacturing, but increasing the
tonnage of cane produced, also making
an increase of yield per ton by having
better appliances for extraction and re-
duction. 1t is safe to predict that in the
case the protection which has been given
to sugar should be removed that the
sugar industry Will sufferin consequence
of such protection Icing removed, not
only in curtaillng the present produc-
ton. but IN the future the capitalist will
be slow to invest in a southern industry
so handicapped.
For it is fact that the sugar industry
is indebted to the northern capitalist for
the necessary funds to successfully build
the extensive modern sugar plants now
in existence and contemplated III the
near future.
have often heard from those clam
oring for free sugar the statement
that the whole country should not be
taxed to benefit few sugar planters at
the south. At first thought there Is
some pIausibilitv to their statements,
there being only in the state of Louisi-
ana, according TO actual count, 1,2JO
planters In cane culture.
But those who are so clamorous do
not look at the whole scope
of the industry. Those 1850 plant
ers have on their plantations on an
average 100 labOrers, making 5000
besides their families, which would swell
the total to sos, 600 to be supported by
other planters outside OF the state whe
produce the meat and breadstuffs for
their consumption, for the sugar planter
does not produce the supplies necessary
for his maintenance.
These are not only the ones who are
dependent upon the sugar industry for
their livelihood. In the city Of New Or
leans alone there Is a small army Cf
workers who do nothing else but provide
the appliances for the industry, or in
handling the product of the planter. II
four establishments IN that city there are
directly engaged in sugar appliances,
machinery, iron and copper work loo
workers. besides othsr establishments
who deal indirectly IN those appliances.
Then there is the army Of brokers and
their assistants, steamboats, with their
crews, laborerS who hauGle the rTansbip-
ment, coopers who furnish the barrels
and packages, with those who furnish
the raw material fer the same, the md
die men and retailers who handle sup
plies. people who do not produce what
they consume, but depend upon others
who do
l would be safe in saying that the
people IN Louisiana "a one that depend
upon the sugar industry for their sup
port would amount 10 the number OF
SO, 900 souls.
II the supplies Of machinery and sugar
appliances there Is more furnished from
workers outside the state than there IS
in the state.
hen there is the army OF producers
in the northern states who produce from
the sell. ar factories ANA workshops the
neCesSaries of OF life for these thousands
Of workers who do not produce them.
There Is but few Industries IL the Coun-
try that are 50 wide spread "a their de-
peadence upon others as the sugar In
dustrv, II the protection which IS now
afforded be- taken from the industry. tie
planter VIII be obliged 10 make Els
plantation more s..f-supportjns by pro
duclCE lis own meats and bresd>t1tts.
thereby CurtalIlrE hls output Of sugar,
producing sugar As a surplus crop unt-
they could turn their att-n -gou 10 some
thiaE iha1 they could produce a. , proti..
i. = an easy matter 10 pass Al acs nT
(. the incoming congress 10 abolish ,Ie
bounty Oh sugar aud satisfy few Pc