The record-union., 1897-01-04
PROJECTION AND BEET.STGAR
PRODUCTION.


On the list of December the .Rec-
ord nion" said that if protection is IN
be the policy of the country, there is no
oUate that needs it more than Califor-
MIA, and that we should urge our ella inns
Tor protection of raisin. CRANE r,-iro
Aruit' WOOL beet-sugar lumber and
other industries, in which we are sna-
cfally interested, with especial persist
| ence.
IL Is scarcely necessary to repeat that
truth. Our people are, or should he
aware Of the imperative necessitv If tba
protection policy is to obtain, of secur-
ing for California the highest and
greatest advantages possible under if
since there is no State of the Union thar
Is SO peculiarly situated as is this ra-
garding markets and foreign competi-
ton along special lines.
some two months ago the Record
Onaon called attention to the move
ment of the Sacramento Chamber of
commerce to induce farmers in this vi
oifiity 10 engage in the experimental
oeet-sugar growing, pointing out that
there is every reason to believe this
county has soil peculiarly and happiIv
adapted to such growth, and that where
St can be engaged in profitably it will
oy just that much reduce the local and
harsh competition between farm pro-
ductions
LII Is gratifying to be able to state that
the appeal has been so far responded
to that there is every reason to believe
the experiments will be made this and
the coming season. Just now the sugar
producers representatives are before
the Ways and Means Committee of the
House at Washington urging that body
to report in favor of protecting the
| sugar growing interests 1t was shown
to the committee that sugar-beet grow
ing countries are paying the producers
of the beet such bounties that they are
able to ship the product to us and sell
In our markets at a fair margin of
prollt after paying our tariff tax, one
eighth of a cent a pound The result
mas been that our refineries have been
running to but 60 per cent. of their ca
pacity.
One OF the petitioners before the COM
mIttee stated that it required every
pound of wheat and -four we exnor+ +o
pay Tor the sugar we import; that If
look the total of all value of all live
ana dressed beef. beef products and
lard for the past year exported tn eono,
the amount paid for imported sugar
All OF our tobacco export would have to
be brebled to balance our sugar innorts
He added:
Inc barley, oats and rye, fruits, nuts
iiops' vegetable oils, oleomargarfne
outter and cheese, pork and hams that
We're exported last year, all put to-
gether, represent In value only two
ohlrds OF the sugar imported. 1t is an
economic crime to compel America n
farmers to raise staples in cornnetttio,,
with the cheap land and labor count r;as
Wlth Whoh to pay for imported sugar
besides standing the freight and com
mission both ways. The American n
FARMERS demand a fair chance to pro
ouce everything our people consume
1hat can be grown in the United States
They want to begin with sugar. They
nave found by practical experience and
scientific tests that from the Hudson
River to the Pacific and from the Caro-
linas to the lakes they can grow sugar.
beets as rich or richer in saccharine
contents than those of Europe They
want factories to afford a market for
these sugar beets, which they are will
ing TO furnish at from $4 to S5 per ton.
At these prices the crop Is both a new
and profitable one. Every acre devoted
will by so much reduce the competition
in other branches of farming. What
stands in the way of the American
beet-sugar industry is mainly European
competition. Europe is now sending us
| nearly one hundred times as much
beet-sugar as she did fifteen or seven
teen years ago. She has developed her
beet-sugar industry by a liberal system
of direct subsidies, high protection and
export bounties until the European
beet-sugar industry has practically
ruined the cane-sugar industry of the
tropics and monopolized the sugar
markets of the world. To complete the
destruction of the American sugar in
dustry or at least to prevent the further
development of the beet-sugar business
in this country, Germany has recently
increased It's export bounty and France
is about to follow suit, thus enabling
their sugar to be sold IN the United
States below the cost of production in
this country.
It was oontended that what we need
is a reasonable specific duty on sugar
imports, and an additional discriminate
ing duty on sugar from countries pay
ing bounties for exports sufficient to
equal that bounty. Under such sys-
tenn it is believed that the new industry
can be developed and the American