The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-17
THE RELUCTANT FACTOR.


AS the sugar-beet movement has pro-
ceeded it has become apparent that
there are two distinct factors in it,
which it is very difficult to unite or,
after uniting, to keep working in har-
mony The one is the capital and skill
needed to erect the plant and operate
it; the other is the farmers needed to
grow the beets. No capitalist is VEN
turesome enough to put the 100000
to $780, 0GO needed for the equipment Of
d modern refinery into a plant unless
he has the most positive assurance
that, for a period of years, he will have
not only beets to be converted into su-
gar in it, but that he will have enough
to keep the refinery running long
enough TO earn profits enough to pay
expenses and a dividend on his capital
The farmers, on the other hand, are
naturally reluctant to bind themselves
to plant and cultivate and supply beets
until the factory is built and some as
surance given that they will not have
an unmarketable and useless lot of
beets on their hands
But, if these two obstacles are over
come, there come others in the train
of operation. The factory buying the
beets naturally and properly requires
the beets to come up to certain mini
mum standard of sugar contents. On
this standard the ton price for the beets
is based. The sugar contents are af-
fected by several causes, mainly eli
matte. If they fall below the standard,
the price decreases, and properly, for
there is greater expense in producing
a given quantity of sugar. Mr.. c. H.
Piper tells the MankatO Free Press that
he has been in Nebraska and has talk
ed with the farmers who raise beets
for the Oxnard factory. He says that
the papers ought to try and stop this
agitation over sugar beet growing"
None of the farmers was satisfied with
the price paid. The grade for which
81 a ton was paid was a high one, and
where the beets fall below that they
get nothing to speak of. They can
raise from six to ten tons to the acre,
a large part of which is rejected.
When the great care and labor and
the per cent of beets rejected are con-
sidered, there is little in it for the
farmers" This is very different from
the haloed stories of big crops and
profits of which we heard so much.
But the reluctant factor is capital,
and with reason. 1t is not invited to go
into a new field, or one in which few
have ventured and returns are large.
They have to meet a competition such
as capital has to meet in hardly any
tries producing beet sugar, but four of
them, Germany, Austria, France and
Belgium, are taxing their people to
ray a premium on the sugar exported.
The effect of this is to diminish the
price in the foreign market. 1t results
in giving those countries that give
free entrance to imports of sugar the
cheapest possible sugar. Even to those,
SUCH DIS OuIS, 1OOllSIl eHOGSll " ue-
pYive their citizens of the advantages
provided by the bounty paying nations,
this bountied sugar comes in increas-
ing quantities, Notwithstanding the
hindrances. Not only is there a ire
mendous competition now, but every
years sees it increase in intensity The
production of beet sugar last year was
4,772OOO tons, and the selling price in
England is less than that of wheat.
The rebellion has cut Cuba's yield of
cane sugar to barely 100000 tons last
year. What will happen when the
island again pours upon the market
million and more tons, in addition to
the increasing yield of beet? Is it
any wonder that capital pauses when
invited to enter such a field?