The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-16
SUGAR INDUSTRY
....roor pingree Thinks Michi-
gan Should Try It.
MAKE MUCH MONEY BY 1T.


,,rderers by OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
of Interest from Lansing.
.s Mich, Feb. 16.-Governor
o' n is very much interested IN the
,ns nroyiding bounty for beet sugar
D Michigan production. He believes
.ho bounty is the proper way or
s,,,re this industry started, ana mas
F' 1T whatever that II will be a
0ot thing for Michigan. He Is con-
,sood that there is money In II, ana
US that the state that makes the start
40 one that will reap the greatest
oe, He is not altogether sure that
~. sugar beet industry does not afford
soution for the much-vexed conVic'
'.hor problem. In conversation with
- correspondent a few days ago he
said:
.nvouldn't il be a good thing for the
.,o,e 70 set the ball rolling by establish
nc beet sugar plant. Let 1T be located
- Tho heart of that section OF the state
.rh,ch needs developing and which
,romises the best returns In the way or
.nror beets The farmers would then
have a sure market for their crops and
would be encouraged to make their land
,,o,d the hest possible returns. What II
beet sugar plant does cost several
hundred thousand dollars? 1t would be
nermanent and growing investment.
Not only that, but it would pave the
vav for a permanent and growing in
dustrv which has never been tried by
the farmers of Michigan, and would
cause worthless lands to yield hand
some returns. My experience has been
that the people never kick on the out
Law of money in the way Of permanent
investments which are sure to yield
good returns. 1t is the frivolous and use
less expenditures that they protest
against.
The Purchase of Belle Isle.
81 have had nearly eight years ex-
perience in Detroit and make this state
ment advisedly Take the purchase of
Belle isle, for instance. That cost us
1881 1871. That's big sum of money,
but the people Of Detroit would not sell
the island for $10,000,000. Even as times
are now we could get 100000 for it,
enough to pay the entire bonded in
debtedness of the city and leave us a
balance of $1,500000. Not a very bad
investment was it? And yet some peo-
pie howled when it was made. You
don't hear any howl now, though. So
1t would be with the beet sugar factory,
in my opinion. If the state established
such plant it would not only provide
the convicts with work in which they
would Dnot compete greatly with free
labor but the farmers would be fur
nished with a market for their crops
at good price.
Il believe in the convict farm idea,
too. That was mentioned in my mes
sage to the legislature. There is no
reason why these convicts could not be
set to work farming in stockades. Let
them build the stockades out of logs
or lumber just as the prison stockades
were built during the war. 1 was In
two of them for long time and ! know
something about them. Then when II
was not the proper season for farming
the convicts could replace the tempo
rary stockades with overhanging bricl
walls, and we would have somethins
permanent. We build at all seasons o
the year now, winter as we'll as sum
mer, and there is no reason why thi
building could not be done when /
is too cold to farm.
Best Work for Convicts.
The state has use for all the farm
produce the convicts would raise, s.
that competition with the farmer woui
be reduced to a minimum. They Nigh
DO a good deal of experimenting In tn
way of raising various crops not no,
raised in Michigan. and give the Michi
gan farmer the benefit of the expert
ence thus gained. This would have
tendency to raise the standard Of farm
ing in Michigan, and with such rails
would come better prices for the bette
produce. People have always got
depend on the farms for what they pu
IN their stomachs. There is nothin
temporary about the farming industr!
and for this reason 1t Is one Of the yer
best kinds of work the convicts can /
put at"
iOiViiii6 W TIC Su6di oCCe IL
dustry, Governor Pingree mentione
the marvellous growth Of the industr
In Germany, France and other foreig
countries where the annual productio
OF beet sugar has assumed enormo,
proportions. He expressed himself
Iavor Of paying bounty Of / cent p'
pound for all beet sugar manufacture
IN Michigan, such payment. howeve
70 cease whenever the congress sha
provide bounty for the country gel
orally. He also thought II might
well to fix in the bill the minimum pri
per ton Michigan farmers should
paid for their sugar beets.
The committee on state affairs I'm Il
mouse has reported substitute for q
dudley beet sugar bilf The substitu
provides bounty of 1 cent per pour
10 manufacturers, 81, 900 being appropi
ated for this purpose for each of {
ensuing two years. The bill also pr
Wdes a minimum price of "a per t
10 be paid to Michigan farmers for the
beets.
BARRIERS Want Legislation.
The BARRIERS of the state are AFT
legislation this year. Two years a
number of Detroit BARRIERS came o
mere and secured the enactment Of
law rpOnirfpo that al ho rhor ohOnQ