The herald., 1898-09-18
SUGAR PRODUCERS CONCERNED

The question of acquisition of Hawaii
Porto Rico. Cuba ard the Philippines is
one In which the sugar producers of this
country are deeply interested-more
deeply than any other class-on account
of the effect upon their industry. The
ering the subject under fear that they
will be unable to compete with Cuba,
should the sugar of that island be per-
mtted to enter this country free of duty
which would certainly be a result of an
nexaton. Porto Rico will never be able
to produce a sufficient quantity to make
her a formidable competitor. and, there
fore, her acquisition creates no alarm.
Hawaii will never be a rival in the
eastern markets. nor will the Philippines.
But their acquisition would have an i'm
portant influence upon beet sugar pro-
duction in California.
During the war in Cuba between the
insurgents and the Spanish our largest
supply of sugar has come from Ger
many-that is, larger than from any
other single country. 1t is a notable fact
that German production of beet sugar
is substantially equal to the quantity
consumed in the United States. The in
dustry has been wonderfully developed,
and the Germans produce sugar from
beets at lass cost than it has yet been
produced anywhere from cane. Every
resource of mechanical ingenuity and of
chemistry has been reSOrted to in that
country. AS sugar is admitted into Great
Britain free of duty, German competi-
tion has destroyed the cane sugar indus
try of the British West Indies. Jamaica
Trinidad, Barbados. St. Vincent, st.
Kits and other places.
1t is estimated that Cuba will be able
in a short time, under stable govern
ment and the influence of American en-
terprise, to quadruple her former pro-
duction, and it is this that most of all
alarms the Louisiana and Texas plant
ers. But it will never be possible for
Cuba to produce anything like the guam
tity consumed in the United States. MOI
will all that Hawaii and Porto Rico car
produce, in addition to Cuba's possible
yield, be sufficient to supply the Ameri-
can people. the consumption annually is
66 pounds per capita. The present con.
sumption is nearly 100000 tons, and no,
more than 100000 tons are produced al
home. Though possessing less than a
q g. fft h. ,1,t -. =
this country consumes about one sixth
of all the sugar produced in the world
This is because our people use sugar ir
tea and coffee, in their liquors and in
which ha bit is not anything like as prev
alent in other countries.
1t is an unsolveG question whether
sugar can be produced more cheaply
from beets than from cane, though Ger.
many has shown her ability to excel ir
that respect; but her system is perfect
so far as cultivation and extraction OF
saccharine are concerned. She has ap.
ever been done in any cane-growine
countries. Her people are more intelli
gent, industrious and energetic thar
any who have ever been engaged ir
producing cane sugar. Climate is more
favorable for work in Germany, which
is in the temperate zone, than in cane.
growing countries, where the climate is
tropical or semi-tropical. 1t Is regarded
as certain by those who have made
study of the subject that producers OF
cane sugar cannot successfully compete
with beet-sugar producers, unless they