Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-16

be done having In view the inviolaollity
Of the contracts with the Davis shoe
company and also keeping In mind the
needs OF the penitentiary' especialiy
should the Legislature authorize the
building OF an additional dollhouse.
OF course, no one suggests that the
state should break any contract CT hers,
and II Is equally assured that II a practi-
cal scheme OF finance can be first ar
ranged. provision will be made for re-
serving enough convict labor to do the
common laborers' work upon The new
building.
We shall not refer to the competing
schemes farther than TO express the hope
that one may be found which will give
encouragement TO capitalists TO build
factory in Virginia We should prefer
to see the factory located in the neigh
borhood of Richmond; but If any other
Virginia community is willing to do more
than we are to secure It. why we must
be content to see Il so elsewhere. or one
thing we feel quite sure, and this is that
sooner or later we shall have beet-sugar
factories in this state.
The great trouble IS TO make start. The
difficulty IS not so much TO get the money
10 build the factory as 20 convince the
CAPITALISTS that the required beet supply
will be obtained II we people Of Vir-
ginia could give reasonable assurances
that the factory would have the needful
beet supply for several years 70 come
the money for building it would be forth
coming promptly. There's the rub. Never
can we have a factory until those who
would put their money into it see where
the beets 10 run it are coming from.
Hence, it becomes the duty of the Legis-
lature 10 do what it can in the matter Of
encouraging the culture Of beets. And
thus we believe it is possible TO do with
out hurt 20 any existing contract and
without interfering with the proposed i'm
provement Of the penitentiary building.
All the evidence before us goes TO show
that beet-sugar has come 10 stay, and
that beets may be cultivated as success
fully in this country as in Germany
France. or Belgium-the countries where
the industry fourishes most. on this
question we append TIE following extract
from an able article by Wallace p. Will
lett. which recently appeared in the New
York Evening Post:
Utah built sugar-factory in 1S9O-9l. and
has made a success of IL. paying dividends
recently Of 81 per cent. Owing TO this sue
cess. additional factories are contemplated
In that state.
Everybody knows that in California the
boet-sugar industry has grown rapidly
from 1869, when the Alvarado Company
started in with the successful experts |
from the Wisconsin factory. 1t is a fact, |
however. that California had its disas-
.r0us year of failures while learning from |
experience the requirements of the bust /
less; but by patient perseverance all |
hose difficulties have been overcome, |
ma the industry in California is now on |
quite as safe and much more profitable
/ basis than IS is in any European coun-
~. Immense sums of money are now go
ng into the largest class OF factories
or sugar manufacture, and the largest
control of acreage for beet-root culture.
{ is easy enough to get capital into Cali
ornia beet-sugar.
such object-lessons Of successful beet
ugar production are an attraction TO
capitalists that cannot be resisted. Ne
lraska and Utah have also Object-lessons
# successful beet-sugar production. II
oes not require much examination OF the
hove history Of beet culture In other
states 10 discover the causes Of the rail-
lres. They are all within sight-too lin
ted capital invested machinery not
dapted TO taking the y to 10 per cent.
ugar out of the beets that Is In them
he fact that the farmers. as rule. were
rot businessmen, and had not high re-
lard for a contract. and would leave the
actory lin the lurch" for a sufficient
supply Of beets. But the world moves.
What was impracticable a few years ago,
las become quite practicable now.
II would be absurd to say that from
,eets Of y per cent. to % per cent. su-
.ar content, per cent. to per cent. can
My be drawn in these days. Any good
machinery manufacturer will guarantee
o take 10 per cent. to y per cent. at
east out of the beets.
The day is passed for thinking Of going
nto boet-sugar manufacture on a capital
# $1,000 or $4,000. Large factories, with
most improved machinery, are only to be
Considered now. Such factories, with
liant costing 100000 and working capital
efficient to pay cash for one seasons
/
er day Tor 100 working days, are what
S required for profitable outcome.
Many such enterprises are in contem-
lation in this and other States, and, If
he preliminary experiments of beet
uture are carefully conducted, the rail-
DAD facilities sufficient, the supplies Of
water, lime. coal. and labor abundant
nd economical, the factory properly To-
ated ana constructed, the agricultural
nd thoroughly looked after the season
through. and. in fact the whole business
IS carefully managed as IS one Of our
reat sugar refneries, there is no doubt
whatever that the enterprise will pay
cry handsomely in dividends to the
tOckholders from the very first seasons
perations.
A fun and sufficient protection to the
Industry is afforded by the present sugar
ariff and il is not too much to say that,
With the next five to ten years expert
nee. and the improved methods that will
e found by this inventive nation for saw
ng Of expenses from the sowing of the
eed to the marketing Of the sugar, the
will go on thriving and in
reasing without any tariff protection
whatever.
Fifty thousand tons Of beet-sugar are
ow produced in the United States TO
meet a national consumption of 100000
ons. and, perhaps, 100000 tons fifteen
ears from now. There is, therefore, no
ear of overproduction
The following is a list Of the beet-sugar
actories now in active operation in the
Jnited States.
Capacity
per day.
Tons beets.