El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-12-22
BEET SUGAR.
The Marvellous Growth of a New
Industry.

Inc marvellous OTOWlN Vi a NcW
Industry.
San Francisco Bulletin.
A correspondent of the New York
Evening Post writes from Los Ange-
| les:
"The eastern people generally have
an inadequate idea how fast the beet
sugar industry has grown in the west.
In the last twelve months 1t has gone
of land that has heretofore been virgin
soil. and has never been used for any
thing but grazing sheep and cattle, ia
being converted into great fields of
sugar beets, and some IS, 900 900 will
| be invested in beet-suRar factories in
the southwest alone In the next year"
The beet-sugar Industry is only
about seven years old. The Alvarado
factory is older in years, but Its
bounty of cents pound was put on
all sugar produced in the United
States. The product Of the Alvarsdo
factory was, in 1891, about 1000 tons q
year. Since that date the American
product of beet sugar has increased to
Sc, 900 tons. This amount makes a
small showing compared to the total
consumption, but it shows what can be
done. The men who have put their
1891 are increasing their Investments
in that line. The Oxnard Sugar COM
pany has under consideration at Hue
meme, Ventura county, q factory
designed to cost $4,000, 900. Claus
Spreckels is putting 50. 100000 in
factory At Salinas which is said to be
the largest in the world. The Post
correspondent says it will cover an
area of 532 acres and will consume the
beet product of $4,000 acres. The
factory will employ about 1000 men
six months in the year and will pay
SIP, 900 a day for beets. Companies
have been organized to constructs
factories in Arizona, Utah and New
Mexico.
One advantage to the country of
beet sugar over grain Is the employ
of Chino Is fair example. The fouu-
dations for the factory were laid in
1891. The town of Chino then consist
ed of the houses and barns of few
ranchers; now about 600 beet-sugar
farmers have pretty homes in the town
forming with the factory workmen q
population of 1000, who support . park,
q bank, . newspaper, public library
and several stores. The area of sugar
beets in the vicinity increases by 1000
acres each year. The assessed value
of Chino in 1890 was S143, 900: now it is
over 81, 900, 600. Even with this rapid
growth of the beet-suRar industry, con-
sumption Ia gaining on home produc-
ton. The importation of sugar, count
ing Hawaii sugar as an importation
has risen in the last four years from
S124, 0O0, 900 to S143, ZOO, 600.
There 10 no reason in the nature of
things why the United States should
not produce it's own sugar. There is
land enough in California rs good ~
that which is now growing sugar beets
to produce beets to supply the entire
country with sugar. It is estimated
that 5000 900 acres would be needed
for this purpose, and that 100000 mon
would find employment in the fields,
besides those employed in the facto-
ries. Since Cuba has been devastated
by war the imports of beet sugar have
increased. Last year we bought of
France and Germany not far from
ZOO, 900 tons, mostly in the raw state.
The duties on refined sugar keep the
refining industry in the country, but
the Sugar Trust reaps the greater
share of the profits. And yet while We
import 30 much sugar from Europe the
California record shows better results,
acre for acre, than the
record of any other coun-
try. We have the right kind of soil
and more sunshine to the square acre
than In the European beet-sugar fields.