The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-08-16
|WIll IT AFFECT SUGARl
SHOULD CUBA BE ANNEXED 40
THE UNITED srATFsr j
Our New Possessions Likely to Cause
Touble With the Orange and
Beet Product

w. H. HOlabird, who, has been promi-
nently Identified with the beet sugar In
dsutry of Southern California, has Just
returned from a visit to New York and
other eastern cities. The object Of his visit
to the east was to endeavor to interest east
ern capital In the establishment OF beet
sugar factory in the vicinity of Los An
geles A Herald reporter interviewed Mr.
Holablrd yesterday on the results Of his
trip.
What are your impressions" he was
asked, 'of the effect of the war with Spain
will have upon the sugar Industry"
II spent some four weeks In New York.
said Mr.. Holabird, besides visiting Rich
mond, Va, Washington. Buffalo and Chi
cago. The country is generally In pros
porous condition, and money is cheap.
Kansas and the northwest have splendid
crops. In fact, have never seen such a
crop as Kansas will harvest this year. 1t
will tax the railways to transport 1t TO
Chicago. Virginia is the only state where
the crop Is poor, and attribute 1t to care
less methods of blowing and cultivation.
Land is very cheap In Virginia. was Of
fered large tracts on the peninsula between
|
acre. Similar lands here would bring $50.
During the past year great interest has
been manifested in beet sugar, and when
l went east in June believed that the cap
ital necessary to erect a factory near Los
Angeles could be readily secured. 1 was
very hopeful Of the results until.the morn
ing when the news came from Cuba that
Garcia had quarreled with General Shafter
The banker through whom was working
informed me that very day that II was be-
lieved in New York that Cuba would be
annexed to the United States. The Cubans
were demonstrating that they were unfit to
govern. and that. once in power, their rule
would be as oppressive as the spaniard's
had been A large amount Of American cap
ital is already invested In Cuba, aggregating
more than one hundred million dollars. The
Insurgents have burned the sugar houses
and cane fields and have caused tremen-
dous losses to the owners. Naturally. the
American investors In Cuba feel that gov
eminent by the people who have destroyed
their property would be unstable and op-
pressivs, hence by intrigue In Cuba and
by most powerful influence in Washing
ton, they hope for and confidently expect
annexation. The effect upon the invest
ments by the admission OF sugar free from
duty into the United States would be to
| reimburse them for all the years OF loss
caused by the Cuban rebellion. It's game
worth playing for.
Everything in the leading newspapers
In the utterances Of public men, confirm
the prediction that Cuba can only have
stable governmnt by annexation to the
United States. Puerto Rico is generally
understood to be ours by right Of conquest.
Both islands together can produce 5000, 900
tons of sugar annually-50,0oO tons more
than our total consumption. People famil-
lar with the business confidently assert
that raw cane sugar grown in Cuba and
Porto Rico can be laid down In New York
for ~ cents a pound, and experts say this
sugar can be refined for 71-10O of one cent
making the cost of dry graunlated sugar
221 cents per pound. II this be true (and
there is little doubt of it, beet sugar can
never be produced to compete with 1t. 1t
will enable the sugar trust to so reduce the
price of sugar that the beet sugar factories
will be compelled to close their doors.
at will thus enable the great monopoly
to throttle an industry that seemed to
promise (prior to the Cuban war; great
things for the American farmer, and to ac-
tualy keep 800 900 Of our money from
going abroad annually. While I am quite
willing to bow to the wish Of the majority.
am very fearful powerful and small
| minority will control in this as in other
matters of vital interest to our country.
1.-The effect of the requirement of Porto
Rico alone upon the citrus fruit industry
will be very serious Oranges grow wild on
the island; land and labor are very cheap.
few years Will develop orchards of the
choicer budded varieties that will compete
with Southern California. Their oranges
can be sold In the Atlantic seaports for 90
cents per box. and at profit to the grower.
We pay about that sum to the railroad for
freight I am afraid the people who are
so eager for the annexation Of the Spanish
Islands In both the West midas and in the
Philippines have not seriously considered
| the results.
But the second and more sober thought
will come too late. II is even now very un-
popular to speak against annexation; but
time will tell. Already gigantic schemes
are being concocted IN New York for float
ing companies to develop the sugar lands
In Cuba and orange lands in Porto Rico
1t is sure to become the popular invest
ment craze of the age, and every dollar of
American money invested in Cuba will in
crease the popular demand for American
control Of the government
Bankers, manufacturers Of machinery
and ref1ners of sugar will reap the harvest
while the American grower of sugar cane,
sugar beets, rice, oranges and early vege-
| tables will suffer"