The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-04-08
SUGAR QUESTION
Special Agent SaylOfS InVeStiga-
tiOnS in Porto Rico.
LOW COST OF PRODUCTION
Treasury Officials Considering the
Revenue Probe m-Duty to
be Retained

WASHINGTON, March 1S-Treasury
officials are much interested in the re-
port which c. F. Saylor, the special
agent of the Agricultural Department
| to investigate the sugar question,
| brings back from Porto Rico, where he
was sent on a special investigation by
| Secretary Wilson to determine the re-
| lation Of the sugar industry there to
| the beet sugar industry here.
| Mr. Saylor does not discuss the po
this is outside of his province, but the
treasury officials, interested in the fu
| ture revenue situation, take from his
findings of fact some positive conclu-
sions as to the revenue situation in this
particular. For example, Mr.. Saylor
| finds that the Porto Rican can raise
sugar for cents a pound Of the same
standard that it will cost the beet pro-
ducerS of this country 3A cents a
pound to manufacture. This means, ac-
cOrding to treasury officials, that the
tariff wall of the United States must be
retained against the products of these
tropical islands, or the beet sugar in
dustry of this country is doomed.
Porto Rico in itself would not do this,
since it supplies only about 3 per cent
| of the sugar consumption of this coun-
| try, and under most favorable circum-
stances could supply only about 512
per cent but the situation is essential
ly the same in regard to Cuba and the
philippines, islands whose products are
l,a do 1op do
ltermine the ruling price of sugar in the
United States.
| DIET OF THE LABORERS.
| Mr. Saylor discusses the reasons for
ithe low price OF sugar production in
Porto Rico. He finds the wages of
labor distressingly low, and what is
back of that, the cost of living. Five
lcents day is a large price for the food
of a Porto Rican laborer. The big
lsugar factories, which feed their own
lemployes, charge themselves on their
account but seven cents day per man
for food, and they give much more
substantial and nourishing diet than
the ordinary laborer of that country
gets in his own home. The ordinary
food of the Porto Rican is this: In the
morning he eats a piece of bread and
what is called coffee. At II he takes
i'breakfast" which consists of coffee, a
piece of bread, some tuba Qike our po-
tato), which is mostly starch, and some
bean soup. This soup is the only
nutritious part of the meal Mr.. Say
lOr says he has never seen them eat
meat except as particles in their soup.
1.-The night meal is the same as this
breakfast. To this insufficient diet he
IL. 81 &c
the Porto Rican laborer 1t is COM
|monly computed that the laborer in the
beet sugar region of this country is
worth three Porto Ricans, but Mr.. Say
lor believes that if the laboring man Of
the United States had no better food to
leat and lived in that country he would
not be much better than the Porto
Rican.
DISPARITY IN COST OF PRODUC-
TION.
The disparity in cost of sugar pro-
duction there and in this country will
lessen, Mr.. Saylor thinks, as time goes
on. As the island becomes American
lied the tastes and wants of the labor
| ing population will increase, and with
] this will go a demand for higher
wages. While the price of sugar in
consequence will go up there, it is like
| ly to go down here on account of the
increasing profitable use to which the
| bye-products of the sugar beet fac
tories will be put. These two changes,
however, are in the nature of long-dis-
lance effects, and what the treasury is
now looking at is the immediate rev.
enue problem involved. The officials
see no way Of maintaining our grow
ing beet sugar industries except by the
retention of the duty against sugar
from the tropical islands. including
those in our own possession.