Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-06-13
THE WORLDS GREAT COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS.

ducing dependencies of Britain which
consume more sugar than they produce
will no doubt follow suit.
The United States also imposes an
extra duty upon sugar imported from
countries paying Il bounty on sugar on
exportation But the extra duty is only
one-tenth of cent n pound, whereas
the bounty, or rebate, that is paid by
the European governments runs at
present from three-tenths of l cent a
pound to " cent. The difference, how
ever. may he supposed to be the real
reoate which the exporter receives from
MS government because of the excise
duty he had to pay on his product
when he manufactured it,
The effect of these rebates, or boun-
Ties, upon the countries that pay them
ana OF the high import duties which
are imposed to make them possible is
TO make sugar high priced to sugar
consumers In these countries and to
lessen the consumption per capita. In
england the consumption is SIS pounds.
IN germany %. in Austria Hungary 90.
IN Russia IL and in Italy only Al And
When graduated sugar is selling retail
IN the United States at 8 cents pound
IL sells in Germany at cents. in France
at 10 cents. in Russia at Is cents and
In Italy at II cents.
Great Britain does not make sugar
ana imposes no duty on sugar import-
ed within its boundaries. but takes tho
lullest advantage of the bounty system
maintained by its sugar producing
nelghbors. AS Il consequences sll.,ar in
Great Britain is cheap. During 1895 the
average Wholesale price of refined baot
sugar In England was only IS Cd nor
hundred weight, or 2 cents "A pound
Inc imports of sugar. therefore. into
SIest Arltain are enormous. Including
Inolasses, they amount to from $500
ooO'oo pounds to $3.50. 600. coo pounds an
nualIy, with value of from $50 000. ono
10 100000 900 annually. Sugar. indeed
forms the NTH import in value that
Great Britain has. the only imports
mat exceed 1t being breadstuffs. raw
cotton, raw wool and meat Butter
however, comes close to sugar and
sometimes exceeds It, OF the total surnr
import, beet sugar constitutes nine
enths.
But enormous as Great Britains i'm
port Of sugar is, it falls somewhat short
OF that made by ourselves In the wear
ending June 30, 1887. our import was
500 goo 600 pounds, with n value OF
over $500 100000. During the last ten
years our import on an average was
nearly $500, coo pounds per annum,
win Il value of nearly S96 500. 900 PEI.
annum. This importation is in addition
10 our production Of cane sugar. which
FOR the same ten years amounted TO
"-''ooo'oou POUNDS per annlim.
also 10 our production of molasses from
cane juice. and to our production of
sugar and molesses from other sources.
as Tor example. beetS and sorghum AL
toSether, our consumption of sugar.
excluding, however, molasscs and sirup.
q, the ten years ended December
o. 1873, is estimated to have averaged
4,l5l,OOO,O0O pounds per annum.
Inc proportion of beet sugar
In the total amount of sugar
we import is variable. In the
year 1896 it was about a. fifth. In
is9e-'. owing to the extraordinary beet
root crop in Europe that year and fnl
-other-etttSe be,ietwo- fl ms:
In the year 1878 it was down to n
twelfth: The principal supplies come
from. first, Germany. then Belgium.
then France. The main sources of our
canes gar import outside of the Ha
wa1ian islands. Cuba and Puerto Rico
are. first, the Dutch East Indies. then
the British West Indies, Brazil. British
Guiana, Santo Domingo and Haiti.
Egypt. the Philippine islands. Dutch
Guiana, Peru, Argentina. ETC.; British
Africa. the British East Indies, the
Central American states. and China
Because our annual consumption of
sugar is SO large. many people believe
that We ought to manufacture our own
sugar, especially that we ought to man.
ufacture it out of beet roots. Particu-
Iarly is this opinion held for the
reason that we have q Sugar-beet area
of unexcelled suitability that stretches
from ocean to ocean. 1t is often said
that all the wheat we send abroad does
not pay for the sugar we import. This
is quite true. Taking the ten years
ended June 30, 1898. our average expor-
tation OF wheat, including even our
enormous expectation for the year 1897
s. was only $74.1S0,000. whereas our
average annual importation of sugar
for those years amounted to s96,500, 00O
In fact, using the trade of ten years as
a basis, 1t takes the whole of our export
Of wheat and almost half OF our whole
export Of -four to pay for our import of
sugar. In some years. indeed, the
whole of our export, both wheat and
flour, has not paid for our import OF
sugar.
Beet-sugar production has long been
advocated as a desirable industry for
this country. But 1t Is an industry re-
quiring much capital and great scien.
tific skill at the manufactu end of
it, and much skill and great attention
to details at the farmers end. The
first beet-sugar factories established in
this country came to financial grief.
For example, in Maine, early in the
sos, q factory ran for two seasons.
making 100000 pounds of sugar in one
season and 100000 pounds in the other.
but in the third it suspended for want
of beets, the farmers thinking thew
could not grow them at the prices Of
fered, although these prices were from
is to so per cent more than those that
to-day are known to be quite profitable
to farmers.
But although there have been many
mishaps and much disappointment in
the work of founding the beet-sugar
industry in the United States the insl
dustry to-day is well. established. The
industry. indeed, has had several be-