The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-31

ton or ready to start UP when this years crop
OF beets 10 harvested Tho uncertainty "a to
what will be done with Cuban and Philippine
sugar acts no doubt as deterrent influence
on tho beet sugar industry at this time. Tho
estimates OF the output this year are far below
those OF former years. Nevertheless. strong
effort 10 being made to hold up against the
situation Eight States offer bounty on beet
sugar. Nebraska. Michigan. Minnesota. New
York Utah and Washington pay bonus OF ono
cent a pound on the output wisconsin
eSemp from taxes for four years and Wyo-
ming for ten years. New York REQUIRES thae
IS ton shall be paid for beets. and Washing
ton and Michigan insist on the farmer being
paid 81 ton for his beets II the factory 10 to
enjoy the bounty. Michigan has S40o.ON
already Appropriated in her treasury to pay
bounties during the next two years. 1t does
not now look as II beet sugar would Do ADAM
doned very soon In this country.
Yet. as the figures show. there 10 Q great
chance for Cuba. DIR. H. W. Wiley. the chemist
OF the Department OF Agriculture. who has
been most steadfast friend OF tho beet sugar
industry In this country and is regarded as an
authority on the subject. says:
tits true that Cuba's resources almost bound
less in the matter Of sugar raising Her soil 10 won.
derfuly fertile her labor s cheap she Is near the
market, and her mills work uninterrupted By
the climate. In ten years II 10 not unreasonable to
expect her output will be doubled. or amount to
1000 900 900 pounds II Cuba should be annexed
all this sugar would be consumed by our people
In fact the production OF more than the amount OF
sugar We consume 10 not beyond the range OF posi-.
bty All that 10 needed to do this 10 to secure to
the people Of Cuba good government and the main.
tenance OF law and order. The rest would follow.
We must not shut eyes TO the fact that II 10 not
easily demonstrate that We can produce In, this
country sugar Of e5 polarization for less than three
cents pound. tits known that II can be produced
In Cuba for much less than this A number Of my
bright young men from this bureau have been
drawn away from Government employ by the large
salaries offered by Cuban sugar manufacturers. and
after years Of experience and observation there they
tell me that II 10 possible for large proportion Of
tho planters the island to harvest their cane.
mako IL into sugar. and put 1t on shipbosrd at .
price of cent pound. and come out whole and
have little proht left-not much. II 10 likely. but
they would not 60 the wall ct that ngure either
the cane beet sugar industries In this country
would inevitably do In the Same circumstances. The
beet nelds of California. New York and Nebrasks
and the cane fields OF Louisiana would make very
unequal contest with the plantations Of Cuba II the
island free and Americani1ed
The annexation OF Hawaii. Porto Rico and the
Philippines will have directly damaging effoct
the beet or sugar industry Of this country An
American protectorate over Cuba not involving the
free admission Of Cuban sugar. would result in the
rope but would not Affect adversely the sugar in.
dustry OF this country. Tho possibility of Amsri.
protectorate In Cuba resulting ultimately in
annexation will deter capital from investment in
sugar factories In this country. do not look 10
any marked increase of tho output Of sugar in this
country for yesrs to como.
Tho annexation Of Cuba the establishment Of .
customs union with the island would be . death
blow to our domestic sugar Industries Tho rapid
increase in population might. however. bring about
. revival of tho industry. but thisis possibility too
remote for practical consideration Just now.
That tho man with the hoe will let 20 the
trade he has got is q contingency to be rock
oned with. He 10 undsmayed by the thought
OF commercial as we'll as political emancipation
for Cuba. Consul Dederich writing May %
from Magdeburg gives some decidedly signi-
flcant figures. He says there are in Germany
now 401 beet sugar factories. where In 1873
there were 800. They produce 1.725 900 tons
now. whore twenty years ago they produced
1888. 1928 tons. Whom they began It took 1882
tons OF beets to make one ton Of sugar: now 10
takes IL. In other words. they have by Inn
proved methods become able to get 1915 per
cent. OF sugar from bulk OF beets that twenty
years ago yielded but a.24 per cent. On the
start "a tons Of beets were all factory could
work up In q day; now the average for each
factory Is PSI tons. In 1873 they got 203
pounds OF raw sugar from a ton OF beets; In
1898 they got $40 pounds.
The man with the hoe himself enjoys little
OF the sugar he raises. He Is like the farmer
who sold all his mark etable potatoes. fed the
next best to his pigs and then ate the very
small ones himself. While We are eating 65 or
20 pounds each Of us over here. and our cous.
ms in England are using 80 pounds per capita
annually. the average citizen OF Germany con-
sumes but % pounds year. the Austrian but
10 pounds the Frenchman but 80. the Russian
10 pounds. the italian POUNDS the Spaniard IL
pounds. and the people OF Greece. Servia, Bull
garia and Turkey from 3 to pounds a year.
His nearby market Is not likely to increase at
present prices. With the reduction OF duties
he might sell as much sugar as usual but that
will not occur unless the bounties that have
created his sugar are abandoned.
Thus IL is clear from every view OF the sugar
industry that what Is Cuba's problem Ia not
hers alone. Sugar is puzzle for the whole
world to work on. How Congress will settle
as much OF 1t IA affects Cuba and the cane and
beet sugar industries OF tho United States
remains to be seen. Yet 1t is not impossible to
expect that. with bounties by the States, a de-
mand In excess OF domestic supply and coun-
tervailing duties against the bounty fed beet
sugar OF Europe. we could solve the problem
safely for ourselves and for the unfolding Of
all OF the new American colonies The policy Of
expansion. which recognizes that the Monroe
doctrine is commercial as well as political. will
sooner or later solve Cuba's sugar question.
JERSEY PARK SCHEME CURrAILED.