The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-08-09
Consumption of Sugar.

Judging from the occasional appear
ance in the sugar trade organs of ar
ticles eulogistic of sugar as a food sta
pie. there Is a strong desire among
ton of the article increased in all civ
ilized countries, but except as a cattle
food sugar would not seem TO be amen
able to such devices in this country
Or Great Britain. where the aforesaid
articles are frequently published. We
have a high standard of sugar con-
sumption in the United States, not SO
high as the British standard, which
is about Is pounds, but our 90 pounds
looks positively Gargantuan beside the
.ow consumptive rate of the continent
Of Europe.
In Germany, Austria, France and
We believe all other beet sugar coun-
tries of Europe, the abundant use OF
sugar is a luxury restricted to The
rich and people of comfortable means,
and yet 1t is to those very countries
hat the problem Of how to extend
The use of sugar as food has most Sc
riously addressed itself. With COM
oined production of about 5000 900 tons
those nations would naturally profit
by considerable increase of the the
consumption of sugar, but If they could
bring their own per capita consumption
20 somewhere near the American stan
lard. they or their sugar producing
lass would be enormous gamers, AMI
The great problem OF how to put the
oeet sugar industry on healthy basis,
independent of the props Of paternal
governments, would no longer call
loudly for solution.
As far as this country is concerned,
neither the consumer nor the pro-
Queer of sugar has much reason to
complain. The domestic consumer does
not get his supply of the staple as
eheaply as his British cousin gets
his. but on the other hand, the domes-
tic producer is protected to some ey-
tent against the bounty fed sugar IF
Europe, and the high American per
capita rate shows that conditions are
sufficiently favorable to the American
consumer
The protection policy in Europe has
forced the worlds price of sugar down
to levels in recent years that would
have seemed impossible a generation
earlier, but the great reduction in the
domestic cost OF refining and distrib-
uting sugar in late years has been an
important factor in raising the Ameri-
can consumption of the article to its
present high rate of about 90 pounds.
1t is certainly great triumph for
modern business skill and energy when
raw sugar costing, duty included, AZ
cents pound, can be delivered at con-
sumers' homes in the granulated state,
1t 6 cents pound, and sometimes less.
The efficiency and cheapness with
which the refining and distribution OF
sugar are performed in this country,
and the absolute purity of the article,
should always be borne in mind when
sensational articles attacking modern
methods of consolidation as applied to
the grocery trade appear in the news
papers, and also when the grocery
store is held up to public reprobation
as the channel of aduIteration aad |
other forms Of fraud.
The bulkiness OF sugar makes 1t an
expensive and-troublesome article TO |
handle. The refining process calls |
Tor large capital. great technical skill |
and business ability. and the distribu- |
don demands the services OF an army |
of statesmen. bookkeepers. credit men,
porters. etc. in the wholesale and re- |
tail branches of the grocery trade, be- |
sides the facilities afforded by the rail |
and water lines OF transportation. Yet /
the entire task OF taking the raw ar
ticle from the lighters at the refining |
locks, transmitting 1t into glittering
crystals OF absolute purity. and deliv-
ering il at the residence OF the con-
sumner. Is performed for the ridiculous
y small margin OF two cents. Rein
srs. wholesalers. retailers and freight
charges must all come out OF this
.wo cents. Is il not astonishing.
When the continental nations OF Eu-
'ope can allow the home consumer to !