The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-12-24
SUGAR


y y y \ 4 y 4 = = =
whatever measure of accuracy may
attach to the details of the recently
published story of the German sugar
..karten" embracing producers and ref
ners. the general features OF the mar
ration are authentic and familiar. The
story is that producers and refiners
have a secret agreement in accordance
with which the rehners pay a high
price. more than the general market
would Justify. for raw sugar. and the
producers assist the red1ers in main
/ tanning an export bounty system, under
+ which sugar is sold abroad for what
ever can be got for it, and is held at a
high price at home, where it is selling
for three times as much as the same
\ German sugar is selling for in London.
The maintenance of the domestic price
affords enormous profits which the re-
fners share with the producers.
But no effective means have been de-
vised for preventing the growth of a
business that is exceptionally profita-
BILE. and as the business grows the ex-
ceptionaI profits cannot be maintained.
This years European sugar production
! is estimated by the "Centralblatt for
jZucher-industries" at more than %
per cent above that of three years ago.
In this estimate the increase in Ger
many is taken to be nearly 10 per cent
in three years. The capacity of the
German market to absorb sugar at a
high price is very greatly impaired by
the depression of trade and the large
humber of persons out of employment.
and the reduction of one-half or two
thirds in the dividends of stock COM
panies At the same time it is perfect
ly evident that the United States can
not long serve as a good market for
German sugar; our own beet interests
are growing fast, and a great increase
in the production of cane sugar is GER
tain in our newly acquired islands and
Cuba and it is evident enough that our
own beet and cane interests are reach |
ing the stage of a very serious, even if
not a vital, struggle, wholly apart from !
the general question of the rivalry OF
beet and cane in the worlds markets. |
Cane production in Porto Rico and !
Hawaii is increasing fast. WilIeet & /
600 long tons of cane sugar produced !
within the territories Of the Unit |
ed States. and an increase over .
the past year of 245, GOO tons !
in Cuba, which is fast get
ting back to its hish-water mark. a
small increase is estimated in Java.
The combined cane and beet estimate
for 1902 IS put at nearly s per cent
above that of 1901.
Javan correspondence of the Louis
lana Planter describes the very extern
sive operations now going on in the
way of improving varieties of cane in
order to get more sugar from an acre.
As a result of this one estate made
over five tons Of sugar per acre, and
Queensland and several of the British
West Indies are making every effort 20
improve cane and get more sugar. One
company in Hawaii Will get an average
Of five tons of sugar per acre for its
whole tract of 1900 acres. Hawaiian su-
gar has generally gone to San Fran ?
CISCO but the Hawaiian-American !
steamship Company is said u t
have contracts II bring 10000 IONS y
IF sugar 10 this port. ana it is predicted t
nat in two years the whole production I
IF the Maui plantations viii be market i
II in the Eastern States.
Hardly any branch Of agriculture is
10 profitable as sugar beet raising
where the soil is favorable and a fac
DRY is at hand. The manufacture Of
ugar at present prices is abnormally
profitable where il can be carried on or
sufficiently large scale But most Of
he cane-producing countries can pro- =
luce little else They must stay in the
BUSINESS. and by improving their meth 6
DIS they can greatly reduce the cost of
reduction The world is bound to have :
heap sugar and the profits Of culture I
nd manufacturing viii have TO come
own TO normal rates. J
In the meantime Germany is practic-
ng an utterly vicious system. that of (
very high domestic price
no OF exporting at a loss when ii is l.
ecessary TO do this. The consumer is =
aNed ~ the price and the whole nation
taxed TO pay the bounty. and the re-
ner and the beet raiser are for the
me being dividing large profits. 1t is 7
MY TOO evident that this cannot go
n Efforts are being made 10 reduce Z
lelr acreage, but how can any grow ,
De sure that other growers will not q
lCrease their acreage and profit by his .,
-i-denial? Germany would like 10 g
ooIlsh the bounty system. but it is
'uottul If Russia will agree to give it
p. Germany has created a burden G
"i'H Sle cannot long continue to car
: and which she knows not how To Law "
erce. !
WILLETT & GRAY'S CIRCULAR. =
The Week-Raws unchanged. Rein -
unchanged. Net cash quotations e.
re; MuscOvados. 3.25c; centrffugals.
75c; graduated. 4 soc. Receipts. 1920 II
rs NIaltins-s 90 nnn -or.s T., -.--,