New-York tribune., 1902-02-03
BEET SUGAR ARGUMENTS
REVIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF FAcrs
FIGURES AND COMMON SENSE

FIGURES AND COMMON SENSE.
To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: The arguments advanced by the mans
facturers of American beet sugar are inter..,.
ing. and no one will deny that their indus+rv !.
entitled to all due consideration at the hana.
of Congress. But II is also 10 be noted rb..
many of their arguments are exceedingly weak
while some arc almost childish
Among the latter may be cited that n. MI
claim that their industry has been establishes
to considerable extent. upon a basis OF co,a
dence in the assurances made by governns,.
officials. and in reliance upon a continuanc. =,
certain political policy. In a country which :,
so addicted 10 frequent changes in it's tariff, ana
in which there is always the possibility OF
complete reversal OF policy. it seems decids5Iv
childish for citizens OF that country to asss-,
that they ventured their money upon such a,
unstable foundation. No excuse whatever arts,s
for any claim 10 special consideration for
structure which is known to be erected ma,
the sands of a shifting political rather tina,
upon the rock OF solid business principles.
Their arguments further show that upon th,,
uncertain basis they have erected structu,.
which, at its best. can only be regarded a,
fiimsy. They admit great difficulty in securing
a sufficient quantity OF raw material to run
ThAv
are trying 10 educate the farmers OF their
different vicinitles into a conviction that beet
growing is both profitable to their pockets and
beneficial to their lands. They claim that thew
are succeeding in this effort in certain ocalits,
A limit that they are doing so. it still remains a
matter of doubt whether IT will take ten years
or twenty years Of education to induce our
farmers to grow beets enough 70 enable ths In
dustry to supply US with 100000 tons Of sugar
which is about one-ffth OF what we now r.
quire. and about one-eighta OF what we shall
require ten years from now.
They ask ten years for the development OF
their industry. They asked the same ten years
ago, and they have had it. There is much rea-
TO believe that if it were given them, the
Congress which sits in 1912 would ind a group
Of American beet sugar producers besieginz It's
doors with petitions for still further exten-
sion, and using the same old arguments in SUP
port OF their petitions.
The fact OF the matter seems to be that N.
American beet sugar industry is neither On a
sound business basis nor conducted upon sound
business principles. Factories are erected with
a working capacity far beyond any lmmediats
probability of a supply OF material which viii
enable them to work up to their capacity They
put a boy into a mans clothes in the hope that
Good business would see that the probability
is that the clothes Will be worn out before the
boy attains manhood. The sawmiu man who
built 10000 foot capacity mill in a section
where he could get but 10000 feet OF logs per
day would go into early bankruptcy with no
sympathy from his fellows. Our beet sugar
friends do very much that sort OF thing and ex-
pect not only sympathy but government assist
ance.
Two years ago. Mr.. Oxnard declared. over his
own signature, that the beet sugar industry Of
10 try zfO SON has Eruu
business In the country" To-day. he and his
associates declare that IL needs crutches for the
next ten years. He also said. at that time, we
can undersen Europe In the production OF all
other crops, and sugar is no exception" Figures
show that the American and the German pro-
ducers are quite on oil fours in everything ex-
cept the matter OF profits
Our government official statistics give the
average cost OF beet root throughout the coun-
try for 1900 81 80 per ton. The beet sugar
people now say they are paying more than that,
but they do not say much about the extractable
sucrose in its relation to the price which they
pay. The government statistics give l4o per
cent as the average sugar content OF the beetS
grown IN this country. We may admit that
through imperfect machinery or incompetent
handling not all OF this is obtained But results
should show an extract OF II per cent. or 10
pounds OF sugar 70 the ton OF beets. Mr. Oxnard
states that. at one OF his large factories IN
California. they paid 50 20 per ton and the su-
crose percentage was 16.5. Allowing the same
percentage for waste and loss the above, he
should have obtained 2T2 pounds OF sugar. which
very nearly eQualizes the beet root cost OF S4SS
and s. 20.
The official figures OF cost OF beet root IN Ger
many are given Jas an averagel as 10 marks and
10 pfenniss per ton. equivalent to about u %
The extraction was 1888 per cent. These hg-
ures for the cost Of raw material are not widely
different. in equivalent result, from those given
by both the United States Department OF Agri-
culture and by Mr.. Oxnard. 1t IS therefore
evident that the American and the German
manufacturers start quite a level SO 1ar as
cost OF material Is concerned. and IL re-
ms Tha aY1a
sugar on par with the German cost which
they have claimed ability 10 do, or 70 acknowi-
edge themselves beaten.
For the season OF 1900 the Kruschwitz factory
I'm Germany reports a dividend Of 2S per cent
Its cost OF manufacturing Is given as 81 II
per ton OF beets worked. The average factory
cost for all German reineries is given. approx
mately. 81 per ton. Their average extrac-
ton is given 271 pounds OF sugar TO the to1
OF beets. a cost for finished product OF II
cents PEI pound. And here come our American
factories, with their boasts OF ability 70 rlvaI
the world. and declare that the cost or thelI
sugar Is nearly double that OF their German
competitors. Somehow. there appears to be IN
the beet sugar Industry, as II Is now coEducteu-
sLndry indications Of structural weakness
Yet. in spite OF all this. the day will come
when sugar from American beet root viii nj :
very important place in our home demand anu
IL will not then make the presentation now U--
fered by its promoters. II Will be q STURDY N
dustry standing upon its own feet and ASKING
favOrs from one. Its home will De the SUI
lands of the West. where, free from danger o.
frosts. systems of irrigation Will supply "a
requisite deg~ae of moisture when II Is WaHlTu,
and the plant, in both quantity and q4aIit&S, - y
brought TO its highest development 10 " M a
the industry in the condition IN Nll-Ct = =.
shown TO be by those who are interested Is -
impose an enormous charge upon the ~ A1eIISeI''
tior NJ 0rrsrd's scJxnovr Iedgment that he was
wong IN 1890 is no assurance that Is ne Is Iss"'
to-day ALBERT u RuOl+>0'''
Washington. Jan. 80 I9u--
THE EAGLES SPAN