The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-03
SUGAR IMPORTS
 ! BILLION POUNDS Valuation for Fiscal Year Over
 $100,OO0,O00. LARGEST SINCE YEAR 1894 Figures Include Sugar Brought from Porto Rico and Hawaiian is-
 lands-Prlce Lower Than
 in Preceding Years.
LARGEST SINCE YEAR 1894

Washington, August (Special.)-More than five billion pounds of sugar, valued at over 100 million dollars, was brought Into the United States in the fiscal year just ended. This Is a larger importation of sugar than at any preceding year in the history of the country, and the value is greater than in any preceding year, ex- eept the importations of 1891. 1893 and 1894. These figures include the sugar brought from Porto Riso and the Hawaiian Islands and while the figures of the shipments from Porto Rico and the Hawaiian Islands are not included in the official statement of imports, they are properly included in the statement to show the quantity of sugar coming into the United States. The total number of pounds of sugar brought into the United States during the year was' as shown by the records of the de- partment of commerce and labor through it's bureau of statistics, 5217077, ,OS4 while in no earlier year in the history of the country has the importation of sugar ever reached five billion pounds.
 Large In 1897.
 The largest importation in any earlier year was that of 1s97 when the total was As1S905,733 pounds. Adding to the enor- nous importation of 1903, 600 million pounds as the domestic production, would give total sugar supply of 5S17 million pounds for the year. or sufficient to furn ish an average of 72 pounds for each in- dlvidual in the United States. estimating the present population at eighty million.
 The record of sugar importations for the year differs materially in certain as- poets from that of earlier years The total importation of beet sugar during the year was only ST million pounds. against 255 millions in the nscaI year 1902, and 9O8 millions in the fiscal year 1901 cane sugar of course composed the re- malnder and the cane sugar importa- tion of the fiscal year, exclusive of that brought from Porto Rico and the Ha- waiian Islands amounted to 4075 mill lions pounds, against 2,6s5 millions in the fiscal year 1902 and 2,956 millions in 1901. From Porto Rico the total sugar brought into the United States amounted to s26- l4S'5OS pounds, valued at $7,466,5 579, and from the Hawaiian Islands TIA, ,S25, 42O pounds valued at $25, 5,31O,6s4 Thus. the total quantity of sugar supplied by Porto Rico and the Hawian Island amounted to one billion pounds or about one-fifth or the total brought into the country, it's value being nearly B million dollars.
 Another Characteristic.
 Another marked characteristic of the ! years production of sugar is the fact that the price of sugar brought from for eign countries has averaged lower than in any preceding year, The official statements of the bureau of statistics have for many years shown the average cost per pound in foreign country" of the sugar imported This average cost was in 1872 and 1878 over cents per pound. From that period it ranged downward averaging and a fraction cents per pound until 1883 when the cost first fell below four cents being in 1884, 3,6 cents per pound. From that date forward it ranged downward, in some years falling below three cents per pound, the figure for 1894 being 2.9 cents as the years av- craze rate of cost.
 By 1901 the movement was still slowly downward, the average rate for 1901 being 2.5 cents per pound, and in the fiscal year just ended the average cost in the country of production of the sugar im- ported from foreign countries was 1.71 cents per pounds which Is lower than in any preceding year.