The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-08-03
FIVE BILLION POUNDS
OF SUGAR IMPORTED
Value Of Fiscal Years In
pOrtatiOn S100,000,0O0.
EXCEEDS ALL PAST RECORDS
Porto Rico and Hawaii Furnished About
One-ffth of Total-Decrease of
Beet Sugar Imports.

More than five billion pounds of SUI
gar, valued at over 500 600 600 was
brought into the United States I'm the
hscal year Just ended. This is a larger
importation of sugar than at any pre-
ceding year in the history of the coun-
Try. and the value is greater than in
any preceding year except the importa-
lions Of 1891. 1893, and 1884 These fig
ures include the sugar brought from
Porto Rico and the Hawaiian Islands.
and while the figures of the shipments
from Porto Rico and the Hawaiian Isl
ands 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 Department Of Commerce and
Labor through its Bureau of Statistics
5,217, 077 .0S4. while in no earlier year In
the history of the country has the i'm
ports ton Of sugar ever reached five
billion POUNDS
Seventy-two Pounds Per Capita.
The largest Importation in any earlier
year wos that of 1897, when the total
was 4.S1S,905, 7SS pounds Adding to the
enormous importation of 1903 six hun
dred million pounds as the domestic
production, would give total supply
OF ssh 100000 Cor the year. or sufficient
10 furnish an average of y pounds for
each individual in the United States.
estimating the present population at
so. 100000
The record of sugar importations for
the year differs materially in certain
aspects from that of earlier years. The
total Importation of beet sugar during
the year was only 81 million pounds.
against 255 millions in the fiscal year
1902 and 908 millions in the fiscal year
1901 Cane sugar, OF course. composed
the remainder, and the cane sugar i'm
portations of the fiscal year, exclusive
Of that brought from Porto Rico and the
Hawaiian Islands. amounted to 4.075 mil
lion pounds against 1855 millions in III.
fiscal year 1902. and 1856 millions in 1901
Porto Rico's and Hawaii's Quota.
From Porto Rico the total sugar
brought into the United States amounted
to 226. 143. sos pounds, valued at 81. act, $40,
and from the Hawaiian Islands, IA, s25. =
420 pounds. valued at $25. $40. 6S4 Thus,
the total quantity OF sugar supplied by
Porto Rico and the Hawaiian Islands
amounted to one billion pounds, or
about one-fifth of the total brought into
the country. its value being nearly 80
million dollars.
Another marked characteristic of the
that the price of sugar brought from
foreign countries has averaged lower
than in any preceding year. The official
statements of the Bureau OF Statistics
have for many years shown the aver
age cost per pound in foreign country
of the sugar imported. This average cost
was in 1872 and 1873 over cents per
pound.
From that period ii ranged downward.
averaging 4 and a fraction cents per
pound, until 1888, when the cost first
fell below cents, being in 1854, SO cents
per pound. From then forward it again
ranged downward. in some years falling
below cents per pound. the figure for
1894 being % cents, as the years aver
age rate of cost. By 1901 the movement
was still slowly downward the average
rate for 1901 being % cents per pound.
while in 1902 the average cost was l 50
cents per pound. and in the fiscal year
Just ended the average cost in the coun-
try of production Of the sugar imported
from foreign countries was Ill cents per
pound. which is lower than in any pre-
ceding year.