Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1903-08-10
IMPORTS OF SUGAR
Five Billion Pounds Brought
Here Last Year
Exceeding Figures OF Any Previous
Year-Almost Billion Pounds Of
Domestic Sugar Used.

Washington, Aug. 9.-More than
billion pounds of sugar, valued at over
100 million dollars, was brought into
the United States in the fiscal year
just ended. This is larger importa-
ton of sugar than in any preceding
year in the history Cf the country.
and the valUe is greater than in any
preceding year except the importations
of 1891, 1898 and 1894. These figures
include the sugar brought from Porto
Rico and the Hawaiian islands; and
while the figures of the shipments from
Porto Rico and the Hawaiian islands
are not included in the official state
ment of imports they are properly in
cluded in the statement to show the
quantity of sugar coming into the
United States. The total number CT
pounds of sugar brought into the Unit
ed States during the year was, as
shown by the records of the depart
ment of commerce and labor through
its bureau of statistics, SPIT, OF ,034,
while in no earlier year in the history
of the country has the importation o:
sugar ever reached billion pounds.
The largest Importation in any ear
lier year was that of 1897, when the to-
tai was 4.91S.90 1873 pounds. Adding to
the enormous Importation of 1908, 600
million pounds as the domestic pro-
duction, would give a total sugar sup
ply of SSH million pounds for the year
or sufficient to furnish an average of
70 pounds for each individual in the
United States. estimating the present
population at so million.
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 90S millions in the fiscal year
1901. Cane sugar. OF course, composed
the remainder, and the cane sugar inn
portations of the fiscal year, exclusive
of that brought from Porto Rico and
the Hawaiian islands, amounted to A.
015 million pounds. against 1855 mill
ions in the fiscal year 1902, and 1856
millions in 1901. From Porto Rico the
total sugar brought into the United
States amounted to 226, 143, sos pounds,
valued at s1,466,579. and from the Ha-
waiian islands. ia, S25, 42O pounds, VAL
ued at s25, ,31O6Si. Thus, the total guam
tity of sugar supplied by Porto Rico
and the Hawaiian islands amounted to
of the total brought into the country,
its value being nearly SO million dol
lars.
Another marked chara cteristic of the
years production of sugar is the fact
that the price Of sugar brought from
foreign countries has averaged lower
than in any preceding year. The o.
fetal statements of the bureau of sta
tistics have for many years shown the
average cost per pound in foreign
country of the sugar imported. This
average cost was in 1872 and 1873 over
! 5 cents per pound. From that period
! it ranged downward, averaging four
/ and fraction cents per pound. until
1883, when the cost first fell below 4
cents. being in 1884, So cents per pound
From that date forward it ranged
downward. in some years falling below
3 cents per pound. the figure for 1891
being 90 cents as the years average
| rate of cost. By 1901 the movement
was still slowly downward, the aver
age rate for 1901 being 2.3 cents per
pound. while III 1902 the average cost
was 1.S2 cents per pound, and in the
fiscal year just ended the average cost
in the country OF production of the
sugar imported from foreign countries
was LII cents per pound, which is low
er than in any preceding year.