Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-03-28
COFFEE IN BRAZIL

Rio Janeiro. Brazil, April 8. 1891
have spent a day among the coffee
shippers Of Rio Janeiro. This is. next
to Santos, the greatest coffee port Of
the world. Millions Of bags are here
shipped every year, and the chief bust.
ness Of Brazil vast coffee crop is
done here. Rio Janeiro lives upon cof.
fee. For that matter. It is the main.
stay OF Brazil. In 1895 the total OK.
ports Of the country amounted to $780,.
100000, and OF this $40, 100000 came
from coffee. The rise Of a cent pound
means prospersity or the reverse to
these people. and the enormous fall the
past few years has made things tight
ir Brazil. Just how much the fall has
beeA few people know. The truth is
that coffee has been steadily dropping
for the past six years, and today II is
not worth much more than one-third Of
what 1t was in 1893. With our new
possessions In Cuba, Porto Rico. Ha-
wall and the Philippines, II Ia likely
to go still lower, for It is expected that
, the Yankees will establish large coffee
plantations, and II SO the Brazilians
will have to look elsewhere for a mar.
ket.
Americans Support Brazil.
Il Is an outrage that Brazil has not
done more for the United States. She
should give us the bulk Of her trade
and all her fat contracts, for we have
been practically supporting the coun.
try for years. We are the greatest
coffee drinkers OF the world. In 1897
we used G36.000,000 pounds OF coffee,
which was 100000 pounds more than
was consumed In all Europe. We have
increased our consumption during the
past year at the rate OF more than a
pound per person. and VIC now use
about fifty pounds annually for each
person In the United States. The
amount spent for this coffee Is enor.
nous. During the past ten years we
have paid out sS75, 100000. or $4,000.
900 per annum, for coffee alone. The
bulk Of this money has gone to Brazil.
Some Of It has found its way into the
pockets OF the coffee planters. a large
part has gone into the hands of the
shippers and dealers, and IL per cent
Of the export price has been paid to
tho Government. Brazil charges an
export duty OF IL per cent on every
pound OF coffee that is shipped. This
is, Of course, paid by the consumer,
md such Of our people as engage In
coffee raising will have the advantage
OF IL per cent over Brazil to start with.
for they will, of course, not have to
pay duty. Some years age there was
talk OF taxing coffee, but the dema.
gogues of our Congress set up n holy
howl about taxing a poor mans luxu'
fies, and coffee was admitted nominal.
~ free. II was not allowed TO be free.
however, for Brazil at once put on an
extra export duty and the poor mans
luxury was taxed Just the same. The
only difference was that the Brazilian
Government got the money and not
Uncle Sam.
The Land Of Coffee.
Coffee is raised in nearly every one
of the provinces OF Brazil. The coun.
try produces the bulk Of the worlds
crop. It raised 100000 bags last
year, and II is planting new fields now.
! described in former letter my tray.
els through the State OF Sac Paulo, the
richest coffee-raising region of the
world. The states north OF Sac Paulo
also produce vast amounts. and Rio
Janeiro back of the capital is one OF
the chief coffee centers. The kinds Of
coffee produced here are known In the
United States as Rio and Santos cof.
fee. These names come from the ports
at which the coffee Is shipped, The
Santos coffee is grown almost entirely
iE South Central Brazil. II Is carried
over the railroads to Santos and ex.
ported from there. II comes from a
cooler climate than does the coffee
which is raised further north. and is