The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-10-06
DEVELOPMENT OF SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY
UNDER REPUBLICAN PROTECTIVE: POLICY

IAN FhUlEIIlM. FULlIl
I'm Page Two.)
with absolute assurance that the sugar
fields OF Porto Rico and Hawaii are to
have permanently free access to the
markets Of the United States, was ac-
companied by an increase OF 988 per
cent in the production Of beet sugar
at home. there seems little ground for
any anxiety as to the effect 81 free
sugar importation from our own terri
tory in depressing beet sugar pro
duction at home.
The production OF beet sugar In the
United States has grown from 1884,
100000 pounds in 1900 to 967, 900
in 1907, despite the fear entertained
by some that the free admission Of
sugar from Hawaii and Porto Rico
coupled with the reduction in rates
OF duty in that imported from Cuba
and the Philippine Islands might se-
'riously interfere with, II not actually
destroy, that industry in the United
States. It will be noted that the pro
duction Of beet sugar. which In 1901
was about one-fourth as much as that
of cane, was in 1907 nearly twice as
great as that of a The number
OF beet sugar factories has grown from
Is in 1900 TO So in 1907. The share OF
our sugar consumption supplied by
production within continental United
States which in 1900 was but Ill per
cent, was in 1907 22.3 per cent, while
about 20 per cent Of the consumption
was supplied by sugar from Porto
Rico and Hawaii. The production OF
sugar in Porto Rico has grown with
trapidity since the enactment OF the
law admitting products OF that island
free OF duty to the markets Of the
United States. The shipments OF
sugar from Porto Rico to the United
States in the fiscal year 1901, the
first year following the act, amounted
to but 1S7 million pounds. and in 1907,
408 million pounds, and in the fiscal
year 1908 will aggregate approximately
430 million pounds, or practically three
times as much in 1907 as in 1901. The
quantity shipped from Hawaii in 1900
was 691 million pounds, and in 1907,
S22 millions, while for the fiscal year
1908 the total will approximate one
billion pounds. Naturally the percent
age of gain has been much larger
in the case Of Porto Rico than in that
|oe Hawaii, since sugar from Hawaii
was admitted free under the recipro
city agreement for many years prior
to annexation, while that from Porto
Rico paid, prior to annexation, the
same rate OF duty as that from other
foreign countries. The actual growth
in quantity imported from Porto Rico
and Hawaii has been in each case
about 300 million pounds, comparing
the figures Of 1901 with the rrospec-
tive figures Of 1908.
Speaking in very general terms, it
may be said that the quantity of sugar
annually consumed in the United
States is between 6 and z billion
pounds, Of which about one-ffth is
produced in continental United States,
ono%hor AR<h +;n n0r%o Dino rYomroi3 ava
the Philippines and THE remaining
three4hfths brought from foreign
countries; and Of the 1872 million
pounds brought from foreign coun-
tries in the calendar year 1907, 5000
million pounds were from Cuba, 598 !
millions from the Dutch East Indies /
% millions from Germany, and a lit
tie less that 8 million pounds from
Austria-Hungary, the sugar from Eu-
ropean countries being presumably
beet. The quantity brought from the
Philippine Islands In 1907 was Is mill
lion pounds or Q little more than one
days supply, the average daily con-
0uuHPG1ON Al IuV OuEIC0 0Nhs06 OSIu6
now about 20 million pounds per day. |
With all this rapid growth in home
production and importation duty-free
from Porto Rico and Hawaii, the guam
tity required from foreign countries
has not diminished, but on the con-
trary steadily Increases. The imports
OF sugar from foreign countries in the
fiscal year 1907 was larger than in
any year Of our foreign commerce ex-
ept 1897, when excessively large guam
titles were rushed In In anticipation
of an approaching change in tariff.
With reference ito Philippine sugar,
1t may be said that the importations
from those Islands have averaged 40
million pounds per annum during the
last ten years, while the consumption
OF the United States now averages
about 20 million rounds a day, SO that
the Philippines have since annexation
furnished on an average, about two
days supply per annum Of our sugar
requirements and during the more re-
cent part Of that time Philippine sugar