The Republican journal., 1911-01-19
Sugar Consumption in the
United States.

WASHINGTON, D. c., January 16, 1910.
The people Of the United States con-
sumo half their own weight in sugar
every year. This may seem a startling
statement, but if we take the QUANTITY
of sugar produced in the United States
and add to this the quantity brought
from our own islands and the quantity
imported from foreign countries, and
subtract therefrom the amour. exported.
we get grand total of considerably
more than billion pounds consumed in
the country; and by dividing the popula
ton into this grand total, we get an av
erage of 81 IL pounds per capita, speak,
ing in round terms, for 1910, and about a
like quantity for 1909. 1t is not as
sumed, of course, that each person nee
essarily consumes sugar equal to one
half his individual weight; but taking
the total consumption and comparing it
with the total population in the section
known as continental United States, the
average yearly consumption of sugar is
found to be about 81 1-2 pounds per capi-
ia.
In fact, the people of the United
States are larger consumers of sugar Der
capita than those Of any other country of
the world except England, for which the
latest figures show a consumption aver
aging sc pounds per capita, against our
own average of 81 IL pounds per capita.
The next largest per capita consumption
is in Denmark, n Sd pounds; followed
by Switzerland, GA pounds; Sweden, 81
pounds; and Germany and Holland each
about 43 IL pounds.
Not only is the United States the sec
ond largest sugar consumer per capita,
but the total amount consumed annually
is much greater than that of any other
country, aggregating, as above indicat-
ed, more than billion pounds per an
mum, against about billion POUNDS in
England and about billion pounds in
Germany.
About one-half of the sugar consumed
in the United States is brought from for
eign countries, about one-fourth from
our own islands, and the remaining one
fourth produced in this country. The
total production of sugar in the United
States now amounts to l ga billion
pounds year, of which more than | bill
lion pounds is beet sugar and about
three-quarters of a billion cane sugar
1t is only recently that the production of
beet sugar in the United States has come
to exceed that Of cane sugar. In 1900
domestic production of cane sugar was
twice as great as that of beet sugar, and
20 years ago was more than 60 times as
great; but the growth of beet sugar pro-
duction has been very rapid in recent
years, and in 1907, for the first time, ex-
ceeded in quantity that produced from
cane and has so continued since that
time.
Of the sugar brought from other coun-
tries, nearly all is made from cane.
While about half of the worlds sugar is
made from beets, most of it is produced
in Europe and consumed in the country
of production or in other parts of that
grand division, while most of the world
outside of Europe obtains it's sugar sup
ply from cane, grown, of course, in the
tropical and subtropical sections. Of
the cane sugar which we consume, most
of that coming from foreign countries is
drawn from Cuba, the Dutch East In
dies, and smaller amounts from the
West Indies, Mexico, Central and South
America. All of that coming from our
own islands-Porto Rico, Hawaii and the
Philippines-is cane sugar, while of the
domestic product about 40 per cent is
produced from cane. The beet sugar OF
the United States is grown chiefly ii
Colorado, California, and Michigan, anc
some in Utah, Idaho, and Wisconsin
while most Of the cane sugar is produced
in Louisiana, with smaller quantities ir
Texas, Florida, Georgia. and South Car
DINA.
The sugar "habit'' is evidently 6
growing one with the people of the Unit
ed States and probably with those OF
other countries, since the total 'worc
production of sugar, including all coun.
tries for which statistics are available,
has increased so per cent in the last de-
cade and about doubled in Is years. In
ur VII case the consumption has shown
rapid growth, the per capita consump'
ton having been, in 1880, 40 pounds; in
1890, 81 pounds; in 1900, SO pounds; and
in 1910, approximately 81 IL pounds.
What is the cost of this enormous
quantity of sugar consumed in the Unit
ed States? This is more difficult to an
swer. The valuation of that brought
from foreign countries and our islands is
set down at about IT'S million dollars in
1910, and the stated value of that pro-
duced in the United States, at approx
mately rs million dollars; though this
comparatively high figure, when consid-
cred by the price per pound, is due to
the fact that the valuation is based upon
the refined article, while that of the su-