The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-02-03
SUGAR IN PHILIPPINES.

n0kIAAAH Az AtAAAAA AANAANt
Commenting on the present sugar
situation in Pauay and Negros, the
cause Of the low prices Of sugar and the
prospects for the future, F. S. Cairns,
collector Of customs for the port Of
Iloilo, made the following statement in
The Manila Times Of January 5:
"New sugar has begun to arrive in
small quantities, but the grinding
season has been retarded ny constant
and heavy rains, which, II they con.
tinue much longer will undoubtedly be
more or less injurious to the enormous
crop Of cane in Negroes and Panay. Thus
far no special injury has been reported
as the cane is still green and growing
rapidly. The extraordinary high price
of last year caused the planters to ex-
tend their planting greatly, with the
result that this year s crop will be one
Of the greatest since the banner year of
1896. 1t is unfortunate, however, that
advanced statistical reports Indicate
that the world g crop of cane and beet
sugar win be the greatest ever known.
/
are normal, at P5.00 per picul for sur
lido. AS compared with the average
price last year this is reduction of
about Peso per pieul, and the prospect
is for even lower prices. All of this is
exceedingly discouraging, but the Iloilo
planter must be thankful for the Payne
bill, which gives his sugar preferential
rate of about Peso per picul over sugars
of SO degrees polarization, entering the
United States from other countries.
One Of the serious problems for the
Filipino sugar planter to overcome lies
in the fact that his sugar is probably
the lowest grade of any produced in the
world, and considerable proportion is
so inferior as to be exceedingly un-
desirable and difficult to dispose of in
the United States especially when high
grade sugars of other countries are
equally low in price.
fThe coming crop is conservatively
estimated at 10000 tons, and it is ex-
tremely doubtful whether refiners in
the United States will care to absorb
so much low grade sugar, in which case
the surplus will probably seek n market
in Chins at ruinous prices With the
advantage of the open United States
market it is quite possible that the
price now offered may be sustained, al
though the best informed buyers at this
port expect it to go still lower. This
price viii give a profit of about P2.00
per picul to the grower, substantial
margin but nothing compared to what
they expected, Judging by the high
values last year.
''The lowest price ever paid in these
islands prior to the passage of Payne
bill was approximately P275 per picul
and reckoning on the basis in duties ar
advantage of P3.50 per picul over Other
sugars entering the United States, and
q deducting this amount from the present
price offered by exporters, were it NOT
for this great advantage the price
would undoubtedly be less than ever
paid before, and might not exceed P1.5C
per picul. For this reason the Filipino
sugar planters must thank their lucky
stars for the Payne bill.
"Taken altogether the sugar situa
ton is not so attractive as the pros
peetive view taken by planters last
season seemed to warrant There is nc
reason, however, for utter discourage.
ment, and the fact that we have q
bumper crop throughout the world this
year should not prevent planters from
continuing and extending their opera.
ton as much as possible. tits impera.
tive, however, that much care should be
taken in the preparation of sugar fol-
the United States market, eliminating