Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-04
HEAVY Loss IN
SHIPPING SUGAR

Tremendous are the loses SUI tanned
by the sugar men of Hawaii in getting
their product to market. according To
one of the most interesting repor.s
made to the ianters' Association this
morning. The report reads in part:
"All those actively engaged in the
manufacture and shipping of raw sug-
ars from the Hawaiian Islands are
fully aware Of an incidental loss
which occurs during the handling OF
sugar in bags, which has not as yet
received the attention it merits; your
committee refers to the mechanical
loss of sugars in transit from mill to
market. This loss varies with the diff.
ferent destinations. and from the diff
/ ferent ports in these Islands. In
amount it varies from about q OF lb.
tc IL lbs, the average being in the
neighborhood of q Id. of sugar per
. bag of 126 lbs. gross weight. or a lit
tie more than Y of l per cent.
From the present crop of 100000
| tens of sugar per annum We lose In
! this direction not less than the amaZ-
| ing quantity OF $500 tons; value to the
plantations at present prices about
$250,000. 1t has been argued that this
| loss is to a great extent imaginary be-
cause of the impos sibility of standard
; izing and comparing the scales which
are used for weighing the sugars at
! the shipping and resolving ends of the
route. Your committee attaches very
little Importance to any such argu-
ment, as the facts which this report
! will disclose show that there is an
Rually a serious mechanical loss of
sugars in transit, which can be easily
accounted for, and should be prevent
cd as far as possible. -. " #. .-
The mechanical loss of sugars in
transit from mill to market arises
! from, and is chargeable to three dis
tlnet conditions, as follows: *.....
THE quality of material and work.
mansEip in the bags themselves, and
the method of fastening the filled
bags, the character and class OF sug-
ars sent to market in the aforesaid
bags, and the amount and kind OF
handling the bags of sugar are sub
jected to in transit from sugar factor
les to the refineries.
loosely woven than others. The tight
ly woven bags break more easily than
the loosely woven bags; on the other
hand the loosely woven bag loses sug-
al by sitting through the fabric espee
tally if such sugars have been first
washed in the machines andS then
steam or air dried, and are of small
grain 1t is of importance to note
that the fastening of the bags has con-
siderable influence on the loss of sug-
ar. If the bags are hand sewn with
long stitches, and bags are filled full,
the bag mouth will open between the
stitches, and allow sugar to escape.
This is entirely obviated by machine
chine sewing introduces weakness in
the bag by the very short stitches, and
the bags, unless carefully handled,
tend to break along the line of the
machine sewing. Experience, how
ever, shows that there is less loss of
sugar in this direction from machine
sewn bags than from hand sewn bags,
1.-The character and class of sugar:
Sugars that set hard in the bags are
difficult of handling. Such sugars are
usually those dried in Hersey Drier, |
and have been washed in the centri-
fGgals, and are of small grain. These |
sugars are very dry, and if they should |
be contained in loosely woven bag |
will lose heavily after the bags have |
become timber by much handling. due
tc the fine grained sugar sitting out |
through the fabric of the bags in con- |
siderable quantity. 1t is a familiar I
sight at any of the shipping ports to /
see this fine sugar sitting out through /
the Bugs as they are hoisted from the |
lighters, or surf boats, into the steam
ers awaiting their cargoes. Large I
grained sugars on the other hand that
trifugals do not get hard in store, and
are subject to much less loss, in fact
it may be said that there is no loss by |
reason of their sitting through the
fabric of the bags. The amount and
kind of handling the bags receive 1t
is to this that a great deal Of the
loss of sugar in transit Is
due
Suggests Remedies.
1T is a matter of observation that
sugar bags transported by mechanical
means suffer less punishment in hand
ling than sugar bags transferred from
point to point by hand; furthermore 1t
is obvious that the fewer times that SUI
gar bags are handled the less mechani-
cal loss there will be, therefore part of
the remedy as it appears to your COM
'n'ttee is RI provide warehouses; at the
various mills large enough to hold all
sugars made between steamers, so as
10 obviate the necessity Of double
handling between mills snd steamers;
to nrovide these warehouses WITH con-
veying machinery well designed so as
TO handle the bags with facility and
safety, and to cover tie whole area
and height of such warehouses to
load cars mechanically: to have
steamers come alongside docks where
sugar can be loaded from cars. Al d
into tho chin nv ha nj