The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-01-23
BRITISH REVIEW
OF SUGAR WORLD
Production Falls as Bounties Are
Cut Off, Declares the
London Times.

emit time, says the London Times, what
| part the British Dominions overseas
are now playing in the world industry
of sugar production. The United King.
dom no longer occupies the first posi-.
tion amongst the countries of the world
as consumer of sugar, that distinction
being easily held by the United States,
but there can be little doubt that Brit
ish India is the greatest sugar-produc-
ing country in the world, and none at
all that more sugar is produced, and
more consumed, under the British flag
than under any other national emblem.
In the year 1910, as nearly as can be
stated, the world s production of sugar
amounted to 15,3Oo,O0O tons. The
British Empires contribution to that
total was 2,s9o,0Oo tons, being equiva-
lent to 1873 per cent. The sugar of the
British Empire is practically all cane
sugar, and of that kind the Empire pro.
vided 1873 per cent of the world IS out
put. The consumption of sugar in the
British Empire in the same year was
not less than 100000 tons, or 1913
per cent of the entire production of
the world. The Importance of sugar
in the Empire thus will be obvious.
Cane Versus Beet.
1t has long been contended by good
authorities that cane sugar can be pro-
duced more cheaply in the tropics than
beet sugar can be produced on the Con-
tinent of the Europe, and consequently
that once the artificial advantages
which beet in Europe so long enjoyed
by the aid of the bounties were remov-
ed the world would see a great expan-
sion in the cane sugar industry, and
particularly in British cane countries.
The bounties ceased to be operative in
the autumn of 1903 There has thus
been a period of seven complete years
during which the industry has been car
ried on, if not under entirely natural
conditions, at least undisturbed by the
depressing influence of Continental
bounties.
If the seven years which Immediately
preceded the abolition of the bounties-
-1903-be compared with the seven
year before that period 1S90-96-on
the one hand and with the seven years
since the abolition of the bounties-
1901 loon the other, the following re-
suits appear
Worlds Sugar Production.
1S90.96.
Beet (tons) Cane (tons)
25,630,O0O 34,217,O0
1S97-1903.
SS,4OO,OOO 4O,215,O0o
Increases.
1870, 0OO-4999o 5,99s, OOO=17.5%
7904-10.
46,5oO,OOO 52,ooO,oOO
Increases.
s1,OOo,OOo-21% 1l,7S5, oOO=29%
The most striking feature of the
above figures is the extraordinary ex-
pansion of beet sugar during the middle
period, the seven years just bfore the
abolition of the bounties, and the period
during which the bounties reached their
maximum value and exerted their maxi
mum effect in artificially stimulating
the cultivation of beet. AT first glance
the figures support the contention al
ready mentioned that the abolition of
the bounties would mean a great ex-
pansion of cane sugar, as the third
period shows for cane an increase in the
rate of growth from l7.5 per cent, to 30
per cent, whilst the rate in the case of
beet declines from 1919 per cent. to 81
per cent. Unfortunately, the middle
period comedies almost with the Span
ishAmerican War, which paralyzed the
sugar industry during the entire period
in Cuba and in the Philippine Islands,
and thus deprived the world of not less
than 100000 tons of cane sugar, and
in all probability of more. Hence it is
necessary; in order to determine the real
rate of growth of cane sugar during the
middle period, either to add 5000, 900
tons to the above figures or leave Cuba
and the PHILIPPINES out of account. 1t