The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-04-19
DoNALDsoNvIILE, LA, SATURDAY April, 49, 1918
Something About Sugar.

AS the sugar question is coming in
to great prominence in the specia
session Of congress, and as it con
Germs us of Louisiana, some particu
lars concerning the relations of sugar
to the worlds commerce are of in
terest.
The worlds supply Of sugar is
drawn about equally from the cane
and the beet. The cane is the pro.
duct Of tropical and semi-tropical
countries, while the beet is best
grown in the cooler regions OF the
temperate zone. The worlds pro-
duct of sugar from each source for
the season of 1928 has been
placed at 9,o36,o00 tons OF cane su-
gar, 9,055,o00 tons of beet sugar.
The sugar consumption in the
| United States, including what is
made up by confectioners into candy
or other such edibles, has grown
from about fifty pounds to each head
Of population in 1880 to nearly
eighty pounds in 1912.
About one-fifth of the entire world
output of sugar is required to sup
ply the demand in the United States,
now approximately 100000 tons. or
a little less than 5000, 100000 pounds
annually. This represents a fourfold
Increase in a generation It may
also be noted that present prices of
the commodity are about half what
they were thirty-five years ago. It
is true that part OF this enormous
increase in consumption is attributa-
Bile to the increase in the number Of
consumers, but while the estimated
100000 people in the country in
1875 consumed an average Of forty
three pounds per capita, the esti-
mated 96,000,000 of the present! time
consume more than eighty-ene pounds.
Fortunately. sugar is a commodity that
can be produced in practically limit
less quantity. It is merely a ques-
tion of demand and Of a reasonable
profit on its production. 1t is pure
ly product Of the rain and the
sunshine, and neither the cane nor
the beet, as far as their sugar CON
tent IS concerned, take anything
from the soil in which they are
grown. BY continuous planting, the
soil in which the cane and the beet
are groWn esGeIa ssartd iions
Known to soil Iemfsts as til ed :;
the plant gets smaller and less Wig
orous, but it goes on forming
sucrose as long as the sun shines on
it and the rain falls on it.
Beet sugar is grown in great guam
titles in Germany, France, Russia
and Austria, as well as in the north
ern states Of the Union. A notion
prevails that beet sugar is inferior
to cane sugar, but it answers every
purpose to which sugar is put.
The people of Europe use beet
sugar almost exclusively, and France
and England use it in the produc-
ion Of enormous quantities of jams,
ellies, ETC., for domestic consump-
ion and for export. The Germans
lse 100000 tons or more yearly;
he French, $4,000 tons or more;
he Austrians, 100000 to $50, 900 tons.
md the British people, about two
birds of their total requirement of
learly 100000 tons. The Dutch,
he Belgians, the Danes, Swedes,
Italians and other European people
as much as they can af-
ord, but the per capita consumption
S not nearly as great as ours. More
'ver, the people of the countries
where beet sugar is made have to
'ay more than we do.
The importation of sugar into the
United States would result In break
ng up and running the extensive
eet sugar production of our north
IN states and our own cane sugar,
nd that of our colonies, in order to
nrigh foreigners. Since the taxes
re to be shifted from the main body
f the people to the wealthy classes,
is surely poor policy to impoverish
hose who are expected to pay the
Orleans Pieayune