The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-11-04
THE HAsKIN LETTER
a CUP OF co FEE.
BY Frederick ). HaslxIn.

Your breakfast coffee viii b,
cheaper this winter than last hecaus,
OF the war. BY the same token
there will be acute distress In Brazil
All of which makes 1t quite worth
while to ask more about your cup Of
coffee. n
The United States consumes NOR,
coffee than any nation in the world
u. imports every grain, since in con
tinental United States no coffee al
all, Is produced. AS every pounc
is imported, exact statistics are
available. The total coffee crop ex
ported from coffee-producing coun.
tries last year amounted to $685..
00e 900 pounds. This. of course
does not include the coffee consumed
for domestic purposes by the coffee
growing countries. OF this total
the United States imported 1901.
l258, 317 pounds-or In other words
We consumed almost half Of all the
coffee grown in the world. OF what
we used in this country, nearly five
million pounds were grown under
| the Stars and Stripes, the exact
amount being 4,430,0O0 pounds
brought In from Hawaii. and 100000
pounds brought from Porto Rico.
It used to be believed that Ameri-
cans were SO insistent upon their
morning coffee that. within reason
able limits, an increase in price would
have no effect in curtailjng consump-
ton Upon this belief was based
the Brazilian governments scheme
for the yalorization OF its coffee
crop. It was held that overproduc-
ton Of coffee in Brazil had brought
the price down to the point where
there was no profit in coffee-growing.
It was believed that by holding the
lcrop with government aid and fixing
q higher price, the growers could OBJ
ltain a large profit and at the game
time sell Just as much coffee.
The valorization was partly sue
cessful, in that prices were raised
Tho Brazilian government had tc
adopt very strenuous measures to
lprohibit the increase of the coffee
and some times 1t went SO far as t.
destroy large amounts of coffee. But
the basic theory that increase IL
iprice would not affect consumption
respectfully in wealthy America, was
proved false.
In 1902, the average wholesale
price Of coffee in the United States
was ga cents a pound. Last year
the average price of coffee in this
country was 1873 per cent, but the
per capita consumption had dropped
to S.S5 pounds; thus showing that
the increase OF price operated al
most in direct ratio to decreased con-
sumption II the per capita con.
sumption had continued at the same
rate as 1912. we would have con.
sumed last year more than q billion
land one-half pounds of coffee. or q
little more than sixty per cent OF all
the coffee grown In the world.
The coffee crop for the last sea
son was the largest ever known
with the single exception of the sea-
son Of 1a06-07. The total crop
amounted to 19,612,000 bags. or O.
558, 100000 pounds. OF this Brazil
alone produced 13,816,0O0 bags, OF
about seventy-four per cent Of the to-
tai. Brazil sustains the same re1a-
tfon to- the worlds production OF
coffee that the United States bears
to the worlds cotton production, and
1t is interesting to note that the alb
normally large crop of 1916, when
Brazil produced 100000 bags IN
excess Of the entire annual consump-
ton Of the world, was the occasion
of the first great valorization
scheme. Whether or not the United
States will follow this example with
respect to cotton is now an interest
ling question.
Whereas Brazil's production-in
millions Of pounds-reaches 1,75O,
Tits nearest competitor, Venezuela
produces only ia. It is followed
closely by Colombia with 1928; and
the other coffee-producing countries
following in order: Guatemala, with
%; Salvador IS. the Dutch East In
dies 81. Haiti So, Mexico So. Porto
Rico 48. India 90. and Costo RIGA
% millions of pounds.
1t is interesting to note that Porto
Rico. which produces $4,000, 200
pounds, sends less than half million
pounds to the United States. Porto
Rican coffee is OF a very high quail
lily and brings much higher price
than Brazilian coffees. Practically
all Of 1t goes to France, Spain and
Cuba, where its peculiar flavor is
Especially appreciated. Hawaiian
coffee is also Of very high quality
and fetches a very high price, but thu
production is quite limited. The
Philippines formerly produced q
great deal Of coTee, but their pro
duction now amounts to practically
nothing.
I! AS for consumption. as has been
said. the United States leads all the