Rocky Ford enterprise., 1914-08-21
WAR AND SUGAR SUPPLY.
Situation Affords Proof of Value of
Domestic Sugar Production.

DOmcSt1C sugar FTOQuCt1On.
The outbreak of war in Europe has
resulted in sharp advance in sugar
prices. On July 80. the lowest net
cash quotation of the New York re-
fners for granulated sugar was
4165 cents pound while raw sugar
was selling at 3.29 cents. By Aug
ust 10 refined had advanced to 6
cents and raws TO cents, says "Facts
About Sugar" of Aug. IS.
| Germany, Austria, Russia and
France, the antions actively engaged
in conflict, are the chief sources OF
Europe's sugar supply, producing to-
gcther some 7,500,000 tons of beet
sugar. This is nearly 80 per cent OF
the entire output OF beet sugar and
more than one-third of the total su-
gar crop OF the world. Ordinarily
Germany, Austria and Russia export
a million tons or more of sugar to
other countries, largely to Great
Britain. The largest production and
the largest expectation is that Of
| Germany. The harvesting of the Ger
man beet crop is carried on largely
by laborers from Russian Poland, and
this labor will not be available if
the war continues during the harvest
| ing season.
While the European war continues
it will be necessary for the britons
| to depend for sugar upon sources of
supply on which usually they do not
draw to any extent. 1t is evident
from what has occurred already that
they are likely to continue in sharp
| competition for Cuban sugar which
ordinarily comes to the American
market.
| The supply of Cuban and Ameri-
| can grown sugar in sight at the end
OF July was just about sufficient to
| meet the estimated demands of Amer
lean consumption up to the time
| when the crops now growing will be-
come available. Any considerable
outside draft upon this supply, there
| fore, was bound to show its effect al
once in advancing prices.
Fortunately for the United States,
in spite of the curtailment of produc-
| ton in the cane and beet growing
districts due to the reduction OF the
| tariff, we still have domestic pro-
duction OF sugar, including that OF
Porto Rico and Hawaii, which should
amount to over one and half mil
lion tons this year. This will serve
as a great steadicr OF the market in
case OF a protracted war, and will
prevent prices from going as high as
they otherwise would, although the
necessity of securing over two mill
lion tons from outside the United
States. in addition to the domestic
supply. will leave the American mar
ket under the influence OF the general
advance in world prices.
One OF the arguments that has
been put forward against the destruc-
ton of the American sugar growing
industry through the removal OF the
import duty on sugar is that it would
expose American consumers to all
the violent fluctuations that take
place in the European sugar market
as result of war, speculation or
crop shortages. The present situa-
ton affords 4 striking illustration OF
the truth of this claim. If the Uni
ted States were to produce all the
sugar required by its own people, as
might easily be done by the syste-
matte development of its cane and
beet growing industries, the Ameri-
can people would be entirely indie
pendent of the rest of the world for
their sugar supply.