Weekly journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1908-1929, 1914-02-25
FREE TRADE RUINS
SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY


The Democratic tariff bill has alb
solutely ruined the beet sugar bust
ness in this country--an industry
in which more than $l00OOOOO0 has
been invested.
The domestic beet sugar industry
has not been able to survive the
death blow dealt it by the Demo
cratic tariff.
The following editorial from the
San Francisco Chronicle, the great
est newspaper on the Pacific Coast.
explains just what the Democratic
tariff has done 10 the American
sugar industry:
Regardless Of the promises OF
the Democrats that they would not
injurc any established American in
dustry. sugar will cease 10 be pro-
duced in this country after next
year" says the Chronicle.
Two factories in this State will
| not operate the coming season and
have caused all land which they
own to be sown to grain. The very
large world crop of 1928 SO re-
duced the margin OF profit in beet
sugar that only our most fortunate
factories made any money in 1913.
and it is said that another large
crop is in sight This would not
of itself cause any factory in this
State to close down, but with GER
tainty OF closing after this year
two of our factories have concluded
to quit. The others will continue
in the hope that the free sugar pro-
vision OF the tariff will be repealed
With the cost of beet sugar from
50 TO Is cents above that of i'm
ported cane sugar-both refined
he continuance of beet sugar pro-
duction is impossible.
The Louisiana cane sugar indus
try is also ruined and Hawaiian
sugar companies have ceased paying
| dividends i'll order to be able to
pay debts when the crash comes.
This is a veritable disaster. Our
BEET sugar industry has been one
Of the most potent factors in i'm
proving our methods of agriculture.
| now acknowledged to be Z matter
OF State and national Importance. 1t
is only by the very best agricultural
practice that sugar beets can be
raised at all. On beet sugar land
rotation OF crops is imperative and
the soil, after best culture, is in 4
condition for maximum yield Of
| other crops. The industry was grow
ing rapidly in this State and its ruin
IS an agricultural calamity.
More than ;hat, it deprives thou
sands and thousands OF farm la
borers OF work which they have
been enjoying and upon which they
were counting. Concede that these
have been largely Asiatics. that con-
dition was temporary. We are en-
pecting great influx of European
laborers, who are accustomed to in
tensive cultivation of land. and the
most promising outlook for them,
and for us, was the opportunity to
engage in sugar beet culture Indi-
cations were that within 4 decade
we should cease to import sugar
and that domestic competition would
reduce the price to the lowest pos
sible point. The effect of depriving
farm laborers of employment on
such scale must be to add to the
congestion of our cities and the
problem of unemployment.
1T is possible that there are some
who will rejoice that capitalists
who have invested large sums in
the best sugar industry will lose
their money. Most people, how
ever. will not think so. There are
thriving towns which have been built
upon the location OF sugar factories
which are in 4 way 10 stand idle
with their costly machinery a total
loss.
while the farmers can devote
their land to other purposes there |
is no other purpose to which they |
can devote it and contract their !
crop at remunerative prices before
it is planted. There are no other
agricultural communities SO uniform
ly prosperous as those which pro-
duce sugar beets.
The condition which we have de
scribed is a permanent condition
if the Democrats retain control OF
the government. They will keep
control OF the government if the
do not reunite. 1t IS
up to the people The people rule"
Investors, and there are hundreds
Of thousands of them, in the stocks
Of the beet sugar companies. and
he hundreds of thousands of farm