, 1914-01-28

Tariff On The Worlds Sugar Industries.
The protection hitherto enjoyed by the
American sugar rehner has been trifiug, as
far as the amount Of preference is concern
ed. 1t was l25 per 100 H., till q year or
two ago when 1t was reduced to II cents.
But the real protection was that no raw
sugar was permitted to be imported above
the Dutch colour standard of No. l6. ANY
raw sugar above that colour was charged
the full duty on refined sugar. The result
has been that all raw sugar for the Ameri-
can market, whether from Cuba, Porto Rico,
Hawaii, and the Philippine Islands, or from
non-preferentia countries, such as Java, Brazil,
ST. Domingo, the West Indies, etc, has been
specially produced below the colour stand
ard, No. is. Hence the American refners
have had a monopoly of the market for all
moist refined sugars above No. 16, and Il
preference Of 128 (reduced recently to ~
cents per 100 To. on all white refined sugar.
The new tariff has Immediately abolish the
limitation Of colour, and will, on the lst Of
March, abolish the protection on refined
sugar.
The abolition Of the sugar duty, in 1916,
threatens Louisiana, Porto Rico, the Hawii-
an Islands, and the American beet root indus
tly with serious injury or absolute destruc-
ton, unless they can find new WAYS of MAX
ing sugar at less cost, and of h lgher quality.
They were encouraged by every possible
means to produce sugar, not only by riGicu-
lousy high protection but also by exhorta-
ton and instruction from the experts of the
Government Department of Agriculture.
This gives them q claim for consideration
which would appear to be unanswerable, bat
which has been rejected with scorn. The
oI,ol1fiD,, aR tLg r,,, 1,+, l
dogma and must be carried out regardless
of consequences. A large revenue must be
abandoned because it costs the sugar CON
sumers the large sum Of $I00 per head an
nually. For the sake of that infatuated
delusion the vast sugar factories in the
United States and in the Tropics, which
have been erected under the stimulus offer
ed by the Government, are to be threatened
with destruction. What are their owners
to do to save themselves?
The answer is clear. Factories
and planters must find out how to keep 90
ing and make a profit, OF they must collapse.
Can they do If? We think they can, but it
will take time, and money, and, above all.
energy, capacity, good management, ami
determination. There is now no longer any
incentive to them to turn out only raw sugar.
The beet root factories even now turn out
all then sugar ia the form Of white granulat-
ed-the kind of refined sugar most popu-
lar in the United States. Mauritius, wears
ago, began to turn out white sugar direct
from the cane juice. Java in recent years
has done the same with conspicuous success.
Mr.. Prinsen Geerligs has told us exactly
how it is done, aud now we have a beautiful
book on the subject which gives US till furth-
or information Here we have the parting
Of the ways and the opening of a new era
in sugar production. The fatuous acti on
Of the American Government will give it a
great impetus. The threatened sugar indus
tries will jump at this new idea Of producing
white sugar direct from the cane Juice.
They see their opportunity. At very little
extra cost of production they can turn our
excellent dry white granUlated sugar, pack
it in handy retail quantities, and distribute
it to the United States consumers. Then
the New York retners will be sorry thev
spoke.
This production of refined sugar direct
from the juice is no new thing as for as the
industry OF beet root sugar is concerned.
More than forty years ago we saw loaf sugar
being turned out in q German factory. Then
came Eugen Langen with his new process
of making loaf sugar in the form of cubes.
He turned them out not only in his refinery