Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1915-06-04
Some Sugar Figures.

The effect of the present war in Eu-
rope on the geography of the worlds
sugar production is strikingly shown
in a statement just issued by the Ma
tional Geographic society. This state
ment is as follows:
Fifty-three out OF every 100 pounds
of sugar produced in the world are
grown in the countries now at war and
their colonies. The total production
of the world is estimated at approx
mately 100000 tons. This produc-
ton is made up of cane sugar and
beet sugar, the total yield of cane
sugar having been 9,545,OOO tons and
of beet sugar s,43s,OOO tons in 1913.
One of the peculiar facts connected
with the sugar map of the world is
that while Europe produces more than
90 out of every 100 pounds of beet
sugar grown, it yields only one pound
out of every 600 of cane sugar. OF
Europe's total production of beet SUI
gar, amounting to 7,sOs,OO0 tons, $780,
600 tons grew in belligerent territory
in 1913 Nearly all of this product is
now entirely isolated from the outside
world, being grown mainly in Ger
many, Austria-Hungary and Russia
What this means to the world is re-
vealed by the fact that more than two
thirds of the worlds sugar is not con-
sumed in the country of it's origin, this
condition arising from the fact that
the great sugar-using nations are prin-
cipally outside of the belts of sugar
production.
Any scarcity of sugar growing out
of the war will affect the United
States more seriously than any other
countrv for the reason that American
people are per capita the heaviest
users of sugar in the world. With
one-sixteenth of the worlds popula-
ton, the United States consumes more
than one-fifth of it's sugar. How rap
idly this country is becoming nation
of sugar eaters is revealed by a ref
erence to the tables of sugar consump
ton of the last half century. Fifty
years ago the people of the United
States ate 10 pounds of sugar per cap
tia. Five years later, in 1870, they
were using 33 pounds per capita In
1880 the per capita consumption hac
gone up to 40 pounds. twenty-five
years ago it had risen to 81 pounds
In 1900 it had climbed still higher t.
, SO pounds. BY 1910 the mercury il
the sugar consumption thermometer
reached 80. Today the per capita con
sumption is upward of IS pounds.
1t appears that the cane sugar in
} dustry will suffer very little in thu
matter of the total crop yield as a re
( suit of the war. On the other hand
the beet sugar business will SUITE
very heavily. The present Russian
{ crop has been almost entirely tied VI
: by inability to get exports out of tn
country, while next years crop i
r threatened with a shortage resulting
from the destruction of the industr,
, in Poland, where so much of Russia
:. sugar is produced. The reports fron
, France indicate that the rich suga
T beet lands of the northern sectio
:. were harvested last season under tn
a direction of the Germans, and tina
/ most of the sugar factories in this tel
r ritory have been dismantled to secur
G their copper for the manufacture c
n war munitions.
. Information from Germany indicate
!. that the empire will plant only three
fourths of it's normal area in suga
beets this year. This would result
n cutting down Germans sugar yield b
e more than 100000 tons.
" OF course, the prospective shortag
2. in beet sugar production will be som
o what Offset by the falling off in sugs
o consumption incident to the financii
y. stringency of the world, caused by tn
e. war. Great Britain, annually buyin
e nearly 100000 tons of sugar, wi
D. probably cut down her consumption {
IL much as Germany will cut down h'
lie production.