Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 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 9,545,000 tons and
of beet sugar S,43s,o00 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,s0s,O00 tons, 1866,
900 tons grew in belligerent territory
in 1918. 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
country 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 its 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
ita. Five years later, in 1870, they
were using 33 pounds per capita. In
1880 the per capita consumption had
gone up to 40 pounds. Twenty-Five
years ago 1t had risen to 81 pounds
In 1900 it had climbed still higher to
10 POuhucs ~ lVLO tAC WClSuAy III
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 the
matter Of the total crop yield as a re-
suit of the war. On the other hand,
the beet sugar business will suffer
very heavily. The present Russian
crop has been almost entirely tied up
by inability to get exports out of the
country, while next years crop is
threatened with a shortage resulting
from the destruction of the industry
in Poland, where so much of Russia's
sugar is produced. The reports from
France indicate that the rich sugar
beet lands of the northern section
were harvested last season under the
direction of the Germans. and that
most of the sugar factories in this ter
ritory have been dismantled to secure
their copper for the manufacture of
war munitions.
Information from Germany indicates
that the empire will plant only three
fourths of it's normal area in sugar
beets this year. This would result in
cutting down Germans sugar yield by
more than $4,000 tons.
OF course, the prospective shortage
in beet sugar production will be some
what Offset by the falling off in sugar
consumption incident to the financial
stringency of the world, caused by the
war. Great Britain, annually buying
nearly 100000 tons of sugar, will
probably cut down her consumption as
much as Germany will cut down her
production.