Weekly journal-miner., 1915-04-28
SUGAR FAMINE
 PRODUCED BY THE WAR

WASHINGTON, April 21. - The effect of the present war in Europe on the geography of the worlds sugar production is st-ikingly shown in a statement just issued by the National Geographic Society. This statement is as follows:
 "Fifty-three out of every hundred pounds of sugar produced in the world is grown in the countries now at war and their colonies. The total produc- ton of the world is estimated at ap- proximately 18OOO,OOO tons. This pro- duction 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, 8,438O0O tons in 1913.
 "One of the peculiar facts connect ed with the sugar map of the world is that while Europe produces more than 93 out of every hundred pounds or beet sugar grown, it yields only one pound out of every six hundred Of cane sugar. Of Europe's total pro auction of beet sugar, amounting to 7,SOSOOO tons, 5,666,OOO tons grew in belligerent territory in 1913. Nearly all of this product is now entirely iso- lated from the outside world, being grown mainly in Germany, Austria Hungary and Russia. What this means to the world is revealed by the fact that more than two-thirds of the worlds sugar is not consumed in the country of its origin, this condition arising from the fact that the great -sSgar-using nations are principally outside of the belts of sugar produc- ton.
 Any scarcity of sugar, growing out oi 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 suga- in the world. With one-sixteenth of the worlds popula- ton, the United States consumes more than one-ffth of its sugar. How rapidly this country Is becoming a nation of sugar eaters is revealed by a reference to the tables of sugar consumption of the past half century. Fifty years ago the people of the United States ate IS pounds of sugar per capita. Five years later, in 1870, they were using B pounds per capita. Tn 1880, the pe- capita consumption had gone up to 40 pounds. Twenty five years ago it had risen to 5l pounds. In 1900 it had climbed still higher to 59 pounds. By 1910 the mercury in the sugar consumption thermomete: had reached 80. Today the per capita consumption is up wards of 85 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 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 i'll this territory have been dismantled to se- cure their copper for the manufacture Of war munitions.
 "Information from Germany indi- cates that the empire will plant only of its normal area in sugar beets this year. This would re- suit in cutting down Germany's sugar yield by more than 650000 tons.
 "Of course the prospective shortage in beet production will be somewhat offset by the falling off in sugar con incident to the financial stringency of the world, caused by the wa. Great Britain, annually buying nearly 100000 tons of sugar, will probably cut down her consumption as much as Germany will cut down her production.