Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-04-22
SUGAR SUPPLY HIT
War Affects Geography of the
Worlds Production.
Fifty-Three Per Cent of Sugar Is
Grown in Countries Now at War
and Their CoIonies-United
States Affectez.

Washington, D. C.-The effect of
ography of the worlds sugar produc-
ton is strikingly shown in q state
ment just issued by the National &C.
ographic 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 pro-
duction of the world is estimated at
approximately 100000 tons. ThiS
production is made up of cane sugar
and beet sugar, the total yield of cane
sugar having been 9,545,00O tons, and
of beet sugar, 8,438,000 tons in 1913.
One of the peculiar facts connect
ed with the sugar map of the world is
that while Europe produces more than
SO out of every hundred pounds of
beet sugar grown, it yields only one
pound out of every six hundred of
cane sugar. Of Europe's total produc-
ton of beet sugar, amounting to $685.
900 tons, 5,666,000 tons grew in bellig-
erent 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
sugar-using nations are principally
outside of the belts Of sugar produc-
ton.
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
rapidly this country is becoming ma
ton of sugar-eaters is revealed by
reference to the tables of sugar con-
sumption of the past half century.
Fifty years ago the people of the
United States ate 10 pounds of sugar
per capita. Five years later, in 1870,
they were using So pounds per capita.
In 1880, the per capita consumption
had gone up to 40 pounds. Twenty-Five
years ago it had risen to 81 pounds.
In 1900 it had climbed still higher to
80 pounds. By 1910 the mercury in
the sugar consumption thermometer
reached so. Today the per capita con-
sumption is upwards of IS pounds.
ct appears that the cane sugar in
dustry will suffer very little In the
matter of the total crop yield as 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 in this ter
ritory have been dismantled to secure
their copper for the manufacture Of
war munitions
Information from Germany indi-
Gates that the empire will plant dnly
three-fourths Of it's normal area in
sugar beets this year. This would re-
suit in cutting down Germany-s sugar
yield by more than 100000 tens.
"Of course the prospective short
age in beet sugar production will be
somewhat Offset by the falling off in
sugar consumption incident to the
financial stringency of The world.
caused by the war. Great Britain, an
nually buying nearly 100000 tons of
sugar, will probably cut down her con-
sumption as much as Germany viii
cut down her production"