The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-07-30
BITTER COMMENTS
|0NI.FIulTIURFE OUTLOOK
Chicago Organ Of Beet Produs-
@i efs Quotes History and b
Asks Questions y."

Z SUGAR treats editoriallv in its july
number Of the exodus Of sugar men
from the United States. The first rae.
tory at Grand Island, Nebraska, rs
tablished in 1889, was the training
base FOR the entire domestic beet su.
gar Industry. NJ
1it, Is. matter Of history" this
Journal says, "sugar history az any
rate-that the men who put tho
Grand Island factory-the Skilled labor
that did the work an The skilled
brains. that directed the huilding Of the
walls and the placing If the ,nachineiS
within them-were necessarily Fought
over from Europe. Il is altogether
likely that 70 other IN Iustry born IN
America came into D wrrd more alien
to IL than sugar. There were no bees;
no factory to ta'Gr tn, sugar Ol;t Of
them IL there had been, ami no kn0wl
edge coreer!ing how 70 grow them.
TIT, goes without saying that build
ing up the new home sugar industry
has been a gigantic task. Nobody
knew anything about the matter and
nobody apparently cared 20 know.
/ This il, Of course, with the exception
Of few men who had been 10 Europe
and saw what beets had done for Ger
many, for France and Austria, AMI
I how unlikely II would be that they
would try TO Farm without sugar beets.
Private Enterprise Did It
"To even start the industry In tlus
country, however, it was necessary to
import absolutely everything. This is
work the government, incidentally,
had nothing TO do with. 1t was private
enterprise and inspiration. Private
fortunes paid for the experimental
work and private individuals furnished
the gray matter. The magnitude OF
the task is appreciated by but few =
hardly by any outside the industry 1t.
self 1t, was launched on sheer faith
| "Grand Island was built in 1889.
lTkefe h;ta been a few other ventures
previously, but all had been failures 10
IA greater or Tess degree. dSand Island
it was that put the sugar industry In
America. o.. J.
'fNJK5hs been said, to do this, they
had tbsbfing over the very beginnings.
| II was easier to get the seed than 1t
was to get the farmers to raise good
beets from the seed, or any beets, as
matter of fact. Trainee soil experts
wefe, Necessary to advise regarding the
new crop, for farmers are conserVR'
tive lot the world over, .s ~
Tho American Training Camp
"Grand Island, in a way, was the
training camp of the beet sugar Undue
try Of the United States. Other fac.
tories sprung up and while for. years II
was necessary to continue to look to
4 hx
year there was growing up a class OF
trained men, made DIP Of some who had
started in the laboratory or some who
had started in the yard and having
the ambition to learn the why OF IT.
supplemented practise with theory
These men became the skilled super
intendents of today. The old days AZ,
not SO far removed yet, that II is not
possible to meet a number Of tae hoy'
who either got their start or their lii
spiration from Grand Island.
These are the men who are goinl
to share in the ruin If free sugar II
put through in May, 1916. ThVs il
] the work Of years Of close study, hare
work, with ambition driving them ON
to be undone, because whether those
Responsible for the ruin choose to be
lieve it or not, the industry and tnt
men dependent on it are doomed undoI
free sugar,
$50 much has been said about th'
men who have money invested in 'h'
business losing their investment. Con
siderable has been written and salt
about the farmers loss when he find
his market for his biggest lash crOl
closed! But very little has been Sale