Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-11-24
CANADIANS TAKE
Up SUGAR BETS
ON LARGE SCALE
Two New Factories to Be Built;
Profits of II Per Cent Made
During 1915

That Ontario farmers and capital.
lists are going into sugar beets rails
ing, and sugar refining on q large
scale is indicated by Fred c. Slater.
United States consul at Sarnia. 0nta-
rio, in report dated October 2S.
which Is published In a recent edition
OF consular and trade reports. Mr..
Slater's resume OF conditions Is as
follows:
Much interest has been manifested
In the Canadian sugar-beet industry
during the past year. Sarnia and vi
cinity is practically the only terri
tory where sugar beets are raised In
the Dominion at this slime. The fac
tory heretofore operating at Raymond,
Alberta, has discontinued active ope-
rations. i am informed The chief
difficulty there appears to be the dis
inclination of the farmers to produce
the necessary beets. In this section
of Ontario there are and for some
time past have been only two beet
sugar factories, viz, the Dominion
Sugar Company at Wallaceburg. with
a daily capacity Of 900 tons Of beets,
and its Berlin branch factory, with q
daily capacity Of 700 tons.
Much raw sugar has heretofore
been imported from Germany and re-
fined at the Wallaceburg plant. but
this necessarily ceased with the adj
vent of the European war. The cut
ting OF Of the product from that
source and the additional duty which
the government placed upon sugar has
had an exhilarating effect upon this
industry. In July. 1914, just at the
outbreak Of the war. sugar in Sarnia
was selling to the dealer at $4.56 per
100 pounds. Since then It has risen
from time to time until II reached
b$6.76 In September. 1915, and at pre-
sent stands at $6.16.
have received an unofficial report
that the two, factories above named
during the last year have made net
income Of u per cent. Heretofore
the flat rate paid the farmers for
beets was $3.50 per ton; this year It
has been raised 70 S.. ,NotWit hstand-
ing this additional SO !, cents per ton
Daid ne farmer. / am informed that
/ the rise "a sugar has Increased the
eEoco4NL8 q IAtI-1N - Etlct01tf4 0D0tc
named By something like $40. 200 dur
ing the past year.
New Factories About 70 BE BhiIt.
In consequence Of the conditions
thus stated, sugar factory Is about
to be built at Chatham, some SO miles
to the south of here Its estimated
capacity Is to be 1000 tons Of beets
per day, while negotiations are rapid
" assuming shape for another factory
at Petrolea, Is miles to the southeast,
with capacity Of 500 tons per day.
i am informed that the machinery for
this plant will be obtained from q de-
funct plant across the line in Micht
gan.
Climate and soil conditions are ex-
cellent for sugar-beet production in
this portion Of Ontario, and doubtless
beet-sugar factories will multiply and
expand with the increase OF popula-
ton and consequent sugar consump-
ton of the country. The most serious
drawback Is to induce the farmer to
raise the sufficient quantity Of beets.
He Is perfectly IN accord with the
idea, as 1t pays him well and, II
anything, proves helpful to HIS land.
But the farmer is handicapped In not
being always able to obtain the ne
cessary help The work Of beet cub
ture Is more or less distasteful to the
average native laborer. Hence he is
obliged largely to depend on foreign
labor or plant only such area as he
and his family can tend incident to
other farm duties. Belgians and Rus
slams have proved the most satisfac-
tory help IN this connection, and
am satisfied the factory managers an
ticipate being able to secure great
er sufficiency OF this class Of labor
at the cessation Of the present world
war.