The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-12-29
PLANTERS WORKING
FOR PRODUCT THAT
REEINER|ES DEMAND
Improvement Of Hawaiian Raw
Sugar Refining Value Is
Taken Up
CUBAN CAN BE QUALIFIED
WITHOUT LOSS OF ECONOMY
Mills Are Seeking Methods OF
Eliminating Objections of
RefinerS

With the start of the grinding sea
son on the plantations there is notice
able a new interest in the manufacture
of better quality of refining sugar
than in previous years.
Cuba with admittedly inefficient fac
tories is sending TO the refners a grade
of raw sugar that meets their require
ments better than the local product.
II comes as a surprise TO the sugar
men here to be handed a sample of
Cuban sugar with the statement that
that is what the rPfners want.
The refneries, il seems, are designed
10 handle a raw sugar of about ninety
six polarization. With the idea of OBJ
tanning that grade of sugar the refners
have set a scale of prices based on the
polarization which makes ninety-six
. suga- the most profitable one to manu-
faeture. But aside from the pOlariza.
ton, sugar has other qualities which eff
feet their refining value, such as TIA
ash content, and the size, regularity
and hardness of the grain.
Would Sacrifice Proat
1t is not difficult matter for the
factories to increase the polarization of
the sugar and thus improve the refining
value; but it would be ut a sacrifice in
profit under the present buying arrange
ment.
One of the larger factories in the Isl
aRds, in former years, made high
grade sugar and received each year a
highly complimentary letter from the
refners, stating that their sugar had
splendid refining qualities.
In later years when the practise OF
this factory was changed to one of max
ing sugar of approximately ninety six
polarization the letters ceased to come.
1t is claimed by the man in charge
of this factory that the men do not
take the interest and consequently the
pains in turning out a sugar of low
polarization as they do when making
n high grade nrod""+
Now Classed As PAIR
During toe past y,.r this factory 3
output was cassed as fair by the re-
fners.
1t is probabl that a high polarizing
sugar will be made there as we'll as AT
many other factories in the Islands the
coming season.
But it is the desire Of the other fac
tories to improve the qualities of their
sugars without increasing the pOlariz-
alton. In order to do that it is their 4.
tention to improve on the pan work as
much as possible.
If genius is the capacity for taking
pains, every sugar boiler ought to be
genius There is probably no place
in the manufacture of u good sugar
where more careful attention is needed
than at the proof stick.
Cuban Boilers Are Experts
1t is stated that one reason for the
superiority Of Cuban sugar over the
local product is that in Cuba specially
trained men are employed whose duties
are solely that of sugar boilers.
The practise here Of taking low
grade sugar into the pan as a seed foot,
ing for commercial sugar strike is
objected to by the refners on the
ground that it is not done in Cuba.
Probably the majority of sugar men
here think that AS good sugar can be
made on low grade seed as in any other
way, if the seed is of good quality.
On that point there seems to be some
difference Of opinion; but it is probable
that considerably more of the sugar
from low grade boilings will be melted
ana maze over tnhn IN previous years
and only the seconds of sugar made in
the pans on a syrup footing will be used
for seed.
Ash Content Problem
The ash content of sugar effects il
refining value a great deal, but the per
,eentage of ash in the sugar is something
that is more or less beyond the control
of the manufacturer.
As the ash is in the molasses sur
rounding the crystals of sugar. th'
amount of ash in sugar can be lowered
by washing it free of molasses; but tina
is objected to by those factories tina
want to continue making 96 polarization
sugar. so the ash is controlled by thu
polarization of the sugar and the nature
of the soil on which the cane was grown
1t is possible that the refners viii
change in the Purchasing of raw sugar
to the purity basis. thus taking int
consideration the ash, and not be con
trolled by the polarization entirely.
More careful Qualification and RltTa
ton of the juices will be another mean
of improving the quality of the sugar
Almost every chemist has DrObabl,
noticed in dissolving the normal Weight
when polaTizing sample Of suUar. tn
surprising amount of small PARTICLES o
bagasse to be seen floating around il
the solution. These fine particles d,
not settle In the settling tanks but pas
on with the clarified juice aud con