The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-08-25
BEET SUGAR ORGAN
. ON PAPER EXPORTS
Takes Issue With Chamber Of
Commerce Of United States
Recent Bulletin
War Would Create Serious Su-.
gar Shortage On the 'F,'
8 Mainland

Some interesting figures are contain.
d in a Bulletin issued by the chamber
# commerce of the United States,
caring release date July 49, Figures
re presented for various important
God products with the idea of show
ng that the growth Of population in
he hfty.year period, 1865.l9l5, has
,een proportionately smaller than the
Increase in the production of certain
necessary food products. This is sup
'osed 10 prove how it would be impos-
,ible TO stRrve out the population Of
he United States in case of war. ~
The figures given for sugar, however,
| ill bear a little reimbursement and ex.
lanation. The bulletin says:
"Cane sugar is'poiuted to as most
emarknble exhibit. 1t is largely a
ropical and subtropical product and
onscuuentlv can be grown only in a
| limited area in the United States. Like
wise the production of sugar in this
country has always been complicated
~ the tariff. Yet despite those facts
according to the report Compiled by
the committee of statistics Of the cham
Der of commerce) domestic production
|
1000 per cent in imports. Meanwhile
exports from this country have increas-
ed over 200 per cent"
Paper Exports
"The only impression to be gained
by reading the foregoing paragraph is
an entirely erroneous One,' says Su
| gar. :. Anyone not acquainted with the
real figures might be pardoned for sup,
posing that despite adverse tariff laws,
and also in spite of the fact that but
very small portion of the United Statos
adapted to raising sugar cane, that
production has so gained that we have
become heavy exporters of sugar.
cit is hard to conceive how the
| United States ever could become nm ex-
,orter Of sugar under normal condi.
lions. The report uses the year 1915
or comparison. This does not mean
anything and furthermore is entirely
misleading. Take the year 1918,
ormal year as far as the sugar world
vas concerned. and only 25,9G7 more
Ons of sugar were exported from the
nitcd States than was exported fifty
ears previous. This was an increase
| f about 100 per cent One hundred
nd sixty per cent parcnthetically, can
lenOte a huge increase or very little
me, depending entirely upon the start
ng point.
'ercentages Misleading
| "a publisher once had n lone sub.
criber in certain far distant part of
he world. One day he added another
lie then triumphantly announced that
is subscription in certain part Of the
Orld had doubled. SO il had, but af-
r this increase of 100 per cent, all
o had we're two forlorn Subscribers
| Now if he had started out with 5000
ubscribers and increased il 100 per
mt, the percentage Of increase would
ave meant something. SO it is with
he increase in sugar exports.
Exports of Col, JOB, 749 pounds in
015 against 32,635 ,2SO pounds in 1865.
big percentage increase even
hOugh in actual pounds it is not i'm,
'ortant, but at that even the percentage
"creaSe is significant of nothing 1t
as not American made sugar that was
XpOrted, but foreign raws brought in
nd refined and sold as ref ned grunu
tter or refined on toll. The only profit
n the transaction was that accruing
the refners.
hlou-lu-LTduS1J Onty
Under our laws, foreign sugar may
re imported and refined and upon re- /
xFort il subject to a drawback equal
practically the eptire duty. The
nited States is no more entitled to the
edit of being the exporter of this SUI
gar within the sense of the bulletin IL
uesti"n than can the painter who puts
he "Shine' on one 3 motor ear claim
20 be the manufacturer of the car. The
| ngar was made before il stopped Of
long enough at the American seabor ed
o get the finishing touch put on it. |.
as little more than u milling.in.tran-
il trausaction.
Who can say when a country is pre-
AIRED against siege and the CONSEQUENT
utting off of outside sources of sup
lyf Certainly the fact that our sugar
Tports have increased 1000 per cent
htty years, on paper, would not
rand the acid test of war. As n mat
or of fact we are producing within
mr. own country today only something
'ver million tons of beet and cane
ugar.
Jan't Tow Hawaii
'The balance of American made su
ar is produced in Hawaii and Porto |
leo, and after that we have to look to |
uba. In war time. following the ex
mple set by the bulletin, Hawai- could
OF be taken up by the roots overnight
nd set down somewhere in Iowa and
Id 70 60 ahead and make sugar |
either could Porto Rico. They would
emain islands, entirely surrounded by
hat"Ver naval equipment, the enemy. |
hoover it might be, could master
'uba. while it is close ct hand, still is
not on the main land, and sugar ship
uents might be ieopardIzod
Some War Lessons
Even with a sufficient production
at home and toHspare as in the case of
the Central powers, and even WITH
France, prior to the war, the test Of
the last two years has demonstrated