The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-07-21
PRICES PAID
HAWANANFARMERS
8=t4 49, Il GFz,
Plantations Pay More For Sugar
In Cane Than Beet
&C.,. Farmers Get
Homesteaders Are Poor Farmers
*" As Rule Game Costs
o., Too Much

= A news item in the afternoon paper
= Monday July II stating that 1.-THE
Great Western Sugar Company, ut its
directors meeting held in Denver, de-
ieided to make a voluntary increase Of,
7 so cents o ton in the price paid farmers
for their sugar beets,' aroused con
siderable comment in local sugar cir
cles yesterday and especially the follow
ing statements. 1.-THE average price
/ to be paid this year, based upon last
years prices, will be $6.65 n ton, This
| will be the highest price ever ,peid in
the United States for beets in large
! quantities, 3" and officers of the com
ipany stated that the voluntary raise In
the price to be paid farmers was made
simply for the reason that the company
is prosperous and able to afford the in.
crease. "We want the farmers 70 ,an.
'derstand that we are playing fair with
them"
Hw. D, Lippitt assistant secretary Of
the Great Western Sugar Company
I, said. "It simply is good business to
make this raise at time when we can
afford it. 1t is establishing better 70.
lations with the beet growers, which
will react favorably upon the company
in hefuture. " r.
Hawaiian Homesteaders Get More
I EAn officer in one Of the larger Hon.
oIuIu agencies declared that home
steaders and outside planters have been
paid higher prices for the sugar in the
cane than the beet factories are pay
ing the Colorado farmers for the sugar
] in their beets, ever since 1899.
| cat $685. per ton for beets the
~ Western" is paying farmers $47.4S
per ton of sugar. All the Hilo planta.
tions are paying the homesteaders
$500 per ton when raw sugar is sell
ing at 1920 per ton, the basis used by
! the Colorado factory 10 making the
above quoted estimates. -, ..
| mind you, we have been paying at
| that proportion above this maximum
I Colorado price for seventeen years, and
yet people talk about how much better
The beet manufacturers treat white
: farmers on the mainland than we treat
hcmcsteaders in Hawaii"
In Colorado IL takes TIA tons Of
bects to make a ton Of sugar. In the
Hilo district the average is 20 tons Of
cane per ton Of sugar.
1--WE are paving $10.s more per
ton of sugar when the base price is
$40 than the Western is now VIOLIN.
tnrily' agreeing TO pay, yet we are
l4COO miles from New York More
over we get s. less per ton for our
sugar at New York, and IS per ton
less at San Francisco th9n the beet
growers get for their sugar on an
= oven 96o basis. #o@
"The old 1899 to 1906 FORM of con,
tact paid our bomesteaders exactly
the srme price az in 1916, but in the
old contracts there was no change In
the price the homesteaders received
unless there was a quartercent change
in New York quotations. The Colo,
RADIO contracts take account of nothing
less than a halfeent change in values
indcr our 1915 contratcs, as for ten
wears back. the homesteaders benefit
from and advance as soon as the plant
crs, ard both in the same proportion
Hawaii Damned For It
"The Colorado factories advertise
for it marvellous generosity and make
rnI ital Of it. Hawaiian cane planters
pay more apd are damned for doing
it, he remarked. T. 81.
"The Hawaiian homesteaders sim
Wy do not make as good use of their
lands as the plantations do. Without
specifying, take the 1915 record OF
five Big Island plantations. No. ]
paid homesteaders $78,6S8 for cane in
1918. 1t cost the homesteaders al n
per ton of sugar to grow their cane
and deliver it at the 'fiume side. i,
cost the plantation $23 to do the same
thing. No. 2 paid outside growers
$335,979 for cane. Comparative costs
were $45,36 and $20.67. .~3
"Plantation No 3 paid homestead
crs $+4S,979 for sugar costing them
$40.49 per ton to produce. The plan
tution made sugar for $3.50 per ton
No. IS figures we're $284,000; 41.pS
and So. For No. it was lbs, 593;
ALAG. and $2l.72. Ne "s -.
Comment on these figures is unnec
essary. These statistics are taken
from the plantation books and the
facts speak for themselves. %
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