Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-02-12
AMERICAN SEES
PROSPEROUSCUBA
And some DANGER
Prices Stimulate Production
and Further Expansion May
Bring Excessive Supplies

. BOSTON. Mass, Jan. 19-In an in
teryiew given TO a representative or
Facts About. Sugar today. Edwin +;
Atkins OF this city, owner of import
ant Cuban sugar plantations and prop
critics. gave the following interesting
review of Cuba's sugar production for
the 1916 season and the outlook for
the new crop now nearly two months
under way:
Cuba has just passed the most
prosperous year in her history-a
year of Exceptionally favorable condi.
tons The weather was dry through
cut the grinding season from Deem
Der to June inclusive. The. sugar
content of the cane and consequently
the sugar yield was the best for years
and prices phenomenal, owing to the
European war Cuba, in consequence,
produced the largest crop in her his
tory, about 3,000,0 600 long tons, an in
crease of 400, 900 tons over 1915.
Prices Stimulated Production
High prizes always stimulate pro-
duction and check or diminish con-
sumption. The United States con-
sumption, which in the past has
shown an annual increase of about 5
per cent, actually decreased last year
150, geo tons. This, of course, was
without calculating the exports of re-
fined, sugar to Europe and South
America, which are likely to terminate
after the end of the war.
"The coming crop Of Cuba was esti-
mated a month ago at 100000 long
tons Probably there is cane enough
to make that crop under the same
favorable conditions as last year, but
the estates have been late in starting;
the receipts in Cuban ports to Jan.
uray Is were but $1,000 tons, against
"a 800 tons last year; the yield OF
sugar is not so far satisfactory; a
great shortage of labor exists; strikes
have taken place upon nearly all the
railroads, which are short of both
labor and equipment, and many OF
them. are unable to give satisfactory
service in hauling cane to the mills
or delivering sugar at the ports. Con-
seuuently, many of the more conser. |
vative men in Cuba, also in New
York, are not expecting SO large a
crop as, estimated, and are figuring |
upon 100000 to 100000 long tons
only. -.....
"The condition of the cane gener- |
ally is good, although tonnage per |
acre in certain districts will show a |
falling off from last year.
Danger Cuba Faces
Cuba's great danger now is that OF |
Her large profits OF |
the past two years have attracted !
much capital Many new factories |
have been erected and many old ones
which were on the verge of bank |
ruptcy at the end of the 1914 crop |
have been sold at fabulous prices, and |
bonds and stocks are being offered |
to the public by means sof adyertis.
ing. Il remains to be proved if many |
Of these places, situated in the older |
districts of the island, where the
lands are more or less impoverished |
after nearly a century of cultivation,
ran produce profitably when values |
% sugar return to normal, under the |
Increased costs arising from the pres.
emf conditions. All food supplies con-
sumeA by the laboring population
have about doubled in price during |
the past two years, with the newt /
able increase in the cost of labor.
up to the commencement of the
European war the United States was
practically the only market for Cuban
sugars, and similar conditions are
likely to prevail after the European
again get into a state of pro-
duction for their large crops of beet
sugars.
Further Expansion Planned /
"Coincident with falling Off. in
the domestic consumption of the
United States of nearly 10000 tons
the past year, Cuba increased its crop
some 100000 tons and is planning for.
a still further material increase for
both 1917 and 1918. 1t would seem
that she may be reaching point
where her production will materially
exceed her ability to sell; this could
only be regulated during the next few
years by return to normal conditions
and normal values, which would tend
to decrease production and at the
same time materially increase con.
which last always follows
lowers prices. 1t is always hard,
however, to decrease costs, which sci.
dom keep pace with the decline in
prices of commodities.