Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-06-12
Declares Farmer Should Be
Content with Prices He
Sets for Product

WASHlNI1OF>' -. - p'N' -
The federal trade commission tooay
Submitted 10 Congress . report on
conditjops IN the beet sugar industry
N the United States. IN submitting
ItS Yepor: che commission SAID:
.aTh9 resort deals chiefly with tne
costs and Profits Of growing sugar
beets, the cost of manufacturing ana
marketing beet sugar. the pfotits III
the manufacture ana sale OF beet So
gar. and the relations between sugar
heet growers and beet-sugar manniac'
turerE II covers In detail the opera
tons OF all the beet-sugar factories IN !,
the United States, except two sinai
onss, during the fiye-year period ene'
ing With the business year OF lSlS-It'
Because OF the lack OF funds 10
prosecute work other than that specf
fcaIIy directed by Congress, this re-
snort has becn delayed, much TO the
regret of the commission. II womb
shayc been desirable 20 bring the ID,
formation down 20 later date, put
ssuch a course was not possible De'
cause of the lack OF an avaiAoie
force.
* A dfecuatlCn vi tue -
ton Of the industry Is not inciuoea IN
the report because Il involves the con
alteration OF matters strictly WITHIN
the prcyinee Of another goyeFnmentai
agency. A chapter dealing with TINS
subiect has been prepared and i, To-
eether win al the data collected our
inT fhie investigation, has been turn.
~ over "a the United States tariff
commission.
n 1914. 100000 tons Of beet sugar
was produced IN the United States 10
~ factories. The four principal cen.
tiers or production were Michigan ana
northern Ohio, Colorado ncrtnern
Utah and southern Idaho and Oalioi'
MIA, but IL other states contributed %
the total production. Micnigan ana
COLORADO each had 10 factories 10
1914. California had 13, Utah Z, Idaho
and Ohio 5 each, and wisconsin 4.
There we've ten States that had only
one fnctory Zach. California and Col.
orado produced more than 30 per cent
81 the total production OF the country
during the five years covered by the
renurf The annual consumption OF
ruear A the United States ID approx.
mstely l,se0.00o tons, ana about ~
per cent Of this was produced n oo.
nestle best4ugar factories IN 1854
srontb a. che Industry
There were only three beet-sugai
fartoriee n operation IN the United
etsitn A 1910. and this number had
increased 10 only nine ~ 1877. but
- lef1 - already STATED, there were
~ ne pro6uction - lnct1eseu
IRON Iess than $4,000 tons An 1897 20
more than 100000 tons tn 1915
The rnpid Development OF the INDUS.
try after 1881 has been lnr.ev oge y
direct enconragsment ~ the IeeeLs.
and state governmental. particularly
the former. While customs tariffs
have afforded . large measure O pro.
fection 70 the industry since 1883, y
Va not until after the tariff act o.
1907 thsf the rapid development Of the
indurlrv beran. IN 1887 Michigan en-
1900 4 efafe bounty law which great.
Is stimuIafed the building 81 factories
An that state. Soon afterwards otner
states enacted similar laws, but tney
were alI. including those cf Michigan.
soon repealed o declared unconsti.o'
e.. q producing Beet Sugar
The average cost for "a factories
prodncinr IS per cent Of oil the beet
rurar n the United States during the
five yenrs ending with the season
1894 we ss.7l per 100 pounds. ~
cIuding depreciation, which tor these
fecfnriee nveraeed IS cents. The Az.
erara cot II SC factories producing
"a Der cent of the sugar was t2.to; the
aversre Tor 26 factories producing ~
pei cent o. the sugar was t3.S6. ON
the other hand, q factories prcducing
is per cent Of the sugar bad az aver.
are cost Of tl.s4 There was wioe
range Of cost In different factories.
The lowest average, cost for any tac.
tory Cor the tive-year period. mcluo-
inr depreciation, was t2.sb and the
hlghest was ee.15 per 100 pounds.
Speaklng broadly, this wide variation
was due mainly 20 differences IN the
cost OF beets per 100 pounds Of sugar,
hut there were also wide differences
ia the cost Of manufacture. The aver.
age cost Of beets per 100 pounds OF
sugar for these 81 factories during
the five-year period ranged from $i.et
to tl.4S, while the additional cost OF
prOonction, including overhead ex.
penBes but not including depreciation,
RANGED from lt cents TO S2.ll. In Gen.
erai, hieh cost Of beets Is accompan'
led By high cost OF sugar.
Thore vas also q notably wide W
rlafion In average cnsfs In different
states. The lowest average cost for
the ffve.year period. including depre
citation, was 1871 per 100 pounds In
California, and emitting the states
that had Only one factory each the
highest average cost was SIS In Wis.
consin. The average cost Of beets IN
California for the five-year period was
only SOC per ic0 pounds OF sugar,
while In Wisconsin, it was $3.50.
Earnings IL the Best Sugar Business
with respect 20 earnings the report
covers 81 companies operating q fac
tories, that produced nearly 80 per
cent Of ali the beet sugar manufac.
TIRED IN the United States during the
fiye years ending with the season