The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1921-10-21
In a Cuban Sugar Mn.

Prepared By the National Geographic So
ciety. Washington. ID. c.
Cuba, which Immediately following
the World war climbed TO heights OF
prosperity seldom attained by any
other small country. has passed now
into the valley of hard times; and the
reason In both cases was the same
sugar. For though the islands annual
tobacco harvest is very valuable and
though II has many other potential.
II undevelOped, resources, IL Is hardly
accomplishing the Importance Of
sugar production TO say that Cuba is
q one-crop country. When European
and Eastern sugar was understandable
prices scared skyward and Cuba not
only cashed in heavily on her usual
production but feverishly increased
her cane acreage and sugar mills. Now
that sugar from the eastern hemis-
phere is reaching the world markets
while Europe has little buying power,
sugar prices have fallen to low levels
and Cuba is finding her war-lncreased
crop a drug on the market. Financial
a most hectic prosperity. "as the night,
the day"
Sugar-cane Is grown by three classes
OF planters in Cuba. Perhaps the
major part of the crop is grown by
share farmers. or "colonos." as they
are called. The owners of the sugar
mills furnish them with a given num-
them an agreed share of the sugar
they produce.
They Made Money Rapidly.
The next class is composed Of the
iand-Owning farmers. who grow their
own cane and have II ground on
shares. after the fashion OF the rural
grist mill. The remainder OF the cane
Is grown by the owners of the mills
themselves. At some centrals the
administration cane. as that grown
under central" management is known.
amounts To only per cent of the
total: at others 1t amounts To 90 per
cent.
Even the share farmer. at pre-war
prices, made money. According TO
"Cuba Before the World" the official
handbook OF the republic at the Pan
ama-Pacific exposition, when sugar
was selling at 262 cents a pound. his
share of the sugar brought him, on
the basis OF twelve sacks 70 the acre.
return or from $40 TO S51 per acre.
When one remembers that the selling
price OF sugar in 1920 was from four
. TO six times rs high rs before the war.
the size OF the per-acre income at the
high tide Of prices is apparent.
Boom in Sugar Lands.
A great deal of the cane land pro
duces much more sugar 10 the acre
than the modest twelve bags that
formed the basis OF the calculations
cited from Cuba Before the World"
According 10 figures furnished by the
Cuban department Of agriculture. much
land produces - bags to the acre.
This. at II cents a pound brings
gross rsturn of more than $1,000 an
acre
These conditions brought about an
unprecedented uOOin III sugar ihHuS.
One sugar estate. which was bought
about 1917 for S3.OO0.OO0. sold in jan
uary 1920 for $9.5OO.OO0 Another
which was valued at about S6.O00,0oO
few years before. changed hands at
S15OOO.OO0.
Numerous new "centrals' were built.
all capitalized on the basis Of earn
ings during the early months OF 1920.
Thousands Of American, capitalists in
vested in these flOurishing enterprises.
How Cuha'S receipts from sugar eX-
banded is shown by the fact that the
1915 crop brought total return Of
less than 100000 600 while two-thirdS
OF the 1920 crop (one-third remains
unsold) brought S4OO00O,OOo.
P-odI elton Cheaper There
Cuba has the advantage OF every
country in producing sugar cheaply.
Most countries have 10 plant every
two years and some OF them every
season. but the average in Cuba is
once in from 20 - years.
In most parts OF the island the
harvesting season Is six months long
from December 70 June: but in
some sections the harvest lasts from