Evening star., 1925-02-11
BIGGER SUGAR BEET
CROP URGED IN us.
Producers FIay Agriculture
Department for Advising
Against Increase.
BY j. c. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, February 11.--Keen
resentment was experienced today
by representatives of the domestic
producers Of sugar. who are meeting
here, over the action of the Depart
ment of Agriculture in advising
farmers not to plant additional acre
age to sugar beets this year on the
ground that there will be a world
surplus of sugar in 1925 and big
| carry-over into 1926.
The world surplus at the end of
1925 is placed at 4,133.117 tons, &C
cording to a survey recently COM
kpleted by one of the largest factors
in the industry. The domestic pro-
ducers freely admit there will be
an excess of world sugar, but domes-
tic production in this country is sufti-
cient to meet only part of the Amer
lean demand.
Department Attacked.
The American growers complain
that their own Department of Agrt-
culture in effect is saying that
American production should be cut
down in order to provide an Amer
lean market for sugars imported
from Cuba and possibly other coun-
tries, Cuba, of course, having the
treatment under the existing tariff
Domestic beet and cane growers say
this is the very time American pro-
duction should be encouraged. They
resent the idea that they should be
held down, even by suggestion, whlie
the market is open for imports
which will continue to be necessary
so long as domestic production fails
to meet this Nations demands.
1t is held by the representatives OF
the American producers that the
action of the department came at an
unfortunate time-just when the
American producers are lighting, as
they say, with their backs to the wall
against the attacks OF the CUBAN
producers upon the American tarlf.
This attack, they claim, is an effort on
the part of the Cuban producers alb
solutely to dominate the American
market.
Increased Average Likely.
As a matter of fact it is not ex-
pected that the crop of beets will
yield anything like the amount of
sugar produced last season, which
was a banner year, but even so it is
4 question whether the beet sugar
p1oducers can or will comply with
the suggestion of the department.
CONTRACTS calling for A certain speci-
fed acreage already are in effect in
many growing districts. Some OF
these agreements provide for an in
crease of acreage. Again, beet sugar
producers, fighting the competition of
Ea stern refiners, many of whom grow
their own Cuban raw sugar, must be
assured of a certain volume of pro-
duction or they cannot operate
economically and successfully.
Europe is bending every effort to
Increase production of beet sugar, and
the additional output is expected to
ieach over 100000 tons this year.
Germany counts extensively on the
sale of her sugar production in com
ing years to discharge the $500, 600, 900
loan contracted in 1924 and other in
debtedness. England ia using every
effort, including subsidy, to assure
production of sugar beets in Great
Britain.
The increase in European produc-
tion is making more sugar from Cuba
available for the United States and
1t is predicted there will be q balance
in Cuba OF over 100000 tons for ex
port here. The prospects for a tre-
nendous Cuban sugar production this
year is not alarming to the American
reineries which own and operate
Cuban plantations and mills. Obvi-
ously they have the profit which must
accrue to the grower, the grinder, and
the refiner to counterbalance tariff
of 1.76 cents a pound in meeting COM
pStiHon with the domestic producer.
How great the first two of those
profits have been is indicated by Earl
D. BabSt, president of the American
Sugar Refining Co., who an
nounced to stockholders that by rea-
son of its Cuban and other invest
ments their company had been able
to work through four years of made
quate refining earnings to an in
creasingly strong financial position
without modifying either it's construc-
ton or rehabilitating programs and
now has over s31, 900, 900 cash on hand
and no borrowings.