32 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY 



DISTRIBUTION AND HANDLING OF CUBAN 

 SUGAR CROP 



1.1 si 



The output of theCuban sugar crop for 1918 

 is now pretty well established, and from the 

 best authorities is not expected to be more 

 than 3,450,000 tons. The following table 

 shows the proportion in which this crop has 

 l)een distributed to our Allies and between 

 the various parts in the United States, giving 

 clearances from Cuba up to July 6th, all of 

 which is strictly in accordance with the sales 

 contracts entered into at the beginning of 

 the crop, between the United States Food 

 Administration and the Royal Commission 

 with the Cuban Planters: 



Tons 



To United States Ports 1,575,628 



To Europe 480,317 



2,055,945 



Now that the major portion of the crop 

 actually has been moved and sufficient ton- 

 jiage has been assigned for its transportation, 

 a few comparisons of the movement of the 

 Cuban crop during precedmg years wil? un- 

 doubtedly prove of special interest, particu- 

 larly to those who at the beginning of the 

 «rop were peculiarly anxious lest there should 

 "be insufficient steam tonnage available tor 

 the transportation of the Cuban crop. 



The total crop of 1917 was 3,019,936 tons, 

 .and up to July 31st of that year, there were 

 •cleared from Cuba, 2,275,189 tons, wheieas 

 in 1916, with a total crop of 3,006,624 tons, 

 there had cleared from Cuba at a cones- 

 ponding date 2,345,886 tons, as against the 

 probable movement of 2,411,827 tons in 1918, 

 with an estimated crop of 3,4,50,000 ton., or, 

 in other words, practically speaking, during 

 the first seven months of the yeai there will 

 be transported fiom the Island of Cuba, more 

 sugar than for the same period in any other 

 preceding year in the history of the Island. 



This marvel in transportation has only been 

 possible of accomplishment because, in the 

 tirst place, of the large number of steamers 

 which have been assigned by the United States 

 Shipping Board and the Joint Committee on 

 ^Vest Indies Transportation solely for the 

 Cuban-United States trade, and because of 

 the liberal supplv of tonnage furnished by the 

 Royal Commission to satisfy the tonnage 



requirements for the transportation of sugar 

 Transatlantic. Secondly, it was possible to 

 handle such a large quantity of sugar at all 

 the various ports in the Island during such 

 a short time by reason of the co-ordination 

 of all interests towards hastening the despatch 

 of all steamers loading and bj reason of Ihe 

 proper distribution of all available steamers 

 between the many different loading ports in 

 Cuba, so that all facilities rt all ports could 

 b ^ used to their maximum capacity during 

 the major portion of the time. AMiile excel- 

 lent despatch has thereby been secured in the 

 loading of these steamers, any extreme hard- 

 ship has not been imposed upon the labor at 

 any port, notwithstanding the vast amount 

 of work involved and the most satisfactory 

 results accomplished. 



In view of the fact that the crop has thus 

 been transported faster than was expected, 

 th^re has been such appreciation expressed 

 by the many shippers, because of the able 

 and equitable manner in which their interests 

 have been so thoroughly ])rotected through 

 the Cuban Producers Committee, who have 

 devoted themselves unreservedly in their 

 behalf. We hope that the same favorable 

 conditions will continue so that the balance 

 of the crop may be transported without 

 disappointment. 



The largest steamer engagea in the Cuba- 

 United States sugar trade was the S. S. 

 "Mundelta" which carried 7,300 tons, and 

 the smallest steamer was the S. S. "Biesbosch" 

 which carried 425 tons. 



SUGAR PRODUCTION IN GERMANY 

 The Kolnische Zeitung states that the 202 

 sugar factories in Germany, from which re- 

 ports were received, out of 319 in operation, 

 used the following quantities of sugar beets 

 in recent seasons : 1914-15, 191,643,226 

 quintals; 191.5-16, 127,473,147 quintals; 1916- 



17, 125,447,097 quintals; and 1917-18, 122,- 

 995,952 quintals. In 1914-15, the 319 fac- 

 tories used 329,000,000 quintals of sugar 

 beets and in 1915-16, 209,890,820 quintals. 

 Taking these figures as a basis for com- 

 parison, it may be estimated that in 1917- 



18, the 319 factories used not less than 200,000 

 000 quintals, a quantity which, with the 

 minimum yield of 16.5%, would produce 33,- 

 000,000 quintals of raw sugar. 



