28 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY 



CUBAN SUGAR EXPORT SITUATION AS OF 

 OCTOBER 18. 1918 



The progress in the transportation of the 

 Cuban sugar crop has been so satisfactory as 

 practically to assure the removal of the bal- 

 ance of the 1918 crop from the Island of Cuba 

 in advance of the arrival of new crop sugars 

 at the Cuban ports. In order that this may 

 be more clearly brought to the attention 

 of all interested, the following figures are 

 cited for reflection: 



Up to Oct. 18th there has been assigned for 

 the transportation of the 1918 crop sufficient 

 tonnage so as to leave only about 80,000 tons 

 of sugar for which steamers are yet to be 

 assigned for transportation to United States 

 ports, and only about 160,000 tons for which 

 steamers are yet to be assigned for European 

 ports. Taking into consideration the rate at 

 which shipments have left the Island of Cuba 

 during the past month, there can be no ques- 

 tion in the mind of any shipper as to the 

 allocation of steamers for the sugar coming 

 to United States ports, nor that the entire 

 quantity may be lifted by the early part of 

 December. 



As regards the allocation of tonnage for the 

 other sugars to move transatlantic, there is 

 always some uncertainty concerning these, 

 because of the nature of the trade, and it is 

 logical to expect that this tonnage may not 

 be forthcoming as promptly as could be de- 

 sired. From reports which have been re- 

 ceived recently there is every reason to 

 believe, however, that same will be allocated 

 in sufficient time to assure its arrival and 

 loading at Cuban ports during the month of 

 November or early December. 



With this information in hand, which is 

 believed to be as reasonably correct as cir- 

 cumstances at this time will permit, it is 

 evident that there cannot now be any serious 

 overlapping of the 1918 crop into the suc- 

 ceeding crop. This very favorable situation 

 must be most pleasing to all shippers, inas- 

 much as they now have assurances that many 

 difficulties and complications will be avoided 

 which might otherw'ise result in the event of 

 these crops being allowed to overlap. This 

 is all the more important because of the fact 

 that the price for the 1919 crop is higher than 



that fixed for the present crop, and any con- 

 siderable quantity of 1918 sugar could not be 

 long left in Cuba without entailing consider- 

 able expense and labor for segregating them 

 from the new crop sugars. 



REBUILDING OF FRENCH SUGAR FACTORIES 



Information of interest to .-American manu- 

 facturers of sugar refining machinery and 

 other materials entering into the equipment 

 of sugar factories, who may be making plans 

 for selling their products in France after the 

 war, is contained in a recent report by Pierce 

 C. Williams, commercial attach6 at Paris, on 

 the "Importance of Collective Selling in In- 

 dustrial Reconstruction in France." 



To Spend $80,000,000. 



According to Mr. William's report, French 

 sugar manufacturers are counting upon ob- 

 taining a large part of the material needed for 

 the re-establishment of their industry from the 

 United States and are already seeking to get 

 in touch with American manufacturers. They 

 are not, however, proposing to deal as in- 

 dividual buyers with individual sellers, but 

 have formed, in common with other French 

 industrial groups, an organization for collec- 

 tive purchasing, through which they expect 

 to deal with a similar organization or organi- 

 zations representing groups of American man- 

 ufacturers. The report estimates the amount 

 which the French sugar industry will have to 

 expend for material and equipment alone, in 

 this work of rehabilitation, at about $80,000,- 

 000.— Facts About Sugar. 



LOUISIANA SUGAR CANE ACREAGE FOR 1918 



The total acreage in sugar cane in the 

 twenty-four sugar parishes of Louisiana in 

 1918 is estimated at 280,000 acres, as com- 

 pared with 293,000 m 1917 and 315,000 in 

 1909. The entire state, including parishes 

 outside the sugar belt, had in 1909 an area 

 of about 330,000 acres in sugar cane. The es- 

 timates for 1918 are based upon reports made 

 from a well-selected list of over 300 cane 

 growers to the Louisiana field agent of the 

 Bureau of Crop Estimates, United States 

 Department of Agriculture. 



