32 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY 



i. e., a fixed price and disposal of the en- 

 tire production. 



PLAN FOR A BANK URGED 



Sr. Lezama goes further and suggests 

 the establishment by the producers of a 

 bank to make loans and otherwise assist 

 in carrying the industry through difficult 

 periods. Subscription of 10 or 20 cents 

 per bag of sugar made would provide such 

 a bank with ample capital at the end of 

 three or four years, Sr. Lezama holds, 

 arguing that had such a bank been estab- 

 lished ten years ago it would have been 

 of the greatest value to the sugar indus- 

 try and would by this time have become 

 one of the strongest financial institutions 

 of the island. 



The continued agitation of the project 

 discussed above finally resulted in a call 

 being sent out for a meeting of those in- 

 terested. Present conditions seem to be 

 more propitious for bringing about a real 

 unity of action among those engaged in 

 the industry than has been the case at 

 any previous time, and it is to be hoped 

 that some agreement will be reached. 



NEW MACHINERY 



According to information published in 

 Facts About Sugar, Senor Pedro Laborde, 

 owner of Central El Pilar, located at Ar- 

 temisa, in the province of Pinar del Rio, 

 is to install a large amount of new equip- 

 ment in the mill, at the end of the grind- 

 ing season. This includes a battery of 

 Fulton mills, consisting of six mills of 

 three rolls each, and two seven-foot crush- 

 ers. 



Other machinery to be installed, to be 

 constructed in the shops of Manuel Galdo 

 & Co. of Cardenas, consists of a pre-evap- 

 orator of 8,000 sq. ft. heating surface, a 

 giant vacuum pan of 85-ton capacity, a 

 triple-effect of 12,000 square feet heating 

 surface, 3 multitubular boilers, 8 ft. G in. 

 by 22 feet, 3 defecators, 4 crystallizers, 

 a central condenser and tower, a self-sup- 



porting chimney, and oil and water stor- 

 age tanks. 



Centra] Estrella, at Sierra Morena, 

 Ca maguey, which was erected last year 

 and which is now engaged in grinding its 

 first crop, is to have its capacity increased. 

 Its owner, Domingo Leon, has closed a 

 contract with the Fulton Iron Works Com- 

 pany of St. Louis for a seven-foot double 

 crusher and nine-roller mill, with engines 

 and other equipment. Estrella was con- 

 structed from a combination of the former 

 Caridad and Santa Lutgarda centrals, of 

 Santa Clara province. 



Contracts have also been made with the 

 Fulton Iron Works Company by the Cuban 

 American Sugar Company for three new 

 pre-crushers for Central Chaparra and the 

 same number for Central Delicias. 



The same company has a contract to re- 

 model both tandems, reshell all rolls, and 

 install two pre-crushers, and new hy- 

 draulics in all top caps at Central Jati- 

 bonieo. 



CANE ACREAGE IN U. S. 



The total area under sugar cane in thG 

 United States this year, including cane 

 grown for syrup but not including 

 sorghum, is reported by the Department 

 of Agriculture as 509.190 acres, against 

 526,575 acres in 191S. The decrease is due 

 to the smaller acreage planted for sugar 

 and syrup in Louisiana and Texas, all 

 other states showing increases. 



The following are the acreage figures 

 by states for this year and last : 



Acres 



1919 1918 



Louisiana 2( .4,000 303,000 



Alabama 92.200 81,800 



Georgia 77,000 67,300 



Mississippi 31,200 30,500 



Florida 21,000 16,300 



Texas 12,600 17,000 



South Carolina 7,755 7,355 



Arkansas 3,200 2,S00 



North Carolina 640 520 



Total 509,190 526.575 



