THE CUBA It E V I E W 33 



SUGAR REVIEW 



Specially written for THE CUBA REVIEW by Willclt & Gray, New York. 



We wrote you last on September 30, 1919. 



One central, the "Santa Lucia," continues to grind the old crop in Cuba, agalnsl 

 none on this date last year and none in 1917. Visible production lias n<»\v reached 

 the figure of 3,867,395 tons. According to the Cuban AHotmenl Committee, In their 

 statement of October 25, the total crop will be 3,905,000 tons, of which 3,793,000 tons 

 is available for the United states and the Royal Commission. As the total quantity 

 taken care of by them to October 31 amounts to 3,748,730 tons, the balance remaining, 

 for which tonnage has to be allotted, is only 45,000 tons, of which :'>0,000 tons are fo'- 

 the United States and the balance for Europe. 



The market for new crop sugars lias continued firm with upward tendency through- 

 out the period under review, and latest quotations are sales and sellers of early Janu- 

 ary at 8%c, January 8c, February 7.75c, March-May 7.50c, all f. o. b. Cuba. 



The question of sugar control for 1920 is still the interesting factor in the situation. 

 Such control cannot be put through without further legislation by Congress, and we 

 maintain our previously expressed opinion that it is now too late to attempt this 

 with at least one-fourth of the new Cuba crop already sold. Such cont rol would most 

 certainly work more harm than good, as the sugars already sold would have to be 

 taken into consideration, and if attempts were made to cancel these contracts, a 

 chaotic condition would most certainly result. 



The longshoreman's strike in Eastern harbors has tied up the delivery of raw 

 supplies to the refineries, when same were needed most badly, but as some of the 

 men have now returned to work the situation shows a little improvement. 



In view of the current excitement on the sugar situation, the Equalization Board 

 has issued the following explanation to account for the existing condition : 



1. The figures now available for September show that there has been delivered 

 into domestic consumption in the period January-September, 1919, the enormous total 

 of 3,203,000 long tons refined sugar, as against 2,661,000 tons in the same period of 

 1918, an increase of 600,000 tons, or 1,344,000,000 lbs., a 22.5 per cent, increase. This 

 is entirely independent of our exports. 



2. The pre-war average consumption for tins period is about 2,900,000 tons, so 

 that this year we have consumed over 350,000 tons more than normal, an increase 

 of 12 per cent. 



3. Tins means that there has been delivered into domestic consumption in the 

 first nine months almost as much sugar as in the whole of 1918 (the 1918 consumption 

 was 3,400,000 tons, while in the first nine months of this year it was ::.203,000 tons). 



4. The per capita consumption in these nine months has been 70 lbs., as against 

 73 lbs. for the whole year 1918 and 83 lbs. for the whole of 191T. 



5. Figures do not always express the actual fact ; it is best to use comparisons. 

 The consumption for the whole year of 1919 (which will probably be 4,100,000 long 

 tons) will be over ONE-HALF of the world's total exportable surplus for 1919 and 

 over ONE-QUARTER of the total world's sugar production. This statement expresses 

 the situation better than figures can express it. 



6. In spite of the shortage, there remains sufficient sugar to supply to the domes- 

 tic trade about 400,000 tons of refined cane sugar, 75,000 tons of Louisiana sugars 

 and 400,000 tons of beet sugars— all this for the last quarter of 1919, a total of 875,000 

 tons. This amount added to what has already been distributed will give a consumption 

 for 1919 of 4,100,000 long tons, as against 3,400,000 tons in 1918 and a maximum of 

 3.800,000 tons in 1915. There remains, therefore, 100,000 tons more sugar for distribu- 

 tion in the last quarter of 1919 than in 1918. 



7. Conclusion : In spite of a world shortage of nearly 2,000,000 tons in the world 

 production, as compared to normal the American people have been supplied with one- 



