THE CUBA REVIEW 



31 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY 



PATENT 

 A process of forming bri(iuettes f'-om bag- 

 asse has been patented in the United Kingdom 

 by H. W. Aitken. Formerly, attempts have 

 been made to press wet l)agasse into bri- 

 quettes, and it has always been found im- 

 possible, without reducing the water content 

 to alx)ut 6%. The briquettes otherwise formed 

 re-expand and become disintegrated. By 

 Mr. Aitken's process it has been found possi- 

 ble to make the bagasse into briquettes 

 without the necessity of preliminary drying 

 and also without the use of a binding material. 



HAWAIIAN SUGAR 



According to an article in Commerce Re- 

 ports, the invention of a new process for the 

 recovery of sucrose from final molasses is re- 

 ported. It is stated that this process would 

 mean a gain of at least 33-^% in the commer- 

 cial sugar crop of Hawaii. The new process 

 takes trom the so-called final molasses approxi- 

 mately Y2 of 8% of sugar that heretofore has 

 been considered an absolute loss. It is claimed 

 by the inventor, Mr. Williams, that the addi- 

 tional cost for machinery would be slight, the 

 process in effect obtaining results in one opera- 

 tion instead of the three operations now neces- 

 sary. The ])rinciple of the process is that it 

 is not the glucose gums or ash, but the water 

 in the molasses that has prevented hitherto 

 the sucrose therein from crystalizing; there- 

 fore, the first step in the process is to boil the 

 molasses to a practically complete absence of 

 Avater: secondly, the results are obtained in the 

 new process by the use of a high speed centri- 

 fugal, the centrifugal being run to a speed 

 nearly twice that of the centrifugal under 

 present conditions. 



MEXICAN LABORERS 



The President of Cuba has granted a con- 

 cession to the Alto Cedro Sugar Co. for the 

 importation of 300 laborers from Mexico. 

 The executive decree, in the Diario de la 

 Marina of December 26, states that this con- 

 cession is in the nature of an experiment. 

 Provision is made for a quarantine of six 

 days and medical inspection of the Mexican 

 laborers upon their arrival at a Cuban port. 



PROPOSED SUGAR CENTRAL FOR HAITI 



Plans are afoot for the establishment by 

 the Northern Haiti Sugar Corporation of a 

 sugar central in the plain near Cape Haitien. 

 Local owners of some 4,000 carreaux (12,000 

 acres) of suitable land have alreadj' sub- 

 scribed to the project, and it is believed that 

 the enterprise will succeed. 



In this connection it might be stated that 

 Le Moniteur of September 16 contained the 

 announcement of the signing of a contract 

 for the erection of a central near Port au 

 Prince. — Consul Lemuel W. Livingston, Cape 

 Haitien. 



CHILEAN SUGAR REFINERIES 



The Diario Ihistrado states that negotia- 

 tions are being carried on for the consolida- 

 tion of the Refinerxa de Azucar de Vina del 

 Mar and the Refineria de Azucar de Penco. 

 This would practically monopolize the local 

 industry. Chile's imports of raw sugar for 

 refining amounted in 1914 to about 75,000 

 tons, and in 1915 to about 67,000 tons. In 

 these same years refined sugar was imported 

 to the extent of 8,500 tons and 3,300 tons, 

 respectively. The raw sugar comes chiefly 

 from Peru. 



SUGAR PRICES 



Messrs. "\^'iilett & Gray, in their general 

 review, express the opinion that sugar prices 

 would probably range between 3J^c. and 

 4^-^c. c & f for the year 1917. 



CENTRAL "TINGUARO" 



It is stated that the new central of the 

 Cuban-.\merican Sugar Company, known as 

 Central Tinguaro, at Perico, is now in suc- 

 cessful operation. The Central Tinguaro is 

 the largest cane mill ever constructed. 



CENTRAL WASHINGTON 



The Central W^ashington expects to grind 

 over 200,000 bags in 1917. In 1916 the out- 

 put was 180,000 bags, yield 12.45% sugar. 

 Mill extraction 80.56% normal juice. MiUing 

 plant, 1 Fulton crusher, 4 mills, 36"x84". 



