THE CUBA REVIEW 



29 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY 



SUGAR TRADE IN 1916 



Messrs. Wm. Connal & Co., Glasgow, in 

 their review of the sugar trade for 19U), say: 

 "The .Roj'al Commission on the Sugar Supply 

 has contiinied to exercise entire control of the 

 sugar market during the past year. It has 

 successfully overcome ail difficulties of freight 

 and exchange, and has succeeded in keeping 

 the refineries of London, Liverpool and Green- 

 ock in full employment. This of late has been 

 no easy task, as supplies have been coming 

 from Java and have been of uncertain arrival. 

 On several occasions the deiay of a few hours 

 on the passage would have throwai refiners 

 out of work, but fortunately a timely arrival 

 has generally relieved the situation. The Com- 

 mission has likewise been enabled by the 

 averaging of purchases judiciously made, to 

 supply refiners wath raw sugar at an imchanged 

 short price since February 28, notwith- 

 standing the numerous and important fluctua- 

 tions in the chief countries of production. 

 The principal source of the raw sugar supply 

 has been Cuba, where a record crop of 3,007,- 

 000 tons has been reaped against 2,592,000 

 tons the previous season, and so productive 

 is this island that, under the stimulating in- 

 fluence of a highly remunerative price the 

 coming crop may with favorable weather, 

 possibly exceed 3,500,000 tons. When it is 

 considered that the average price of the last 

 pre-war Culjan crop, basis 96 per cent, polari- 

 sation, was about 8s to 9s per cwt. f. o. b., and 

 that during the past year it has averaged 

 about 18s. to 19s. per cwt. f. o. b. it will be 

 seen how great the inducement has been for 

 the Cuban planter to extend his cultivation, 

 and how financially capable he is to equip his 

 estates with plant of the newest and most im- 

 proved description. It is thought not un- 

 likely that Cuba may follow the lead of the 

 Java planter, and adapt his plant to the manu- 

 facture, in part, of white sugar suitable for 

 direct grocery consumption. Java, next to 

 Cuba, has contributed largely to the raw 

 sugar supply. The present crop has been 

 somewhat reduced by drought, but that now 

 maturing gives promise of proving a record — 

 namely, 1,560,000 tons, against 1,198,000 

 tons in 1916. The Java crop is more inacces- 

 sible than that of Cuba, as it is near to the 

 Eastern markets, and in some seasons is 

 largely drawn upon by India, Burmah and not 



infrequent I3' by China. The proi:ortion of 

 white sugar now manufactured there, is of ex- 

 cellent quality, and readily saleable for groc- 

 ery purposes. The entire production of 

 Mauritivis crystals, amounting to wen-nigh 

 200,000 tons, was secured by the Commission, 

 but inider an arrangement entered into with 

 the French Government early in the year to 

 make purchases on combined account, the 

 cargoes of these sugars as they come forward, 

 are being ordered to the French ports. Our 

 own West India Crown colonies have proved 

 disappointing, and, notwithstanding remuner- 

 ative prices, they have showm little or no ex- 

 pansion in their cultivation. It is well under- 

 stood that they are capable of raising greatly 

 increased crops — -that Jamaica, now produc- 

 ing only 15,000 tons for export, could be made 

 to yield 40,000 to 50,000 tons, and that British 

 Guiana, with its present crop of 120,000 tons, 

 possesses sufficient area for immense exten- 

 sion. It would appear, however, that without 

 guarantee of security against unfair competi« 

 tion in the future, the requisite capital for 

 such extensions cannot be obtained. 



It is further stated in the report that the 

 consumption of sugar in the United Kingdom 

 in 1913 was about 1,800,000 tons, of which 

 940,000 were produced by our own refineries, 

 and the remaining 860,000 were imported 

 chiefly from Germany and Austria. The con- 

 sumption for the past year has been reduced 

 to about 1,400,000 tons, of which 850,000 have 

 been from our own refineries, and 550,0000 

 tons have been importations and stocks of 

 white Java, American granulated, and Mauri- 

 tius crystals. The market could readily have 

 absorbed a much larger quantity of refined, 

 and it is hoped that under the guidance of the 

 new Controllers of Food and Shipping more 

 liberal importations of refined may be ren- 

 dered possible during 1917. 



SUGAR IN 1916. 



January. — At the commencement of the 

 year a certain degree of hesitancy was shown, 

 although the military position gave no hopes 

 of a speedy termination of hostilities. A re- 

 vision of the stocks in the United Kingdom 

 disclosed the fact that the existing figure had 

 been too high and that there were only 119,000 

 tons available on January 1, compared with 



