THE CUBA R E \' 1 E W 



35 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY 



war, a study of the history of sugar procbiction 

 brings strongly to mind the fact that there is 

 constantly occurring in this industry a re- 

 adjustment of areas of svigar production. Old 

 areas are being supplanted by new ones, new 

 sugar factories are being constructed continu- 

 ally in new areas, not only on a basis of keep- 

 ing up with tlie tendency to increase in world's 

 consumption of sugar, but at a rate to include 

 the supplanting of many old factories and old 

 areas as tune goes on. There are many evi- 

 dences of this tendency toward readjustment 

 which result constantly in bringing new terri- 

 tories into being. Perhaps the most notice- 

 able was the entrance of Europe into the sugar 

 industr>'after the impetus given it by Napoleon 

 in France. The industry grew apace until it 

 suffered a check as the result of the Bnnsels 

 Convention of 1903 At that Convention it 

 was agreed by England, France, Germany and 

 Austria that no export bounties should be 

 given to sugar manufacturers. This immedi- 

 ately caused a falling off in European beet 

 sugar production which had hitherto been as- 

 sisted by export bounties amounting to large 

 sums annually. This decrease in European 

 beet production was followed by a correspond- 

 ing increase in new cane sugar territories. 

 Another instance of the entrance of entirely 

 new territories into the field of sugar produc- 

 tion has been the development in the United 

 States of the beet sugar industry. From 1898 

 the beet sugar production in the United 

 States has growm from 50,000 tons annually to 

 approximately 800,000 tons for the year 1915. 



The European war has caused the develop- 

 ment of a large amount of new cane sugar ter- 

 ritory. This was made necessary by the with- 

 drawal from customary channels of approxi- 

 mately 2,000,0000 tons of European beet 

 sugar. As a consequence, many new factories 

 were built in the West Indies. 



The points standing out, therefore, in great- 

 est relief in this industry are the extremely 

 rapid pace at which the consumption of sugar 

 is increasing and the constant readjustment 

 of areas of production. — The Americas. 



DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 



in excess of the 1916 crop. It is thought that 

 sugar can be grown in Santo Domingo at a 

 cost that would permit its export to the 

 United States, in spite of the fact that these 

 exports will not enjoy the 20% reduction in 

 duty which is allowed, on sugar imported into- 

 the United States from Cuba. The total value 

 of the sugar crop of Santo Dom.ingo for 1915 

 was $7,()71,;38:3, and in 191(5, $12,028,297. 



SUGAR IN PORTO RICO 



For the first time in its history, Porto Rico 

 had an output of more than 500,000 tons of 

 sugar diu"ing the season that closed this 

 month. The actual production was 502,389^ 

 short tons of 2,000 pounds each, according to 

 figures tabulated by J. Ruis Soler, secretary 

 of the Sugar Producers' Association. This 

 represents a gain of 19,292 tons over the out- 

 put of 1915-16, which was 483,097 tons. 



Prospects for the next harvest indicate a 

 crop equal to, if not in excess of, the recent 

 one. Forty-eight centrals were in operation 

 during the season, of which 24 are American 

 owned. Ten are owned by Spaniards and 

 Americans, 1 is of German ownership, 2 

 Spanish, 2 French, and 1 Belgian, while the 

 stockholders of the others are of various 

 nationaUties. — Harwood Hull, Correspondent, 

 San Juan, Porto Rico. 



This country is attracting much attention 

 in the producing of sugar. The crop for 1917 

 was estimated at about 150,000 tons, which is 



TRINIDAD SUGARCROP 



The Secretary of the Agricultm-al Society 

 of Trinidad states that cane farmers' returns 

 for 1916-17 showed that the sugar crop was 

 the biggest Trinidad ever had. The total 

 was 70,891 tons, compared with 64,231 tons 

 for the preceding year. 



A peculiar circiunstance noted in the re- 

 turns was that there were 379,00 tons of 

 estate canes groimd this year, which produced 

 36,000 tons of sugar, while last year there 

 were 426,000 tons of estate canes which pro- 

 duced only 35,000 tons of sugar. That 

 showed an improvement in the quaUty of the 

 canes in the colony. The number of farmers 

 this year was 12,000 East Indians, against 

 11,000 last year, and nearly 9,000 West 

 Indians, against 8,000 last year. The amount 

 of cane purchased this year was 384,000 tons, 

 compared with 363,000 last year. — Consul 

 Henry D. Baker, Trinidad. 



