140 ANNUAL REPORT. 



2,150,000 tons, excluding China and India. Tlie amount of beet 

 sugar made in Europe in 1884 was 2,530,000 tons, which makes a 

 total of 4,680,000 tons. The consumption of Europe for a year 

 ending Sept. 30, 1884, was 2,289,000 tons. Amount consumed 

 in the United States for the year ending June 30, 1884, is esti- 

 mated at 1,251,000 tons of 2,240 lbs., which being deducted from 

 the aggregate amount produced leaves 1,140,000 tons for the con- 

 sumption of all countries beside Europe and the United States. 



There was on hand in Europe on Oct. 30, 1884, 552,000 tons. 

 I have not been able to lay my hand upon an estimate of the 

 stock on hand in the United States on June 30, 1884, but the in- 

 creased importation for the year is about 250,000 tons, and the 

 consumption per capita of fifty-one pounds, an increase of seven 

 and eighty-six one hundredths pounds during the year. The 

 average duty paid upon dutiable sugar for 1884 was one and 

 ninety-four one-hundredths cents per pound. 



I believe that the foregoing statistics are reliable. They are 

 taken from French and British authorities in Europe and from 

 what I regard as the best authority in this country. There is by 

 no means an extraordinary difference between the production 

 and consumption; yet sugar, when compared with the prices of 

 other articles of consumption, is lower than ever before in the 

 last one hundred years. In the London market, January 1st, 

 beet, eighty-eight per cent purity, f. o. b., was quoted at ten 

 shillings per hundred pounds, and Cuba centrafugal seven shil- 

 lings and six pence per hundred or long hundred pounds. Fair 

 refining on January 1st was four and five-eighths cents in Xew 

 York. 



Another remarkable condition of things has been developed. 

 There have been imported into Great Britain during the year 193, - 

 270 tons of refined sugar, and while we have imported of beet grown 

 sugar to a very large amount, we have exported to Great Britain 

 49,643 tons of refined sugar. Such are some of the remarkable 

 results of legislation in this country and Europe in regard to 

 sugar. You ask, what is the reason for this condition of things. 

 If I may be permitted to express an opinion I should say that it 

 was a panic. Sugar cannot be made for these ruinous prices 

 anywhere, and while it is a very serious condition of things 

 at present, it will soon right itself. While syrup is selling for a 

 usual good price our people who have been engaged in making 

 sugar have had a very disastrous season. I think it will be of 

 short duration. 



