• STATISTICS OF SUGAE. 41 



STATISTICS OF SUGAR. 



The magnitude of the sugar industry in the United States may be 

 realized, by reference to the following statistics obtained from official 

 sources. 



In 1879, the sugar and molasses imported reached in round numbers 

 the sum of $76,500,000, one-eighth of which was for molasses; a sum 

 requiring more than the aggregate production of gold and silver of 

 our mines, which, in 1880, was of gold §36,000,000, and of silver 

 ^39,200,000, a total of $75,200,000, or $1,300,000 less than sufficient 

 to pay for the sugar imported the previous year. 



In 1881, the raw sugar consumed in the United States amounted to 

 1,008,932 tons of 2,240 pounds, and in 1882 to 1,177,949 tons. About 

 an eighth of this was produced in the United States. 

 The value of the importations in 1881 was as follows : 



Snsar and Molasses $88,432,083 



Duties 47,984,033 



Total $136,416,116 



The Director of the U. S. Mint gives the gold and silver produced 

 in 1881, in the United States, as follows: 



Gold ...$36,500,000 



Silver 42,100,000 



Total .178,600.000 



Thus it will be seen that the sugar cost us, without duties, $9,832,- 

 083 more than the entire product of our gold and silver mines ; and, 

 since to the consumer the duties are to be added, it appears that our 

 sugar cost, in 1881, $57,816,116 more than our gold and silver 

 product. 



In short, it is found that the amount of sugar consumed in the 

 United States, since the discovery of gold in California, in 1848, has 

 exceded the entire product of gold and silver of the United States 

 during the same period, and has amounted to an aggregate of about 

 $2,000,000,000. 



So impossible is it for the mind adequately to grasp the amounts 

 represented by such figures, that it may perhaps be more readily com- 

 prehended when we say, that the amount of sugar annually consumed in 

 the United States would fill a continuous row of hogsheads extending 

 nearly from Boston to Chicago. 



The following table represents the total receipts of the United States 

 for revenue and customs in 1881. It will be seen tiiat the duty upon 

 sugar amounts to 24.3 per cent of the total receipts for customs, and 



