THE CANE INDUSTRY 91 



Porto Rico, in 1898 annexed by the United States, 

 has now free entry into those markets ; and, as it 

 enjoys the advantages of a really tropical climate and 

 good soil, it is increasing its production very rapidly, 

 which also means putting in all the latest improve- 

 ments and doing everything on a large scale. The 

 planters have been investigating matters in Java and 

 Hawaii, being ambitious to get something like the same 

 yields of sugar to the acre. They declare that already 

 their agriculture is superior to that of Cuba. Porto 

 Rico's remarkable progress under preferential treat- 

 ment is a sufficient object lesson how to attract capital 

 to a home industry. American, British, and French 

 capital poured in, and we see the result. In the Spanish 

 days, Porto Rico's crop was round about 50,000 tons 

 of muscovado sugar. In 1901-2 it rose to 82,000 tons ; 

 in 1903-4 to 130,000 tons ; in 1908-9 to 258,000 tons ; 

 and in 1916-17 to 448,567 tons fine centrifugal raw 

 sugar polarizing 96 and above. This remarkable 

 increase will continue. Irrigation is being carried out 

 on a large scale, bringing in large tracts of new land. 

 Labour is plentiful and cheap, and there is nothing to 

 complain of in the climate or the land. This object 

 lesson is not confined to the selfish interests of the 

 country concerned, it confers a world-wide benefit 

 more land cultivated and more food for the people. 

 We now know, to our cost, that the opposite policy 

 laisser-faire means less land cultivated and less food 

 for the people. 



The Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands have enjoyed a 

 duty free market in the United States for many years 

 and have enormously developed their industry. They 

 grow immense weights of cane to the acre, and as they 

 extract the sugar well their production of sugar to the 

 acre exceeds even the remarkable figure now attained 



