ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF SUGAR. 3 



the industry in Cuba, total imports of sugar into the United States in 1896 were even 

 more than in the previous year. 



Still more remarkable is the fact that imports from Europe for '96 were five times 

 as much as during the previous year. For the calendar year 1896 the United States 

 paid Europe over $25, 000, 000 for sugar. All but a fraction of this was from sugar 

 beets grown in Europe and worked into sugar at European factories, the shipment of 

 which to this country was stimulated by export bounties. If Europe can make such 

 an increase in one year, what may she not accomplish within the next five years, if the 

 American market continues at her mercy? 



Quite as momentous is the enormous increase during the past year in imports of 

 sugar from the Orient. This sugar is largely grown by the coolie labor of China, the 

 East Indies, the Philippines and Oceanica, or the fellah labor of Africa. English 

 operators of Egyptian sugar plantations worked by fellahs for a few cents a day were 

 paid over $3,000,000 for their sugar shipped to the United States last year, or eight 

 times as much as the year previous. The increase from the coolie-grown product of 

 the East Indies, and from the debased labor of the Philippine Islands, is equally as 

 great. Unless protected against the yellow labor of the East, it is a question whether 

 its manipulation of the sugar cane will yet crowd to the rear the forceful European 

 beet-sugar industry. 



Imports of cane sugar from "the countries to the south of us" show a decided 

 falling off. In spite of the Cuban war, it is a matter of common notoriety that the 

 competition of European beet sugars has so usurped the sugar markets of the world 

 that the industry is no longer profitable under even the most favored natural condi- 

 tions in British West Indies, and Her Majesty's government is now seeking some 

 means of remedying the difficulty. Mr Gladstone and other British free-traders are 

 outspoken against the German export bounty. 



THE SANDWICH ISLAND INJUSTICE. 



But the worst and most inexcusable phase of the sugar situation is the unjust,, 

 unfair, illegal, and unbusiness-like competition of sugar from the Hawaiian Islands. 

 This sugar is admitted free under the reciprocity treaty which has been in effect with 

 the Sandwich Islands since 1876. In the following twenty years, the United States 

 sent to the Islands only $56, 000, 000 worth of exports, while we imported from the 

 Islands $140,000,000 worth of sugar. The Islands have thus made $84,000,000 at the 

 expense of the United States. The duties remitted on Hawaiian sugar since 1876; 

 now amount to over $61,000,000. In other words, this government has allowed the 

 Sandwich Islands over $61,000,000 in bounties to develop their cane-sugar industry at 

 the expense of American farmers and to the loss of the federal revenues. Contract 

 coolie labor is employed to raise this cane. 



THE WORLD'S PRODUCTION OF SUGAR. 



It is now two-thirds larger than ten years ago. Production and consumption are 

 increasing between 6 and 7 per cent per annum. Thus the industry is doubling itself 

 every fifteen years. Beet sugar was an insignificant quantity until within quite recent 

 years. But look at its gain lately : 



World's production. Tons of 2240 pounds. Gain per cent. 



1884 1894 



Beet sugar, 2,69O,OOO 4,790,OOO 78 



Cane sugar, 3,180,000 3,080,000 41 



