THE CUBA REVIEW 



31 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY 



SALE OF CENTRAL CARACAS 

 Interest in Cuban sugar properties on 

 tlie part of capital in tlie United States 

 is steadily increasing. Mr. Edwin Atkins 

 of Boston recently acquired the Central 

 Caracas property at Cruces, Santa Clara, 

 for a price imderstood to have been 

 $3,000,000. This makes five centrals con- 

 trolled by Mr. Atkins, the others being 

 Soledad, Trinidad, Florida, and the new- 

 ly-finished mill at Punta Alegre. 



HAWAIIAN CROP 



On August 1st there were still about 

 100,000 tons of sugar in the Hawaiian 

 Islands to be shipped from tlie current 

 crop. 



Many mills had closed down, making as 

 a rule more sugar than had been esti- 

 mated, and the crop is expected to outturn 

 about 535,000 tons. Of this, 10,000 tons 

 are used in the Islands, and 11,000 tons 

 of the exports are refined sugar. 



SYRUP FROM WASTE WATER 



Conversion of waste waters from 

 presses in beet sugar mills into a syruj) 

 that may be used for feeding cattle is 

 the subject of an article in the Journal 

 des Fahricants de Sucre. 



According to the author of the article, 

 who describes successful experiments 

 with the process in French factories, nu- 

 tritive solids, aggregating six kilograms, 

 are obtained from the waste water from 

 each ton of beets. 



The process is one of evaporation by 

 utilizing the steam at an idle period in 

 the sugar making process, so as to make 

 use of the waste water without an in- 

 crease in the cost of operations. 



The evaporation is effected by means 

 of a double-efCect, the vapors from the 

 waste water being collected and re- 

 turned to the boilers. The author claims 

 that a saving of heat units is actually 

 made through the process. 



The installation, it is said, is of com- 

 paratively small cost, which is more 

 than covered by one season's run. 



BRITISH BEET SUGAR COMPANY 



The movement toward the production 

 of beet sugar in Great Britain is assum- 

 ing more definite shape. A corporation 

 (Home Grown Sugar [Ltd.]) has been 

 formed, with a nominal capital of £1,000,- 

 000 ($4,860,500 at normal exchange), of 

 which half will shortly be issued. The 

 British Government has decided to take 

 up a small block of the stock. 



The Government will guarantee a divi- 

 dend of 5 per cent, for 10 years upon pri- 

 vate capital invested, and will receive no 

 interest on its own investment imless, or 

 until, a 5 per cent, cumulative dividend 

 upon such capital has been realized. 



Lord Denbigh and Sir Beville Stanier, 

 M. P., are chiefly concerned in the matter. 

 The factory will be at Kelham, near 

 Newark, where a site has already been 

 secured. Lord Denbigh has expressed the 

 view that, with the Government support 

 as above mentioned, *'there is no reason 

 why the enterprise should not prove a suc- 

 cess." — Alfred Nutting, Clerk in American 

 Consulate General, London. 



ITALIAN SUGAR PRODUCTION FOR 

 1919 



Favorable reports have just been given 

 out regarding the new sugar crop in Italy. 

 The area which has been planted in sugar 

 beets is about 148,000 acres. This is con- 

 siderably greater than the acreage in this 

 crop for the past few years, as is indicated 

 by the following figures: 1913, 152,710 

 acres; 1914, 100,571 acres; 1915, 122,810 

 acres; 1916, 123,157 acres; 1917, 120,C92 

 acres. 



It is estimated for 1919 that the produc- 

 tion of sugar will reach 286,520,000 pounds, 

 which is an increase of 110,200,000 pounds 

 over that for 1918. If this figure should 

 be reached, it should be sufficient for the 

 needs of the country. The monthly sugar 

 ration for each person will be increased to 

 1 pound 2 ounces, and later it is hoped 

 that it may be possible to remove alto- 

 gether the restrictions on sugar consump- 

 tion. — Trade Commissioner H. C. MacLean, 

 Rome. 



