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The history of the Indian sugar trade is very instructive. At first 
the exports were made exclusively in the very finest crystallised 
qualities, and went from Bengal, restrictions having been placed on 
ad a that i 
vernment = imposing a ver ee — import duty on East Indian 
Indi 
of time, M a radical change took place in the demand, throu 
the establishment of English and Seotch refineries. A large export 
trade sprang up in raw een but the E words may be said to have 
then changed from Bengal to Madras. e has, moreover, been a 
steady decline of the emus dide in reio. sugar since 1845. But 
while this change in the location and character of the export trade may 
be said to be ‘unfortunate, many persons are disposed to view the 
revolution "effected by the still more recent import traffic as fraught with 
world large quantities of abnormally cheap cane sugar which sought an 
outlet in India. In time beet sugar was also exported to foreign 
markets, and consignments were accordingly made to India, so that we 
refined sugar imported be e epe to the standard of 
the raw Sor expor ted, it will be found that India now imports about 
7 cwt. for eve ted. 
While this aerei nature of the Indian sugar traffic has told heavily 
on the manufacturer and refiper, there is one point of importance that 
must not be forgotten, namely, that, cheap though refined sugar, no 
priee, but this has, so far, only extended consumption. The raw 
sugar used in India, after vemm a correction for the foreign traffic, 
comes to 2,600,000 tons, or, vy im 8 lbs. per head of population. This 
reduced to "refined sugar ‘would be equal to about 9 Ibs.; but there is no 
oceasion to make that reduction, since refined sugar is not likely to be 
used by the millions of India for many years to come, and the key to 
the foin sugar traffic is therefore the relation of the price of imported 
refined sugar to Indian raw sugar, — by the majority of the people of 
India the latter will continue to be preferred to the former until a 
ma e takes place, if that be possible, in the relative prices of 
the two articles 
Formerly i mpor rted sugar came mainly from Mauritius, and was im- 
ported almost exclusively by Bombay. At the present day the following 
may be given as the order of importance of supplying countries :— 
Mauritius, Germany, China, the United Kingdom, the Straits, Austria. 
The European countries supply beet sugar, but, as manifestin ng the 
strenuous efforts that are being made by the foreign countries of supply 
