SUGAR. 



148 



excess has been 3,239,338 cwfc. The quantity consumed in the 

 year ending December, 1852, was 4,033,879 cwt. *. 



There can be no doubt whatever, that the consumption of sugar 

 in G-reat Britain is capable of very large increase ; moderate cost, and 

 the removal of restrictions to its general use, being the main ele- 

 ments required to bring it about. The question of revenue must of 

 course be a material consideration with Grovernment ; but recent 

 experience certainly leads to the conclusion that it would not 

 sulfer under a further reduction of duty. 



The revenue derived from sugar before the reduction of the 

 duty, was five millions per annum; in the past two years it 

 reached nearly four millions. 



The reduction in duties which took place in 1845, may be said to 

 have answered the expectations formed of it, as regards the increase 

 of consumption, which there is no doubt would have even gone be- 

 yond the estimate, if the failure in the crop of sugar in Cuba — that 

 most important island, which usually yields one-fifth of the cane 

 crop of the whole world — had not driven up prices in the general 

 market of the continent, and, in consequence, diverted the supply 

 of free labor sugar from this country. As it was, however, the 

 consumption of the United Kingdom, which in 1844 was 206,472 

 tons, in 1845 was not less than 243,000 — Sir Eobert Peel's esti- 

 mate was 250,000 tons — the average reduction in price to the 

 consumer during the latter year having been 20 per cent. The 

 large increase in subsequent years I have already shown. 



The consumption of sugar we find, then, has been steadily and 

 rapidly increasing in this country, and if we add together to the 

 refined and raw sugar and molasses used, it will be seen that the 

 consumption of 1852 amounted to 400,178 tons ; which is at the 

 rate of 29 lbs. per head of the population per annum. Whilst the 

 quantity retained for home consumption in the United Kingdom, 

 in 1844, was but 4,130,000 cwt., the amount had risen in 1852 to 

 upwards of 8,000,000 cwt. 



Sugar unrefined, entered for home consumption. 



Colonial Eaw. Foreign Raw. Total. 



Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. 



1848 .. 5,936,355 .. 1,225,866 .. 6,162,221 



1849 . . 5,424,248 . . 498,038 . . 5,922,386 



1850 .. 5,201,206 .. 911,115 .. 6,112,321 



1851 .. 5,872,288 .. 1,383,286 .. 6,255,574 



1852 .. 6,241,581 .. 687,269 .. 6,928,850 



To the foregoing should be added the following quantities of 

 refined sugar and molasses, entered for home consumption. 



Refined Sugar and Candy. Molasses, Total. 



Cwt. Cwt. Cwt. 



1848 .. 46,292 .. 637,050 .. 683,342 



1849 75,392 812,330 .. 887,722 



1850 116,744 917,588 .. 1,034,362 



1851 .. 338,734 .. 773,035 ., 1,111,769 



1852 , . 274,781 . 799,942 . . 1,074,723 



* There is frequently a discrepancy in the figures in the Parliamentary 

 papers, which will account for a want of agreement in some of these returns. 



