Show r F- F FI I Bet Beet Sugar Interests itt in inthe the the United States Stat s e e f f Sem Something thing of the History of Its Development and arid andt t What It Is To ss tt w U AX tariff discussions inI in I congress have aroused a anew Jk new widespread interest inter- inter Iv 1 est in the beet sugar industry industry industry in- in in this country To f what extent is American S tal ital invested in the industry what the h history of the industry iner in er ca These and other questions ta nr arding ng beet sugar are asked every rom rom a historical standpoint the thet t sugar sugar industry is not new We e st st go back baek as ns far as 1838 1833 to find beginning at which time a small I t ory was lIs erected at Northampton I sJ That t small pioneer factory t Ju U ed but 1300 pounds of sugar i and then discontinued option op- op tion lon and the experiment was pro- pro I 1 L' L c eec tl a failure It was not riot until t r that another attempt was made establish a beet sugar factory in inand Country and from that time un- un 83 several factories were erected l California Illi Illinois js and Wisconsin i these ventures all of them were ere operated for a short time ime then alien pronounced failures by their and discontinued after the last of these es had passed out of existence e the erection of the first beet r factory in this country that j i J e said to have attained an any I sure ure of success though it t too i be le ze classed as at least a a partial martial l e. e It was a factory erected at iii ado do Cal Car and its operation was wasi was wis i for three years rears At the I f that time it was thought bYi by byj I promoters that its removal to a would prove a vanta- vanta u nd iid the machinery was taken take Cal The move to new fields no prove profitable however ando and o the factory at Soquel was ed for good In the meantime a company had installed new maer maer ma- ma er er in the factory buildings at arado and to-day to it is one of the thet t li ul factories in the Unita Unit- Unit taTes a es SO four beet sugar factories lelin a in n operation in the United tes two of them in California and andea ea each h in Maine and Delaware Of so se four our but one remains that remains that at yara rado ao In 1890 there were but two r tori ones rles in operation in the cound coun- coun and d both of these were in Cali- Cali paa iS The combined value of their duct dt d t at that time was about j Yo or about two per cent of the ane and beet sugar used in the it d States Even Eten as late as 1897 I total number of factories had only only to nine and these hese were dung du mg 12 per cent of the total of sugar of the country Countr boom in in the beet sugar indus- indus I t began Degan gan in 1806 when a a. n new w im- im va given it l by y the building of factory at Watson Watsonville ville Ca Cal byus by byus us and the favorable re- re I ts obtained at the Alvarado fac- fac luring during that season Since that 5 5 factories have been built li h total capacity of short shortS S of cf sugar per annum aId aad a nom nom- I daily lv capacity of short tons ons beets per day there were 37 factories i in iii Wion ion 5 Ion of which eight were in Calma Cal- Cal ma nTa three in Colorado one in Illi- Illi 3 ten in Michigan one in Minnea Minne- Minne a three in Nebraska one one ne in New Kew ew Qc uco three in New York one in inne inne ip ne in Oregon four lour i in Utah anan and ana andton nB ton n Washington In point o 0 beet beets s capacity California Californi and were far in the lead lead- of allm all alle e m the factories of the for- for L r ate being capable of consumO goo O tons daily and those of the thee erl tons e A SO amount of capital invest i industry throughout the is about of or which ro than is as in California Ignore ore than in Michigan m and ond on half one of the ital invested is in machinery early eily r-ly r 2000 men women chil- chil find employment for at least a of each year in the beet sugar to tories of the United States States' and to toIs toe tose se e is paid in salaries salaries and wages re le e than The factories factories California employ more than titan than r and and pay payout out in wages and Md ries LEs more than half a a. million of f fars fi i lars ars rs while the number of emIn emin em- em ves in the Michigan gan factories is isly isny ny ly MO and the amount paid them if one quartet of a a. a million dol- dol An Interesting item in connection with a study of sugar Industry industry indus Indus- try is the amount paid the farmer for beets from which the sugar is made In 1900 1000 the l list last st year for which statistics statistics statistics sta sta- are available they were paid a total of Of this sum went to the beet growers of California to the growers grower in Michigan to those in other states in which there are ale beet sugar factories The total cost of materials materials materials mate mate- rials used during that year rear including beets was and the value alue of the product for that year of all factories fac fec- tories of which California claimed Michigan 1602 and ind nd other states I The 58 tons of b beets ets consumed by the factories in 1900 1000 represented the product of acres aCles of ground Of the acreage planted California Cali Cali- fornia ornia led with acres Michigan had acres under beet cultivation cultivation tion Lion and all aU other states For Forthe Forthe Forthe the beets there was paid an average price throughout the country of of per ton The price was highest in California where the beet growers received ed an average of in Michigan Michigan Mich Mich- igan they were verc paid an average of and nd in all other states an average average average aver aver- age of of The percentage of was higher j in hs California b beets ets however than elsewhere averaging av av- av- av raging while in Michigan r Chig n it was but and in all other states While since ia 1896 beet sugar industry industry in in- y dusti-y c has b been n showing showing show show- ing big a a. a rapid a. l advance e it is still very small small- in comparison c s n with he beet sugar industry of Europe as will be bo I 1 3 t Ii t fi f t- t Wr W Wt t r y k 1 S j ir t I S 1 THE CALIFORNIA FACTORY IN 1885 shown from the following figures which g gi V th h ht t total tot t l' l product of the factories factories' in Ia the leading beet sugar producing nations of the world 1300 1899 ISIS 1897 98 Tons of or Tons of Tons of 2204 lbs Ibs 2204 lbs Ibs 2204 lbs Ibs Germany Austria France Russia R Belgium Holland W r i m g i ill I Oth Other r entries To Total t a a. 1 I f for r Europe The U. U S. S S. S These statistics of the beet sugar industry show that after many years sears of experiment and heavy loss to the promoters it has assumed considerable considerable consider consider- able ble proportions In 1 1900 00 more than third one-third of the sugar produced in inthis inthis inthis this country came from beets while the equipment of the present factories factories factories fac fac- tories would easily have handled more more than times the amount of beets they were vere able to secure The average eves quantity of beets worked per factory in 1900 was but short tons while the actual average capacity ca ca- ca per factory bas based d upon three thre months' months work per year was tons Up to the present time it is reported that a number of factories in the country have paid a fair return return return re re- re- re turn on the cap capital al invested that others others others oth oth- ers have paid e and tha that others others others oth oth- ers have lost considerable sums but altogether the industry is is' pronounced a commercial success 1 WRIGHT WRIGHT A. A Aj PATTERSON |