Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 415, 22 March 1892 — IS SUGAR PROFITABLE [ARTICLE]

IS SUGAR PROFITABLE

At three and one-half cents a jK»jnd we believe. th.*t* in most \ iocalites where sugar is raised in . this conntry. sugar ean be made { profitable. Takinj? a cotnparative ; ▼iew of our poil And situation to a ! ready' and increasi:. % 4 .narket. with uther sugar ">roducing countries, we are satiBfiei *t a f*ir margin oi profit ean be niade froin sugar , for lK>th piant«r and mill owiier. I The difliculty with us, who jive in I this fruitful aud highly fayoced oountry, m in the manne' in whieh the busineB« of ratsmg eane and prcāucing sugar is done. Menwith ; a little cai>ital. ih in iro senses than I one.iook aroun<l and iniagine they , see ni n >niall traet of ayailable *uga- i.u <i w ith a large portion whieh- th'»v think is as gotHi. an

op»K>rtunirv for at» inve?ttirT*mt and an easy fonune *vithin r.Mch in a short tune Thev sjart in on a emall capital. generally ahoiii enough to planl aeeil eane to hegin with; then thev eonimenee to borrow inoney from capitatists. who are >qually iis incompetent as to the nature of the inveßtment, except the gener il concluseon that sugar 18 pfofitahlo even when handle<l bv h fool. A mill is orderevl and put up a Y ter the first crop of eane is dried up,—soiuetimes aftcr the second—then the eane, whieh is only fit for fuel. is taken off at a loe?. adding to thedebt of the planlalion, whieh haa reached about one hundred and fiftv to two hun-

dml Iho»sand doll*r?, and befor« i;notber crop ie ready another one |iundr«d thouMmi doilars has added. The mill is <»ither too «iiiaM f»r too large. geni*raMy the form er. ha* t»> Ue replaeed, nt a <iea«i Jos«; i>f aay si*vcnty oreig?uy thoupand doilars more. Just a9 th« ulanutioti is looki:i£ uo, the agent ©r paraßite. ctarta in by keeping the pr>perty in debt an<i wilh only 9u(Hcent life to keep him and his atlvance« safe. Under tbese circametance« most of our plantations sUFUd, and nothing but ihe grace qf God «rorking on the penero»'ty of the Amenean people o-uld «*ver have enabled theiu to SāVa the?useivea from the octopu s &rm« of the capiUliat«, whieh ie the eaee with a few of our planta tions to day . Xo planUt iun ean be run Ihua and niade to pav.

Bot, as we htve «laUni at tbe bflgtnniiix, we beli«Te, th*t sugar culture. even at »ev«nty dolUrt « tM, §Urtod on a sufficent eapiu) bj men who know b/>w, (not i«wyera boo4cn*keri. and glMB>hlower«,) the businoss oan be made pn>fUab!<\ miidl tooet9S doubh' ai«ured. if aao«fftd ou Um coop«*rativ<* plan instMd of tbe woree than sluv*ry sy«tecD now in ▼ogQ€.