“There is no doubt that to-day (1894) the sugar estates do not cover expenses, and this fact is of immense importance, not only because it explains the present misfortunes, but because in it will be found latent the germs of many future misfortunes.

“The causes of the dangerous situation have been well studied; some will be found in history and in the economic management of the Island and others in the effect of beetroot industry on cane.

“Consequently, the unfortunate situation of the sugar industry in Cuba is due to three principal causes which by a strange coincidence have acted simultaneously, to wit: the economic régime in the Island, the abolishment of slavery without indemnifying the owners, and the great reduction in the price of sugar since 1884.

“The efforts of the planters to save their industry have been interpreted by the Spanish Government as signs of prosperity, and that has based on this misunderstanding of facts the indefinite continuance of a disastrous economic system that is moulded on the old colonial system and is bound to ruin this Island, even if it were as rich and prosperous as the Government states that it is.

“This official optimism is deplorable for more than one reason. It is to be noticed that as Cuba’s poverty increases the pretensions of perpetual exactions are greater, and that the bulk is borne by the planters, who, together with the rest of the Cuban population, are possessors, judging by these exactions, of sources of unlimited wealth.”

This chapter may be fittingly concluded with the following table compiled by Messrs. Willet & Gray, January 5, 1899, giving the entire sugar production of all the countries of the world, including those crops which have heretofore been ignored in statistics. These figures include local consumptions of home production wherever known.

1898-99. 1897-98. 1896-97. 1895-96.
United States: Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons.
Cane 270,000 310,000 282,009 237,730
Beet 33,960 41,347 40,000 30,000
Porto Rico 70,000 54,000 54,000 50,000
Canada—beets 300 300 300 500
Cuba—crop 450,000 314,009 219,500 240,000
British West Indies:
Trinidad—export 50,000 52,000 51,000 58,000
Barbadoes—exports 47,000 52,000 58,249 47,800
Jamaica 27,000 30,000 30,000 30,000
Antigua and St. Kitts 22,000 25,000 29,000 24,000
French West Indies:
Martinique—exports 32,000 35,000 35,000 35,000
Guadeloupe 40,000 45,000 45,000 45,000
Danish West Indies:
St. Croix 12,000 13,000 13,058 8,000
Hayti and San Domingo 48,000 48,000 48,800 50,000
Lesser Antilles, not named above 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000
Mexico—exports 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000
Central America:
Guatemala—crop 9,000 9,000 8,000 7,000
San Salvador—crop 4,000 4,000 3,000 2,000
Nicaragua—crop 1,500 1,500 500 500
Costa Rica—crop 500 500 200 200
South America:
British Guiana (Demerara)—export 98,000 98,000 99,789 105,000
Dutch Guiana (Surinam)—crop 6,000 6,000 6,000 6,000
Venezuela ........ .... ....
Peru—crop 75,000 70,000 70,000 68,000
Argentine Republic—crop 75,000 110,000 165,000 130,000
Brazil—crop 165,000 195,000 210,000 225,000
Total in America 1,546,260 1,523,656 1,469,405 1,409,720
Asia:
British India—exports 50,000 50,000 50,000 50,000
Siam—crop 7,000 7,000 7,000 7,000
Java—exports 635,000 541,581 473,420 605,025
Japan (consumption 125,000 tons, mostly imported) ........ .... ....
Philippine Islands—exports 140,000 165,000 197,000 240,000
Cochin China 31,000 30,000 30,000 30,000
Total in Asia 863,000 793,581 757,420 932,025
Australia and Polynesia:
Queensland 65,000 65,000 70,000 60,000
New South Wales 30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000
Hawaiian Islands 240,000 204,833 224,220 201,632
Fiji Islands—exports 30,000 30,000 30,000 30,000
Total in Australia and Polynesia 365,000 329,833 354,220 321,632
Africa: Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons.
Egypt—crop 105,000 85,000 100,000 92,000
Mauritius and other British possessions 150,000 120,000 150,000 140,000
Reunion and other French possessions 45,000 45,000 48,000 44,700
Total in Africa 300,000 250,000 298,000 276,700
Europe:
Spain 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000
Total cane-sugar production 3,082,260 2,905,070 2,887,045 2,948,077
Total beet-sugar production(Licht.) 4,790,000 4,825,529 4,916,586 4,285,429
Grand total cane-and beet-sugar production 7,872,260 7,730,599 7,803,631 7,233,506
Estimated increase in world’s production 141,661 .... .... ....

The above table shows the relative importance of the sugar-producing countries of the world. The time will come when Germany and the other continental countries will become tired of paying a bounty on the production of beet sugar. Then Cuba will take her rightful place as the greatest sugar-producing country of the world. If Cuba then belongs to the United States we shall control the sugar market of the world just as we now control the world’s market in so many other staple products.

CHAPTER XXI
TOBACCO

THE companions of Christopher Columbus on the first voyage of discovery in 1492 found what has since been known as tobacco. Two weeks after sighting the first known land in the New West, that is to say, on the 27th of October, the ships of Columbus anchored off the shores of a great land, supposed to be the Kingdom of the Khan, to whose ruler Columbus bore letters of introduction from the King and Queen of Spain. Here—in the Island which is now called Cuba—exploring parties went ashore and proceeded into the interior seeking mines of gold and silver, which they had been told existed. They found no gold or silver, but many strange things, among them natives, with firebrands in their hands, and puffing smoke from their mouths and noses. After investigation into the nature of this peculiar custom the sailors tried it for themselves; but its adoption by the Spaniards was not immediate. The herb bore several names, but tabago, or tobago, or tabaco, seemed to be the one of most general adoption. It was the name of a peculiar-shaped implement, or pipe, which the natives used in smoking, and from this the name tobacco easily grew—though various European writers attempted to fix more romantic or poetic names upon the new narcotic.