SUGAR GROWING

Southland Times, Issue 18858, 25 June 1920, Page 7

SUGAR GROWING

PROSPECTS IN ENGLAND. CONDITIONS HIGHLY FAVOURABLE. Sir Beville Stanier and Alfred Wood, respectively chairman and secretary of the British Sugar Beet Growers’ Society, Limited, in view of the serious statements of the Food Controller about the sugar shortage, have addressed a letter to the press upon the question. The official announcement they state, emphasises the necessity of growing sugar beet in England. “It is a scandal,” th? letter proceeds, “that th’s country, with sugar lands here and overseas vast enough to supply the whole world with sugar, should be Smost wholly dependent for this article on Cuba and Java, neither of which is under British sovereignty. The monopolist charges what he likes, because he knows we are entirely dependent on him. "Every ton of sugar we can produce for ourselves with British labour and British capital helps to free us from this servitude and to strengthen our position in tin world’s markets. Lord Bledisloe summe; the whole matter up in a few words tin other day: ‘English agriculture needs suga licet and England needs sugar.’ The Br i ish Sugar Beet Growers’ Society has ben preparing a large and fertile estate at Kc hatn, near Newark, for sugar beet cultiv. tion and lias laboured to bring the no; and advantage of the industry before t; public attention. A trading company about to be formed in full co-operation win the Government for the building of a suga, factor) - at Newark. It is hoped that in 1921 the fanners will be supplying the full quota of roots for the vats of this factory, and that enough sugar will be manufactured in one season to provide not far from 1,000,000 ol our people with this necessary commodity. "The conditions under which the industry starts are highly favourable. The United Kingdom is about the largest sugar consumer in the world. We have an immense market at our own doors. The world’s supply of sugar has fallen far be tow the demand, and the price, even allowing for a heavy fall in the market, will be sufficiently high to ensure a good return to the farmer, (he worker and the investor. Moreover, under the Finance Act of 1919, home-grown sugar will have a fiscal advantage of more than £G per ton over the foreign imported article.”