1 |
|
“.............................................9
Formosa as an exporter..............................................................................................................................11
Japan as an exporter....................................................................................................................................11
Climatic conditions in Formosa ......................................................................................................12
Modern mills ......................................................................................................................................................12
Regulations dealing with sugar industry ..............................................................................14...”
|
|
2 |
|
“...the
Lahaina family) were also grown and yielded better results, but the
former was principally sold for domestic use. and was not crushed,
while the Lah cane although used mostly for manufacturing sugar
was considered to give a poorer sugar content and inferior coloured
sugar.
The Tekchia has a great advantage over both the red and the
Lah canes, it grows on any ground and can stand any amount of
neglect, therefore from the farmers point of view it gave a more certain
income.
The mills used were all stone mills, driven by buffaloes, and gave
a juice extraction on the cane of under 45 per cent, while the sugar
yield on the weight of the cane was about 6 to 8 per cent., and de-
pended on the quality of the cane, whether red or Tekchia.
A treatise on the manufacture of sugar in Formosa is contained
in Formosa Past and Present," by J. W, Davidson, Macmillan
and Co., 1903, and much information may be gathered from a perusal
of the article on sugar in a work by Y. Takekoshi, entitled Japanese...”
|
|
3 |
|
“...canes were introduced
and tried. It was found that whilst Lahaina and striped Tanna canes
grew to a good size, they required a large quantity of water for irriga-
tion and also a good deal of care, but that Rose bamboo, while yielding
just as well, did not require so much care and could stand more neglect.
From the above-named regulations it will be seen that the
Formosan Government gives assistance in various forms, both for
planting and for mills.
The liberality of the Sugar Bureau may be judged from the fact
that in several instances sugar mills have either obtained a subsidy
of 6 per cent, per annum on the paid-up capital for a period of five
years, or have obtained assistance in the shape of a lump sum of
20 per cent, on the total value of the plant and factory.
In another instance the machinery has been borrowed from the...”
|
|
4 |
|
“...their cane, it was necessary to buy the land
on which to grow it. The Government were accordingly obliged to
intervene in order to effect the sale of the land required. Sub-
sequently it was found necessary to invoke the assistance of the police,
in order to get the farmers to sell their cane and-, while acknowledging
that there was a good deal of injustice inflicted on the farmers, it
must be remembered that their failure to sell rendered such measures
necessary.
One or two small Chinese-owned mills also were started practically
under pressure from the authorities, but came to grief after one or
two crops, owing to a similar difficulty in obtaining cane, and a
want of knowledge of the handling of sugar machinery which,
hitherto, had been unknown in the island. The engineers supplied by
the Sugar Bureau were also always at loggerheads with the owners,
and a complete failure resulted.
Up to 1903-04, therefore, little, if anything, was done, the
only mill showing any success being the Taiwan...”
|
|
5 |
|
“...but sugar and for the
erection of old style buffalo mills without permission is fixed at a
maximum fine of 200 yen (20?.). It must be remembered, however,
that all the modern mills are obliged to purchase all the cane in their
districts from the farmers at a reasonable price. What, however,
affects the Chinese farmers more than anything is the fact that new
mills of the old style buffalo type may not be erected within the district
allotted to any modern mill without the special permission of the
Director of the Sugar Bureau, and as the policy of the Formosan
Government is directed towards making Formosa into a second Java
by a reformation of the methods of sugar manufacture, this permission
is not easy to obtain, as the buffalo mills are distinctly retrograde
and antiquated and offer an obstruction to scientific progress in the
production of sugar. In another five years they will probably have
ceased to exist.
In certain cases sugar mills are allowed to lease an extensive area
of land of...”
|
|
6 |
|
“...crops.
It is under the regulations of,. 1905' .that such a large number of
modern mills have sprung up during the past two years, until at the
present time there are nine companies with a total paid-up capiial
of over 1,750,0002.
It must not be supposed that the new regulations were accepted
calmly by the farmers. At the commencement there was a great deal
of opposition, and usually the first year after a district had been allotted
to a modern mill the quantity of cane planted showed a perceptible
diminution, but as the farmers perceived that those who planted
cane were getting a better return from their land than those who were
planting other crops they would gradually return to the planting of
cane. The rapidity with which this increase in the planting of cane
takes place depends on the methods employed by the different mills
and the way in which the farmers are treated, that is to 'say, whether
the mills give the farmers a good price for their cane and advance
them sufficient money to...”
|
|
7 |
|
“...Bureau
requires that the mills should submit the scale of prices which each
mill proposes to pay for the canes within its district, and takes care
that the farmers are not too much underpaid, and also from the point
of view of waste the Government has every justification. The farmers
were given the chance by means of money subsidies to adopt modern
mills, but owing to fear of loss they would not do so, and the Govern-
ment could not continue to allow sugar, a good part of which repre-
sented revenue, to be burnt away as bagasse by the old buffalo mills.
A glance at the following, which compares the present position with
the past, will furnish a justification of the Government measures:
1 kah (2-4 acres) of Tekchia (bamboo cane, old) yielded 20 tons of cane;
1 kah of Rose bamboo averages 35 tons.
Old stone mills obtained extraction of 45 per cent. ; modern 11-roller mills
extraction of 78 per cent.
Old mills obtained an average yield of 7 per cent, sugar; modern mills
11J per cent.
Price...”
|
|
8 |
|
“...per picul of
sugar. The mills pay about 3 yen per 1,000 kin of cane delivered
by the farmers at the field, but owing to the powerful multiple crushing
mills being able to secure an extraction of about 78 per cent, of juice
on the weight of the cane, the modern mills get per cent, sugar,
so that the cost of cane is about 2 yen 60 sen per picul of sugar, leaving
a handsome profit to the mill. It therefore pays the mill owners very
well.
From the Government's point of view, whereas formerly, that is
in the case of the native buffalo mills, the Government could only
obtain in revenue from the consumption tax about 2 yen 10 sen per
1,000 kin of cane produced, now, owing to the powerful mills, the
Government secures from the modern mills 3 yen 45 sen per 1,000 kin
of cane (that is 3.yen per picul on 115 kin = 11J per cent.), repre-
senting a gain in revenue of about 70 per cent. It therefore pays the
Government.
Now from the farmers' point of view, so long as the mills are just,
the farmers are...”
|
|
9 |
|
“...Russia until the
commencement of the war. For the lower grades, which are mainly
used for making cakes, &c., she draws upon Java, the Philippines and
Formosa.
As there is no reason why the production of Formosa should not
in time be quadrupled, it is possible that Formosa may eventually
become the principal source of supply to Japan, and in that case the
sugars to be first affected will be those imported from Java and the
Philippines.
In fact the Formosan centrifugals produced by the modern mills
are already, to some extent, displacing the products of those two
countries, more especially as regards Java, and in view of. the fact
that foreign countries pay in Japan an import duty of 2 yen 25 sen
per picul on sugar of the grades produced in Formosa, and that
Formosan sugars are admitted free, it stands to reason that
neither Java nor the Philippines will be able to compete and
must eventually give way as the exports from Formosa to Japan
increase....”
|
|
10 |
|
“...conditions are favourable for cane growth. The climate of North
Formosa is not so favourable and comparatively little sugar is pro-
duced there, all the large modern mills being situated in the south.
The climatic conditions of the north are almost the converse of those
of the south, that is to say, from May to November the rainfall is less
than in the south and from December to April is greater, these months
being the rainy season of the north.
Owing to the conservative ideas of the Chinese farmers it is not
easy to promptly introduce much-needed reforms which are contrary
to old custom. It no doubt will be difficult to attain a maximum
planting unless mechanical ploughing and scientific methods of artificial
irrigation is adopted, and the quality of the cane and fertilisers
improved.
Modem mills.The modern sugar mills engaged in the manu-
facture of white sugar in South Formosa are as follows :
1. The Taiwan Seito Kaisha (Seitokaisha Sugar Factory).-This
company was formed in 1900...”
|
|
11 |
|
“...13 SOUTH FORMOSA.
5,000,000 yen (500,000Z.), of which 1,500,000 yen (150,000?.) have been
paid up. Since establishment it has received a Government subsidy
of 219,529 yen (21,952?.). The mills owned are two in number,
situated at Ensuiko and Shinyeisho, of a total crushing capacity of
1,550 tons (short) in 24 hours. The machinery was supplied chiefly
by a British firm and a small part by a German firm.
The area of districts allotted is about 40,000 kah (96,000 acres),
of which 20,000 kah (48,000 acres) are suitable for cane cultivation.
3. Dai Nippon Seito Kaisha.This company; which is a branch
of the sugar refinery of the same name situated at Osaka, Japan, was
established in 1906. The present capital is 12,000,000 yen (1,200,000?.),
of which 4,000,000 yen (400,000?.) have been paid up. It owns one
mill, situated at Gokenseki, of a crushing capacity of 1,200 tons
(metric) in 23 hours, the machinery and plant of which were supplied
by a German firm. The area of the districts is about...”
|
|
12 |
|
“...Kingdom under the name of the For-
mosa Sugar and Development Company," with a capital of 80,000/.,
all paid up, divided into 60,000/.. 6 per cent, cumulative preference
shares of 1I. each and 20,000I. ordinary shares of 10s. each. It owns
a factory situated at Sankanten, near Tainan, of a crushing capacity
of 700 tons (long) in 24 hours, much new machinery supplied by a
British firm having been lately added to bring the mill up to date.
This company has the smallest district of all the modern mills and has
received no subsidy from Government. The area of the districts
is about 6,000 kah (14,400 acres), of which 3,200 kah (7,680 acres)
are suitable for cane cultivation and 870 kah (2,088 acres) are already
cultivated. This company is also the only one in Formosa which
employs a European staff and has already made a reputation with
the Sugar Bureau for the soundness and progressiveness of its business
methods.
9. Messrs. Bain and Co., Hokuto.This mill was erected in 1907
by the British firm...”
|
|
13 |
|
“...ment :
(1) Cane land granted in accordance with the Regulations for the
Encouragement of the Formosan Sugar Industry, cane land reclaimed
by means of bounties, cane land irrigated or drained by means of the
gift or loan of bounties or of the actual articles required for such work.
(2) Machinery and plant given by the Government in accordance
with the Regulations for the Encouragement of the Formosan Sugar
Industry, or machinery and plant bought with bounties given by the
Government.
(3) Sugar mills and their annexes in which machinery and plant,
which have been given or lent, have been installed in accordance with
the Regulations for the Encouragement of the Formosan Sugar Industry.
Art. 12.Should persons who have leased Government land in
accordance with Arts. 6 and 8 of the Regulations for the Encourage-
ment of the Formosan Sugar Industry not commence work within
10 kah or less
2 years
a
* About 44 tons.
(2)
( About 9 tons....”
|
|
14 |
|
“...Regulations for
the Preliminary Transfer of Formosan Forests and Waste Lands,
prior to the enforcement of the Regulations for the Encouragement
of the Formosan Sugar Industry, may apply for the alteration of
such permission in accordance with Art. 3 of the Regulations for the
Encouragement of the Formosan Sugar Industry.
Translator's note.The forms referred to in the regulations have
not been translated.
[Translation.]
Regulations for the Control of Sugar Mills. (Notification No. 38 of
June, 1905.)
Art. 1.Persons who desire to erect sugar mills in which modern
machinery is wholly or partly installed, shall apply for permission to
the Director of the Temporary Formosan Sugar Bureau in accordance
with these regulations. The same procedure shall be adopted in case
of any alteration in the plans of any sugar mill after erection.
Should any person erect or alter any sugar mill referred to in the
a preceding paragraph, the Director of the Temporary Formosan Sugar
Bureau may, at any time whatever...”
|
|
15 |
|
“...Art. 4.Whenever the limits of the district for the collection of
material are fixed or changed in accordance with the first paragraph
of the preceding Article, the fact shall be notified in the Formosan
Government Gazette.
Art. 5.Any person contravening the first paragraph of Art. 1 and
the second and third paragraphs of Art. 3 shall be liable to a fine
not exceeding 200 yen.
Supplementary Regulation.
These regulations shall come into force on the date of issue thereof.
In the case of sugar mills which have already been erected and
come under Art. 1, permission shall be applied for in accordance
with these regulations within three months after their enforcement....”
|
|
16 |
|
“...NEW SERIES OF MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS.
The following Reports from His Majesty's Representatives abroad, on
subjects of general and commercial interest, have been issued, and may
be obtained from the sources indicated on the title-page:
Mo. Pr,c''-
629. China.Report on the Cotton Mills of Cliina.................... 2d.
630. Germany.Report on Technical Instruction in Germany: Supple-
mentary and Miscellaneous ........ ............ .... .... 4d.
631. United States.Report on the Coal Industry of the United States, 1903 .... 2id.
632. Italy.Report on the Condition of the Italian Silk Trade and on the
Ti'cld of Cocoons in Italy in 1904. ........................ Id.
633. Italy.Report on the Mineral Wealth of the Provinces of Siena and
Grosseto .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... .... Id.
634. Belgium.Report on the Diamond Industry of Antwerp ........ 2d.
635. Japan.Report on Japanese Paper-Making .... ................ Id.
636. Germany.Report on German Sea-Fishing Industry and...”
|
|