Louisiana's "sugar tramps" in the Caribbean sugar industry.

The linkage of the Caribbean and the United States in the international sugar economy has been long noted, specifically in connection with trade, technology and ownership. Yet the management aspect has been overlooked. This article attempts to redress this historical lacuna by analyzing the development of the LouisianaCaribbean connection following the introduction of the central factory in that southern state and in the Hispanic and British Caribbean. As we will see, Louisiana-born and trained managerial, technical and skilled personnel, known as "sugar tramps," played key roles in the development of the Caribbean sugar industry until their substitution by locals well into the twentieth century. The largest sugar factories were located in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The South Porto Rico Sugar Company of New Jersey (SPRSCO/NJ), one of the most enterprising and innovative U.S. corporations in the region, will be used as a case study.