53 Although we often think of the 1920s as the era of Black Friday and the 1929 crash that precipitated the Great Depression, most of the decade was actually a time of unbridled prosperity and excitement. That was true throughout much of the nation, including at Western States. As the decade dawned, more than 90 percent of American sugar mills were using Roberts-Gibson dischargers. Amid the unprecedented growth, perhaps the most significant development for the young company was its expansion into the global sugar market. Sugar factories in Europe, the Far East and elsewhere were buying equipment from Western States through its network of salespersons and agents. Facing ever-increasing demand for its products, the Company opened a New York City office early in the decade and moved its production operations to Hamilton, Ohio in 1925. The Sugar Islands Cuba and Hawaii left: "On the left is the installation at Central Vertientes. Vertientes installed twenty-two new Roberts centrifugals and also equipped twenty-two of their old centrifugals with Roberts grid-linings and filter caps. These modifications more than doubled their centrifugal output. ...An average of 200,000 pounds of sugar is handled per machine in a 24-hour run; and units have handled as high as 300,000 pounds per machine in a 24-hour run." —The Cuba Review, circa 1928