1919.] 47 



AGBICULTUBAL CKEDIT 

 SOC IETI ES. 



CANE FARMERS AND CO-OPERATION. 



By W. G. Freeman, B.Sc, A.R.C.S., 



Acting Director of Agriculture & Registrar of Agricultural Credit Societies. 



An address at a joint meeting of the members of eleven Agricultural 

 Credit Societies, founded on the estates of the Usine Ste. Madeleine, held 

 at the Victoria Hall, San Fernando, July 26, 1919. 



His Excellency the Acting Governor, the Hon. W. Montgomerie 

 Gordon presided over the meeting at which about 500 cane farmers, 

 all members of the Credit Societies were present. 



To-day's meeting of the members of eleven Agricultural Credit 

 Societies founded in connection with the Usine Ste. Madeleine group of 

 estates, honoured by the presence of His Excellency the Acting Governor 

 marks, I trust, another definite step forward in the Agricultural 

 progress of the colony. It marks the acceptance of the principle 

 of co-operation, or working together for their common good, by the 

 cane farmers, a large and important class of agriculturalists who 

 are taking an increasing share in helping to maintain the sugar 

 production of the colony. Ten years ago the cane farmers grew about 

 one-quarter of all the canes ; they now grow about one-half. The 

 future success of the industry thus evidently depends very largely on 

 the continuance of good relationships between the factories and 

 the farmers. 



We have just been celebrating the conclusion of Peace, a peace 

 won by great sacrifice of life and money ; sacrifices which would not have 

 earned their reward so soon had it not been for the close co-operation of 

 the Allies. The war has taught man many lessons or perhaps 

 has brought home again to him many truths which he was in danger 

 of forgetting. One which I wish you this afternoon to take to 

 heart and to practise, is that summarized in the old proverb " United 

 we Stand, Divided we Fall." You cane farmers to attain success 

 must be united, you must work together, you must co-operate ; the 

 co-operation must be not only between cane farmer and cane farmer, 

 but also between cane farmer and the factory owners. " United, the 

 sugar industry of the colony will stand, divided it will fall." 



Some people may think now that British grown sugar is admitted 

 into the United Kingdom at a lower import duty than foreign sugar, that 

 all will be well and that they can now take things easily. The Empire, 

 however uses far more sugar than it at present produces and although 

 German and Austrian beet will doubtless never again be admitted 

 on the old terms, we as sugar producers, will meet with very keen 

 competition from producers in other countries, and to meet that 

 competition successfully we must make ourselves more efficient than 

 we are. 



Before the war the United Kingdom used every year some 

 1,800,000 tons of sugar, of which only about 75,000 tons came from 

 British sources. In other words, for every .ton of British produced 



