280 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Shttemueu 6, 1919. 



EDITORIAL 



Head Office 



NOTICES. 



— Barbados. 



Letters and matter for publication, as well as all 

 specimens for naming, should be addressed to the 

 Commissioner, Imperial Department of Agriculture, 

 Barbados. 



All applications for copies oi the 'Agricultural 

 News' and other Departmental publications, should be 

 addressed to the Agents, and not to the Department, 



The complete list of Agents will be found on 

 page 4 of the cover. 



Imperial Commissioner of Sir Francis Watts, K.C.M.G. 



Agriculture for the West Indies D.Sc, F.I.C.. F.C.S. 



SCIENTlnC STAFF. 



HcUntific Assistant and W. R. Dunlop. 



Assistant Hdttor •r . 



E'ltomologist H. A. Ballou, M.Sc. 



Mycologist W. Nowell, D.I.C. 



Assistaiit for C'dton Research S. C. Harland, B.Sc.+ 

 OLERTOAL STAFF. 



ihief Clerk A. G. Howell. 



{L. A. Corbin. 

 P. Taylor.* 

 K. R. C. Foster. 

 Typist Miss B. Robinson. 



Atsistant Typist Miss W. Ellis. 



Aisistant for Publication!) A. B.Price, Fell. Jonrn. Inst. 



f Provided by the Imperial Department of Scieidific and 



Industrial Research. 

 *Seronded for Military Service. 



^griculiiira! ^nufi 



Vol. XVin. SATURDAY, SKPTEMl'.EI! G, 1919. No. 453. 

 NOTES AND COMMENTS. 



Contents of Present Issue. 



The odilorial in this is.suc deals with the various 

 ways in which aircraft may prove of service to West 

 Indian agriculture in the near future. 



On pjige 27t) will be found an iiii[)ort;int article 

 on the dri<fi-b;inana industry which is likely to e.xpand 

 in these islands. A note on the health of live stock 

 in Antigua appears on the same page. 



InfoniKition of special interest regarding the 

 recent weather will be fouml on pages 28(i and 287. 



Britain's Palling Exports. 



A specific instance of the rapid decrease in Great 

 Britain's export trade is afforded by facts and figures 

 relating to rubber goods. At the end of 1!)1.') the 

 value of motor tyres and tubes e.xported from the 

 United Kingdom and the United States was about 

 equal, but at the end of 191(1 the value of the Ameri- 

 can exports was 21 million dollars, whilst that of the 

 British exports was only 10 million d )llar.s. At the 

 end of 1918 the British exports were some (i million 

 dollars below the American, while the former showed 

 a downward tendency and the American export values 

 an upv.'ard tendency. 



The India Rubber World {i'ar .July 1 1 in com- 

 menting on these figures very ju.'^tly remarks that this 

 was largely due to (?reat Britain cutting down her 

 exj orts in order to win the war. There is very little 

 to be said, however, for the present decline in British 

 exports. If with her enormous interests in rubber 

 production otib East, her reputation for good grade 

 manufactured articles, and her favourable position 

 geographically for shipment^if with these assets, 

 she cannot make headway with rubber, then there 

 is little hope for progress in other industries, with 

 labour and capital so opposed as they are at present. 



Insect Notes, on page 2S2, comprise the conclusion 

 of on article on bean and pea weevils, together with 

 ;i note on Casuarina and mangrove attacked by a 

 destructive borer. 



Cost and Price of Coal. 



The increase in the price of British coal will affect 

 trade all over the world, and will be felt in the West 

 Indies in the form of persistentl}' high piss-inger and 

 freight rates by British steamers. It wiij furthermore 

 increase the price of British made goods, and deflect 

 West Indian trade still more, if that is passible, to the 

 United Statps and Canada. 



In England, the average pit price of coal per ton 

 raised in 1913 at the pit's head was lO.s. li«^, and the 

 same figure to-day is 2(3.'*. Old. For tons sold, the 

 corresponding figures are ll.«. and 29.'>'. 8.Vrf. The 

 selling price to-day would be several shillings hinher 

 if it were nob that the Oovernment is subsidising 

 delivery by holding down the railwaj- freights. 



In making these statements (repa-tcd in the 

 London Bourd of Trade Journal lor July 17) Sir 

 Aucklmd Ge<ldes refers to the present position as 'one 

 of great gr.ivity and seriousness'. Th- position is 

 luiido very inuch worsu by a great reduction in the 

 number of tons produced. 



The effect of the increased price on thf- steel 

 industries is shown by the following figures : R:iils in 

 Great Britain before the rise in the price of coal cost 

 Cl(! a ton: after the rise X17 10s. a ton; and in the 

 United States to-day tlOa ton. Ship plates, £17 I'js, 

 a ton before the rise; £19 5,s'. probable new price; 

 American price £11 15s. The key to the position 

 rests with the British miners, on their increasing 

 the output of coal. 



At the present time, September .'5, the position in 

 regard to coal output and the work of the miners 

 appears to be more settled, and most of the strikers 

 have returned to work. It will, however, be some time 

 before anything like the old standard of production 

 is reached. 



