A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW .t'""'"''' 



BOTANICAL 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. garden. 



Vol. VII. No. 1.54 



BAKBADOS, MARCH 21, 1908. 



Price ]d. 



CONTENTS. 



Pag}:. 



Page. 



Antigua Central Su^ar Factory. 



HE Antigua Central Sugar Factory started 

 operations early in 190.5. An account of 

 gg DC-J 'MI its origin, the constittition of the company, 

 and tlic working arrangements, was given in a ])aper 

 contributed by Dr. Francis Watts, C.M.G., to the West 

 Indian Bulletin (Vol. VI, p. 60), while det.ails (d the 

 190.5 and 1906 seasons' working were given in the 

 Agricultural N'ews, Vol. V, p. 49 ; and Vol. \l p. 1:^1, 

 le.^pcctively. 



In view of the fact that the factory was erected as 

 a pioneer one, in the hope of solving the question 

 whetJier it is desirable, under the conditions prevailing 

 in the Leeward Islands, to abandon the muscovado 

 method of sugar manufacture in favour of modern 

 factory methods, some account of the results that have 

 attended its workincr (luring- the past three rears sboidd 

 be of interest to all connected with the West Indian 

 Sugar iiidustiy. 



The Antigua fictory started with a caj)ital expendi- 

 ture of £45,3.59, of which £15,000 was contributed from 

 the grant made by the Imperial Parliament some ten 

 years ago in aid of the sugar industry of these colonies. 

 The remainder was siijiplied by the shareholders 

 forming the Factory Comp.any, ami a co-operative 

 arrangement was made, by which the company agreed 

 to build and run the factory, while eight estates' 

 proprietors agreed to grow and supply the canes, 

 during a period of fifteen years, on a profit-sharing 

 basis. The company also agreed to provide reasonable 

 railway facilities for the transport of canes. 



For every 100 lb. of canes delivered the estates 

 proprietors are paid the ecpiivalent price of 4.1 lb. 96^ 

 sugar crystals. Should this price be less in the 

 aggregate than at the rate of lO.---. per ton of canes, 

 any profits remaining after paying working expenses, 

 interest on capital, and a reasonable contribution to 

 sinking and reserve funds, are first applied to bringing 

 the payments up to lO.s. Any profits still left over 

 after this has been done are divided equally between 

 shareholders and estates ' proprietors. 



In the first season of working (1905) the amount 

 of sugar produced was 1,034 tons, from 15,<S60 tons of 



