Vol. XII. Xo. 301. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



361 



■pTiblished in the West Indian Jiuiletin just issued. 

 The reason for excluding it from the .foregoing note, is 

 that its title possesses a particularly strong significance 

 at the present time in resppct of an important change 

 which will take place at the end of this year. The 

 •changt' referred to is the commencement of the new- 

 steamship service between Canada and the West 

 Indies. Fast, legnlar, and provided with cold storage 

 accommodation, these steamers should otfer the requis- 

 ite transport facilities for establishing a greater trade 

 ip citrus fruit with Canada. 



Grape-fruit, in particular, may be recommended as 

 a safe and suitable variety for shipment, in view of its 

 popularity in America and its good keeping qualities. 

 "The paper referred to above gives a detailed account 

 •of the cultivation, transport and packing of different 

 •kinds of citrus fruits, and for the reasons already given, 

 lihe appeal of Dhe writer appears to have been made at 

 a, particularly opportune time to gain for the subject 

 that attention which it is deserving of. 



Life on a Malayan Rubber Plantation. 



It seems scarcely in accordance with existing cir- 

 cumstances to begin an article at the present day 

 •dealing with rubber production, by asserting that the 

 industry is not the all-absorbing topic it was some time 

 ago. However, it is not from an economic aspect that a 

 writer in The Field{OctoheT 4, 191 3) discusses a Malayan 

 plantation. The article really deals with the life of an 

 assistant, or, as he would be called in the West Indies, 

 an overseer. The work of an assistant consists mainly 

 of superintending labour, for whose work both as re- 

 Tegards quantity and quality, he is responsible. He 

 must keep down the cost of weeding, yet must keep his 

 section clean. He is also responsible for the proper 

 tapping of the trees under his charge. 



It would seem to be fairly generally accepted that 

 new assistants experience considerable difficulty at first 

 in regard to the management of labour, and also in 

 ■connexion with monthly reports and labour returns. 

 This is somewhat significant in respect of the question 

 of agricultural colleges for the Tropics. It may be 

 -assumed that such colleges would train a certain 

 number of assistants or overseers. But the one weak 

 point in regard to agricultural colleges in general is 

 that they are for obvious seasons unable to afford 

 ■wide experience in labour management, which, it 

 must be admitted, is one of the fundamental things in 

 agricultural practice. 



A great deal depends upon the personal equation 

 in dealing with labour, but stilt a great deal can be 

 learnt from special study. Efficiency in the operations 

 themselves may be acquired, the sj'Stema of records may 

 be studied, and what is most important in the Tropics, 

 the languages, dialects, and particularly the customs of 

 the various kinds of workers systematically observed. 



There is scarcely any other place in the Tropics 

 better suited for studying labour than the West 

 Indies, with its African, East Indian, Chinese, 

 Portuguese and other races. Trinidad is, perhaps, 

 ideally placed in this respect, and from the point of 

 view of the study of labour conditions, this Colony 

 imust be considered as particularly weH suited as 



a site for an agricultural college at which estate 

 assistants could be trained and sent to almost any part 

 of the world, well equipped for taking up responsible 

 duties without that probationary period which is 

 frequently found as expensive to employers as ic is 

 necessary to their assistants. "- 



Waste in Distribution. 



There can be no doubt that waste in distribution 

 for agricultural products is far greater than for 

 manufactured goods. Just as a difference exists in 

 this way, so it occurs among estate products them- 

 selves. As was pointed out by Mr. C. K. Van Hise. 

 President of the University of Wisconsin (see Modern 

 Sugar Planter for September 27, 1913), this waste 

 occurs principally amongst perishable produce, like 

 fruit and vegetables. It is interesting to observe that 

 the nature of such produce and the fluctuations in 

 acreage year by year cause a large variation of prices. 

 This fluctuation is one of the factors which tends to 

 make the retail cost of perishable goods very high. 



When wholesale prices go up, retail prices are 

 promply advanced. When wholesale prices fall, by 

 informal understanding, the retail prices are frequently 

 held at the old rates. This, of course, causes a wide 

 margin between the price the grower receives and that 

 which the consumer pays. 



With very perishable goods there are hundreds of 

 instances in thickly populated areas that might be 

 cited to show the waste that accompanies a glut ou 

 the market. Thus Mr. Hise says: 'At various times 

 there comes into the markets of the Northern States 

 a larger srupply of melons and peaches than can be 

 disposed of r.t the current prices. 



' The retailers take advantage of the situation to 

 purchase at a lower price from the commission 

 raarchants; but not infrequently they rind it more 

 profitable to them, to maintain existing retail selling 

 prices with smaller sales, than to lower the price suffi- 

 ciently to dispose of the additional material. Under 

 such circumstances, car-loads, and even ship-loads, of 

 fruit or melons may rot, when the people — and 

 especially the people in less favourable financial 

 conditions — would have been glad to have the products, 

 thus destroyed, if they could have been obtained at a 

 low price.' 



Waste in distribution is prevented by employing 

 satisfactory methods, and by regulating the outputs 

 The solution to the problem rests on the word 

 co-operation. This raises an interesting point. Why 

 is it that co-operation is hailed as a great advance 

 step for the agriculturist at the same moment that 

 combination in industrial trade and manufacture is 

 assailed? The fact is that there is not the same 

 possibility in agriculture for combination to extend 

 into monopoly as there is in the manufactures; and 

 consequently the consumer does not suffer, but rather, 

 more often than not, benefits. It must be remembered, 

 too, that one food product is in competition with 

 another; and thus, if thcirproducer attempts to push 

 the price of one article too high, the consumer will 

 turn to others. 



