258 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



August 12, 1916. 



•ijreat Britain is dependent upon foreign cane sugar, 

 whereas before the war she was dependent upon foreign 

 beet sugar. To continue to remain in such a position 

 would, economically, be almost as dangerous as to be 

 dependent upon foreign beet. Cuba, .Java, and the 

 South American republics are the principal sources of 

 foreign cane sugar, and it has to be borne in mind 

 that these countries can all produce sugar as economi- 

 cally, if not more so, than most sugar-producing 

 countries within the British tropics. Hence a form of 

 preferential tariff, which it is suggested shall be intro- 

 duced, will have not a single but a dual object, namely 

 of protecting British cane sugar from foreign cane and 

 foreign beet, both of which can be placed on the market 

 At a minimum cost. Thus the position is one that 

 possesses features of ditficulty. 



It is satisfactory to be able to notice the very 

 large increases in the amounts and values of the sugar 

 imported into Great Britain during the war from 

 Mauritius, British Guiana, and the West Indies. During 

 1914, British Guiana and the British West Indies sent 

 1,397,288 cwt., valued at £1,2.56,197; in 1915 these 

 figures rose to 2,327,(3.52 cwt., valued at £2,.516,292. The 

 increase was greater in the case of the British West 

 Indies. During 191.5, the value of the imports of 

 sugar into Great Britain from Maiu-itius rose to the ex- 

 tremely high figure of approximately £4,000,000. A large 

 amount of this was refined sugar. These facts tend to 

 indicate that considerable and rapid expansion of sugar 

 production within the Empire is possible, provided 

 there are high prices. 



Turning to cacao statistics, the publication under 

 notice shows that the proportion of imports from British 

 Possessions in 191.5 was 00 per cent, by value. Imports 

 into Great Britain from all sources have shown an 

 increase in amount and value, particularly in the case 

 of West Africa, which suffered a temporary set-back 

 after the outbreak of war in 1914. 



as the United .States— is not to be overlooked. la 

 this connexion it is to be noted also, that a large 

 proportion of the imports of petroleum come.s from the 

 United States, though the output from India is very 

 considerable. 



It would be impossible in the space of this article 

 to make reference to all the interesting features con- 

 nected with the statistics under review. A few further 

 facts of general interest may, however, be briefly men- 

 tioned. Rubber production is, of course, chiefly under 

 British control: 7.5 per cent, of the imports into the 

 United Kingdom in 1915 came from British Posses- 

 sions. As regards silk and indigo, it may be 

 noted that the production of these is making rapid 

 advances in India, where special action has been 

 taken by the Government to increase the supply. The 

 exports of indigo from India in 1915 were 27,30t) cwt., 

 value £896,532, as compared with 1 2,370 cwt., value 

 £288,602 in 1914. In the section of the publication 

 under notice which deals with meat products, the large 

 increase in the quantity and value of bacon and hams 

 imported into the United Kingdom from North 

 America and Denmark is very noticeable, and indicates 

 the advisability of local production as far as possible 

 of these products in other places. 



Concerning miscellaneous products, reference at some 

 length is made to the production of sponges. The 

 demand for these, especially for those used in the arts 

 and industries, is stated to be constantly increasing and 

 exceeds the supply. The United Kingdom obtains 

 her chief supply from the Mediterranean — principally 

 Greece — though a fair quantity comes from Florida 

 and the Bahamas. The desirability of laying down 

 cultivated sponge beds is referred to, for it is well 

 known that there are several places in the British 

 Empire, for instance in the West Indies, where this 

 might be satisfactorily accomplished. 



The imports of cotton into the United Kingdom 

 showed a marked increase during 1915, as also did the 

 value of this product. The proportion from British 

 Possessions was 27 per cent, by value, of the total 

 imports. Indian cotton shipped was less than in 

 previous years. The United States continues to 

 produce seven-tenths of the world's supply. The 

 dependence of the United Kingdom on the United 

 States in regard to the supply of cotton, sugar 

 -and tobacco — Cuba being regarded internationally 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



The Imperial Conimi.ssioner of Agriculture is 

 expected to leave Barbados on August 24 for Antigua, 

 with the object of paying an official visit to that 

 Presidency. 



Mr. W. Nowell, D.I.C., Mycologist to this Depart- 

 ment, left Barbados on August 10 by the C.R.JI.S. 

 'Chavidiore' for Dominica, with the object of continu- 

 ing certain mycological investigations in that island. 



