ToL, IV. No. 72. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



13 



WEST INDIAN PRODUCTS IN CANADA. 



The following is Mr. J. Rnssell MiUTay's monthly 

 report, dated December 9, 1904., on West Indian 

 jiroduce in Canada : — 



General Bunneas. — The closing of the 5'ear calls usually 

 for some resume of the year's work, but the following state- 

 ment of Mr. Clouston, the General Jlanager of the Bank of 

 Montreal, the largest banking institution in Canada, at the 

 annual meeting held on the 6th. instant, is worthy of repro- 

 duction as indicating the spirit of trade :—' Taking a broad 

 view of Canadian connnerce, the future is bright with promise. 

 Our population is fed now by an inunigration of upwards of 

 100,000 people annually, and the stream appears to be well 

 turned towards Canada. Production in the Xorth-west 

 grows apace, the railways are prosperous, a second trans — 

 -continental line is on the eve of construction ; the reports from 

 the mining districts of British Columbia are more encourag- 

 ing; a spirit of abiding confidence in Canada pervades our 

 people, and despite temporary checks in the progress of 

 material development, there is increasing belief that this 

 country has entered ujjon an era of great and enduring 

 prosperity.' 



Steamship Cumniuiilcalton. — The Canadian and West 

 India steamship contract, which terminates six months hence, 

 continues to draw the interest of shipping companies. 

 There are now four comjianies in the field ; representatives 

 from ttvo companies were in Montreal recently on the subject. 

 It is generally recognized that the existing service falls very 

 far short of trade requirements. The entire South American 

 and a large proportion of AVest Intlian business pas.ses 

 through United States ports, and the want of a faster service 

 with good transfer arrangements, through the islands and to 

 Caribbean and South American ports, accounts for much of 

 the trade from and to Canada jiassing via. the United States. 

 I again draw the attention of all West India shipi)ers to the 

 value of Montreal as the terminal port during o[ien naviga- 

 tion, as reaching the gi'catest centres of population and thus 

 siving 83G miles of railway transit besides avoiding double 

 handling of freight. With suitable transfer arrangements, 

 a large amount of South American business could be secured, 

 thereby enabling a larger and faster class of steamers to be 

 employed than could possibly be expected for West India 

 trade alone. During the next few months it is incumbent 

 upon the Chambers of Commerce and Agricultural Boards to 

 draw the attention of their respective Governments to the 

 opportunity now afforded for improving Canadian trade 

 through Canadian ports ; and especially in securing to 

 Trinidad an increase of transit trade to and from the Sjianish 

 Main that is meantime done direct via United States ports. 



Sugar. — The market continues strong and active, 

 Europe continuing to be the source of the fluctuations. The 

 month — November 8 to December 8 — shows an advance for 

 88° Beets of Is. l\d. per cwt. The local advance for 

 refined sugar is Is. 'id. per 100 B). The arrivals of Demerara 

 sugars in Montreal during the month for refining are 29,000 

 bags, per s.s. ' Vernetta,' via New York. Local ipiotationsare 

 nominal, the only importing business reported being 2,.j00 

 tons at 3| c. it f. New York for the refiners, and now 

 loading at Demerara. It is estimated that fully three-fourths 

 of the preference goes to the growers in this (juotation. 



Molasses. — Business is quiet and recent local fluctuations 

 Lave ceased, and no developments a.re anticipated until after 

 the opening of the New Year. Prices remain very firm. It 

 is reported that one factory is utilizing molasses for re-boiling 

 for further sugar extraction. Reports to hand to-day show 

 -an advance of 2c. to .3c. for molasses in second hands. 



Coeon-Huts. — Prices have remained very steady and 

 demand has been good. New York prices have weakened 

 considerably for all grades. Ajiproaching cold weather will, 

 however, curtail consumption. 



Spices. — Pepper continues to maintain the advance. 

 Pimento is very quiet and sales difficult, last sales made by 

 us were at 6c. duty paid, which is better than New York 

 parity. Nutmegs and ginger continue very slow, and prices 

 of both rule low. 



Fruit. — Dominica oranges to hand again arrived in bad 

 order, but quality was excellent. A .Jamaica shipment to 

 hand ten days ago also arrived with 30 per cent, damage; 

 prices remain very low. A'alentia fruit now arriving is 

 a strong factor in competition, and shipments should now be 

 reduced. Prices at $3'7.5 per barrel cannot be advanced. 



IMPORTS OF TROPICAL PRODUCTS 

 INTO THE UNITED STATES. 



The U.S. ifuntlihf )Sumrnart/ of Commerce foi* 

 July, 1904, has tables showing the principal articles of 

 tropical and subtropical jiroduction imported into the 

 United States at intervals since 1870, and the growth 

 in consumption of this class of articles. 



We extract from these tables particulars as to the 

 importation, during the years 1895 and 1904, of 

 a number of articles that are produced in the West 

 Indies, showing, in a very striking manner, the growth 

 in consumption during the last ten years : — • 



The reliance of the United States upon the tropics for 

 large supplies of its foodstuffs and materials for use in 

 manufacturing is again shown by the import figures for the 

 fiscal year 1904, in which the total value of tropical and 

 subtropical products brought into the United State.s 

 amounted to .§430,556,775, including those brought from the 

 Hawaiian Islands, Porto Rico, and the Philijipines. In nearly 

 all of the tropical and subtropical products the impsrtations 

 of the fiscal year 1904 are materially larger than in earlier 

 years, while in quantity the increase is even greater than 

 that in value, because of the declining prices of many o£ 

 these articles. 



