Vol,. XVI. No. 389. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



S9t 



College of Glasgow, and that Messrs. Curtis, Campbell 

 and Co. have headed the hst of subscriptions with 

 a contribution of £-500. to be spread over five years. 



The aim of the School is 'to provide for the sugar 

 industry of the Empire a centre of training at least, 

 equal to those of Germany. Holland. France, and the 

 United States of America: to render the industry less 

 <lependent upon men trained in foreign schools, and. 

 with this intention, to give our men in our own country 

 opportunity of acquiring a liberal education, with 

 a knowledge of the agriculture, chemistry, and 

 ensineeringr of susrar manufacture fitting them for 

 responsible positions as managers, superintendents, 

 C-heinists, and engineers. The School also aims at 

 undertaking research work in association with the 

 Government Hoard of Scientific and Industrial 

 Research.' 



It is satisfactory to learn that a definite move 

 is being made in this direction, but we feel inclined to 

 express the opinion that the whole matter is of suffi- 

 cient importance to warrant consultation with colonial 

 authorities on sugar production, manufacture and 

 research. Chemical analvsis and the manufacture of 

 machinery do not constitute sugar manufacture and 

 factory control, and there may be some people who will 

 question the possibility of providing an adequate train- 

 ing forcliemists. managers, engineers. :"nd overseers and 

 assistants, away from a central sugar factory itself And 

 there is the further consideration that some practical 

 knowledge of cane cultivation, tropical labour, and .sys- 

 tems of cane supply are needed 1>\' those responsible for 

 the work of a factory. In other words, a committee of 

 o.\pert> might consider it more desirable to establish 

 u school in the tropics having a wider educational 

 value than a school situated in an industrial centre in 

 < ireat Kritain could possess. 



Hurricane Relief in Tortola. 



Mr. W. C. Fishlock. C'lrator of the E.\periment 

 Station. Tortola. \'irgin Island:^, has forwardtd to this 

 office a copy of the report of the Hurricane (Food) 

 Relief Committee, which was formed, under the 

 chairmanship of Mr. Fishlock. soon after the disaster of 

 last October. It is an interesting and instructive 

 report reflecting great credit on the Committee, and on 

 the other islands of the Leeward group who generously 

 and speedily came to the assistance of their unfortunate 

 neighbour. 



The work of relief was apparently very well 

 organized, and food was distri^ '•"^'' exf-^mf-lv iniickly 

 and economically. 



A supply of foodstuBFs ami do u;ng \,as received 

 by the S. .S. 'Chaleur' on October l«i, and steps were 

 at once taken to issue food relief. For this purpose 

 persons in need were interviewed at the E.xperiment 

 Station and their cases enquired into; in all gentiine 

 cases, suitable relief was given. This continued on the 

 ISth. l!»th, -JOth, and 21st; the representatives of .''i47 

 men, 4oK women, and 019 children, a total of !,7'24, 

 were thus supplied in the four d.ays. 



I Hiring this time arrangements had been made 

 lor dividing the Presidency into tv\enSy-three districts, 

 arid in each centre an agent for the distribution of 



foodstuffs was appointed. Commencing with the week 

 ending on Saturday October 28, this system was brought 

 into effect. Lists of the needy cases in each district 

 had been prepared, and a dietary scale was made. 

 Lists showing the names of each person or family to- 

 which food was to be issued, and the amount of 

 the various articles of food to be issued to each were 

 made and sent, with the necessary supplies, week by 

 week to the various centres. 



The Committee, speaking on behalf of the people, 

 desire to express their deep appreciation of the kindness 

 shown b\' His Excellency the Acting Governor in 

 hastening to visit the Presidency immediately after the 

 storm, and for his keen S3'mpathy, shown in a practical 

 way, by the measures for food relief he then initiated. 



The value of the foodstuffs received from Antigua,. 

 .St. Kitts, Montserrat, Dominica, and the supplementary 

 purchases, have been placed at .£4-97 10s. (kl. The cost 

 of distribution, porterage, boatage. parcelling out and 

 clerical w-ork amounted t > £2(1 I'-i^. id., or 5'4 per cent. 



A considerable quantity of clothing was also 

 distributed. 



It should be added that jjreat generosity was shown 

 by other West Indian islands outside the Leeward 

 group. Thus in Barbados a special relief fund was 

 started, and the Government itself voted £100. .Similar 

 generosity was shown by St. Lucia. 



United States Rubber Supply. 



While a retrospect of last year leaves no doubt 

 that it has been the greatest year of the United States 

 rubber industry, it gives rise, nevertheless, to some 

 anxiety in the United States regarding supplies in the 

 future. The ladhi Rv.liher World (January 1, 1917) 

 maintains that the future of the great American rubber 

 industry, which uses two-thirds of the world's produc- 

 tion ofcrude rubber, rests with the British Government. 

 There is not enough Para rubber to supply the wants 

 of the United States, even if every pound of it went 

 there; and all the rubber grown in the Malay States, 

 Ceylon, .Sumatra, and Java is completely in the hands 

 of England and Holland. Ex-President Taft, at the 

 American Rubber Clubs" Seventeenth Annual Banqueli 

 advocated protection of American rubber interests 

 abroad, and the development of rubber growing in 

 America. He touched briefly upon American enter- 

 prise in the ownership and maintenance of rubber 

 plantations in the l)ntch East Indies and elsewhere, 

 and emphasized the possibilities of the tropical and 

 sub-tropical areas within their national jurisdiction. 

 He thought more attention should be given to raising 

 rubber in Texas and Mexico, and he referred to the lost 

 opportunities in connexion with establishing an Am-ri- 

 can rubber industry in the Philippines. There is no 

 doubt, therefore, that at present the L^nited States is 

 entirely dependent upon foreign countries f t its supply 

 of rubber, more so even than Great Britian is dependent- 

 upon the L^nited States for its supply of cotton. It is 

 probable that in the future, interesting developments 

 will take place in rega'd to foreign countries making 

 every effort to secure and control their own supplies of 

 taw material from the tropics as far as possible. 



