143 



sideration under Agricultural Vote. Also letter from the Education 

 Department stating that the Board of Education was willing to re- 

 commend that the chart be placed in schools if the Board of Agri- 

 culture was willing to print it. 



Commercial Agent in London. — The Secretary read a letter from 

 the Colonial Secretary on the matter of the appointment of a Com- 

 mercial Agent in London, stating that the Governor had consulted 

 the Privy Council on the matter and they had advised that the rule 

 laid down by Mr. Chamberlain when Secretary of State 

 should be followed, viz. : that such an Agent should be ap- 

 pointed and maintained by the commercial community in the 

 Colony and be entirely unconnected with the Government, though 

 there would be no objection to the Government making if neces- 

 sary, and the Legislative Council was willing, a small grant to some 

 such body as the Royal Jamaica Society of Agi-iculture and 

 Commerce if that Society were willing to take the matter 

 up, but on a previous occasion when this decision was intimated to 

 that Society, the Secretary replied that its funds were unable to 

 stand the expense and they desired the Government largely to in- 

 crease its suggested grant. This the Government was unable to 

 do. It remained for those interested to make some arrangements 

 whereby the funds necessary for carrying out their suggestion be 

 provided by those likely to profit most by the Agency. 



Sugar Grant. — The Secretary submitted copy of Law 3 of 1906 

 entitled "A Law in aid of Law 45 of 1903" to give the Board of 

 Agriculture, with the sanction of the Privy Council, a wider dis- 

 cretion as to the expenditure of the £lO,000 therein mentioned, in 

 the interest of the sugar industry. 



Demerara Rums. — The Secretary submitted a copy of the Official 

 Gazette of British Guiana, also an extract from the Demerara Ar- 

 gosy showing the variation in the contents of ethers in Demerara 

 Rums which ranged from 30"l to 1227. 



Truck System. — The Secretary submitted a private letter, referred 

 by the Governor, where complaint was made of a practice found 

 prevailing on the writer's estate and others, of overseers supply- 

 ing bread, beef and pork to the labourers and stopping the cost of 

 it out of their wages when they were charged for more than they 

 got, and that they did not get work unless they agreed to pur- 

 chase these things. The writer suggested that there should be a 

 law here similar to the Truck Act in England to prevent this. 



After discussion in which it was said that there were very few 

 estates where this practice would be carried on, it was resolved to 

 refer copies of the letters to the Westmoreland and Northside 

 Sugar Planters Associations for their remarks. 



Cotton Seed. — ^The Secretary read letters from the Imperial De- 

 partment of Agriculture calling attention to the importance of using 

 the Department's selected and disinfected Sea Island Cotton seed. 

 It was stated that matter on the subject was being published in 

 the Bulletin and in the Agricultural Journal. 



Leave for Mr. Cousins. — The Secretary submitted a letter from 

 the Colonial Secretary's Office stating that Mr. Cousins had ap- 



