286 



been made. The Acting Governor had thought that it was neces- 

 sary to carry tlirough this matter quickly in time for the estate crop 

 coming on, and his instructions liad been acted upon. 



Mr. Middleton said he saw the same drawing or a copy of it in 

 the office of the stationmaster at May Pen the day before and per- 

 haps it could be got. 



Mr. Calder said he had asked for full details, both of the esti- 

 mated cost and of the plan and specifications and these should 

 have been submitted to the Board to show whether this matter had 

 reasonable hopes of success, before it was carried through. 



Mr. Calder then explained the whole position to the Chairman. 

 He said that the matter had once been fully discussed at a large 

 and influential meeting of the Agricultural Society attended by 

 many of the largest sugar planters, that protest had been made to 

 the Government against it and since then the matter had been held 

 in abeyance. He held that if it was carried through it would be 

 absolutely ruinous to Jamaica rum. He desired to protest, and to 

 have his protest recorded, against a matter like this being brought 

 before the Board for discussion when it had already been settled 

 by the Government. The same thing had occurred once be- 

 fore and it was a waste of time for him to come there to advise in 

 a matter in which evidently no advice was wanted. If this thing 

 went on, he did not think there would be any use in his remaining 

 a member of the Board. 



Mr. deMercado said there was certainly no use in the members 

 of the Board attending meetings to advise the Government on 

 matters already settled, and he would not propose to sit on the 

 Board under such conditions. It would be fatal to the Board if the 

 public knew that the members had not been consulted in an im- 

 portant matter like this or in any matter affecting agriculture. 



Mr. Fawcett asked if the Board were not constituted trustees of 

 the Sugar Experiment Fund, and whether any money could be 

 spent without its authority .'' 



The Chairman said the functions of the Board were advisory, 

 but the Governor would of course consult it on all agricultural 

 matters. He thought it was within the power of the Government 

 to spend the money and that the Board had no final power; but 

 he would look up the law on this subject. 



Mr. Cousins explained that the late acting Governor was keen 

 on having this matter carried through, and thought the cost could 

 be included in the expenditure of £l,000 for machinery already 

 allocated by the Board and as there was little time left Mr. Olivier 

 had taken the matter in hand himself, and he (Mr. Cousins) had 

 acted on his initiative. 



The Archbishop said that there were elements of considerable 

 difficulty and irritation in the matter and he felt that Mr. Calder 

 had right to feel aggrieved, but he would ask him not to treat it as 

 a case affecting his position'on the Board. There was no doubt that 

 the present case had resulted in some muddling, but the Acting 



