THE CUBA REVIEW 



25 



Surplus: 



Profit for the Year subject to Excess Profit and In- 

 come Taxes $181,007.33 



Less — Dividends declared and paid on Preferred 



Stock 60,774.00 120,233.3?. 



$4,233,708.87 



THE SUGAR INDUSTRY 



GUADELOUPE'S CROP 



Planters of this colony are of the opin- 

 ion that the total production of the com- 

 ing sugar crop will probably be a little 

 less than that of 1918 which amounted to 

 about 28,000 metric tons and was several 

 thousand tons below the average. The 

 weather throughout 1918 was very favor- 

 able for the growth of the canes, the cut- 

 ting of which has just begun, but lack of 

 sufficient fertilizers, diseases in the canes, 

 and failure to use modern methods of 

 cultivation have caused the prospects for 

 a good crop to be far from bright. 



At a meeting attended by representa- 

 tives of the laborers, the planters, the 

 sugar centrals, and the Government, it 

 was agreed on January 8, 1919, that each 

 worker in the fields and centrals be 

 granted an increase amounting to 9 cents 

 per day and that the planters should be 

 paid $1.82 more per ton (2,204 pounds) 

 of cane. These increases bring the wages 

 of laborers up to 88 cents a day and the 

 price of cane to $9.26 a ton. 



The Agronomic Station which was 

 established in 1918 has been doing 

 very good work and while it is much too 

 early for the results of this work to be 

 noticeable it has been ascertained that 

 there are no diseases in the canes which 

 rotation of crops and proper cultivation 

 will not cure. — Consul Henry T. Wilcox, 

 Basse Tcrre, Guadeloupe, French West 

 Indies. 



SUGAR PRODUCTION IN JAMAICA 



The practical completion of the details 

 of an act to be put before the Legislative 

 Council of Jamaica for a State-aided 

 sugar factory of 8,000 to 10,000 tons ca- 



pacity, the supply of canes to be guar- 

 anteed by growers, is a long step forward 

 for making Jamaica again a factor in 

 sugar production. 



The project, which originally called for 

 the expenditure of £100,000, has now been 

 enlarged to require £300,000. The re- 

 ported likelihood of a policy of imperial 

 preference tends to stabilize the invest- 

 ment. A portion of the funds will be 

 available for loans to small land-owners 

 to enable them to establish cane cultiva- 

 tion. 



One large firm of sugar planters has 

 just received, in addition to a large 

 amount of sugar machinery from the 

 United States, 60 cars, part of which are 

 intended for hauling canes of their own 

 properties in connection with the central 

 now being built. The remaining cars are 

 to be given to the Government Railway 

 to be used in moving canes from 4,000 

 acres to be available shortly. 



An interesting news item in connection 

 with the sugar activity in Jamaica is the 

 recent transfer of a sugar estate for 

 £130,000.— Vice Consul David B. Levis, 

 Kingston. 



MAURITIUS CROP 



The Island of Mauritius lying in the 

 Indian Ocean was reported by the Mauri- 

 tius Commercial Bulletin to be experi- 

 encing a successful campaign. 



The Agriculture Department of the 

 Island estimated the crop at 248,000 tons, 

 which is 26,000 tons larger than the last 

 crop. Sugar making commenced in Sep- 

 tember and will continue into February, 

 but the sugar is largely stored and 

 shipped out gradually. At the time the 

 report was written warehouses were be- 

 coming seriously crowded. 



