392 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



the logical conclusion to be drawn from the fiscal arrangements 

 of other Powers, including the United States themselves, with 

 different parts of their own tropical possessions." 



In discussing the subject of steamer services the Com- 

 missioners are of opinion " that the development of the trade 

 between the West Indies and Canada depends very largely 

 upon the provision of adequate means of transportation. 

 Having regard to the importance to which we refer elsewhere 

 of retaining and extending as far as possible the market which 

 Canada offers for West Indian sugar, and which in the future 

 the Dominion may be able to offer to other products of the 

 West Indies, we would represent that the maintenance and 

 improvement of the steamship service between Canada and the 

 West Indies is in the highest degree essential." 



With this view it is recommended that " early steps be taken 

 by calling for tenders to ascertain the cost of such a service as 

 we have indicated and that very careful consideration should be 

 given to the possibility of its inauguration." 



Under telegraphs the conclusion arrived at is briefly sum- 

 marised as follows : Already the British Government subsidises 

 three telegraph companies to the amount of £2'j^a,20^ and the 

 earnings of the company are put at ;!^24,ooo a year. Thus 

 the Government could at a cost little, if at all, exceeding the 

 amount of the subsidies now paid, give the West Indies an incom- 

 parably better telegraphic equipment and probably at the same 

 time considerably reduce the rates. 



In the early part of the Report the Commissioners drew 

 attention to the work of the Imperial Department of Agriculture 

 in improving the sugar industry and extending the cultivation of 

 alternative industries in order to obviate the danger of the 

 dependence of the West Indies on a single industry. Later 

 (p. 38) they state : " In the course of our inquiry into the 

 possibilities of the development of the resources of the West 

 Indies we were much struck by the excellent work that has 

 already been done in this direction by the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture." This Department, as already mentioned, was 

 established in 1898 on the recommendation of the West India 

 Royal Commission of 1897. The whole cost during the first 

 six years amounted to ^17,400 a year. This was entirely pro- 

 vided from Imperial funds. Of this, about ;!^5,ooo a year was 

 allocated to the maintenance of the scientific staff at the central 



