12 



In dealing with a problem of this nature the control measures 

 must bo universally adopted to meet with full success, otherwise 

 the cultivator who carries them out is penalized by his neighbour 

 who does not. I estimate thai-, if the recommendations were adopted 

 generally, the pest would be well under control in three or at the outside 

 four years and that certain of the measures could then be relaxed. 



It is not easy to devise a satisfactory practical method for the 

 application of these control measures, and it is impossible unless the 

 Sugar Company co-operates with the Government. The Sugar Com- 

 pany has everything to gain by such co-operation ; the cultivator, 

 on the other hand, will not be quite so easily convinced at first, owing 

 to the fact that it costs a little and sugar cane is not such a very 

 profitable crop to him. After the first year, when he realizes that 

 he recovers more than his outlay in the increased yield per feddan, 

 it will be easy. 



The chief difficulty is how the cultivator is to obtain clean " sets." 

 No cultivator, with the best intentions in the world could do this for 

 himself without assistance, and I suggest that it should be made 

 possible for him to obtain guaranteed clean "sets " at cost price. 

 The Sugar Company could provide these by growing the necessary 

 cane on their own land and, treating and distributing them from their 

 factories against demand. Indeed I would go further. I suggest that 

 the reduced price paid for the cane by the Company is placing the 

 onus of this outbreak on the cultivators. The cultivator is not altoge- 

 ther responsible for the outbreak and with the low price prevailing it 

 is doubtful if much new cane will be planted, and it will be extremely 

 difficult to convince him of the advisability of paying for the control 

 measures. Therefore I suggest that the Sugar Company might either 

 provide the clean " sets " free of charge or increase the price paid for 

 clean cane. One cannot expect the cultivator to bear the brunt of 

 both the outbreak and the control measures. It would pay the Com- 

 pany a hundredfold to provide clean " sets " free of charge to cultiva- 

 tors ; P.T. 6 per qantar is an extremely low figure for the clean cane 

 which they would get back in return and the profit that would accrue 

 on that score would more than counterbalance the expenditure in 

 the provision of clean " sets." 



The actual execution of this proposal would not, I think, present 

 any serious difficulties to the Company, and the Government might, 

 I suggest, step in and by law decree that no " sets " other than those 

 bought or obtained from, and certified clean by, the Sugar Company 

 might be planted in the big sugar cane growing areas. 



The objection may be raised that not all the cane grown in the 

 big areas finds its way to the factories. That is correct, but it would 

 not cost the Company anything beyond a little extra trouble to provide 



