102 



SUGAR 



still better now because they make a large quantity of 

 white sugar for the Indian market. But machinery 

 which was at one time superior at last became anti- 

 quated. Then came low prices, and a great disaster 

 followed. The whole of the cattle were suddenly 

 destroyed by a terrible disease. This deprived them, 

 at one stroke, of their only means of haulage. This, 

 coupled with a destructive cyclone, brought them to 

 the verge of despair. They wanted money for light 

 railways to draw the canes to the mill, and if they did 

 not get it their crop would be lost. The Colonial Office 

 came to the rescue just in time and the danger was 

 averted. Then prices improved, hope began to revive, 

 what the French call concentration of work was car- 

 ried out, old small factories were closed and large 

 " centrals " established, and they began to breathe again. 

 Irrigation is to be carried out on a large scale, the rail- 

 ways are to be improved, factories are now working 

 on modern lines and things begin to hum. Labour is 

 a difficulty, as with our colonies in the west, and it would 

 be well if capital were more abundant, but, barring 

 cyclones, prospects are good. Labour was originally 

 imported from India, but as the Indians settled down 

 permanently as small planters imported labour became 

 unnecessary. Their production of cane per acre is, 

 however, very inferior to the out-turn of the large 

 planters. The average richness of the cane is a little 

 under 14 per cent., and the yield in the factory about 

 10'5 per cent. The average crop of cane per acre 

 (30 tons plant and 20 tons ratoon) is about 23 tons, 

 including the inferior crop of the small Indian planter. 

 The canes take from twelve to twenty-two months to 

 ripen, according to the climate of the district. From 

 1884 to 1897 the crop varied from 100,000 to 150,000 

 tons. From 1898 to 1912 it ranged from 150,000 to 



