152 THE CORAL LANDS OF THE PACIFIC. 



on the preceding years ; but perhaps the most ' suggestive ' 

 thing in connection with the growth of the sugar industry in 

 Fiji is the action of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company of 

 New South Wales, whose factory on the Rewa river, in Viti 

 Levu, has already developed into an important township. 

 The following particulars of the resources and enterprise 

 of this highly successful corporation will be read with interest 

 by all who care to appreciate the future that certainly av/uit> 

 the Mauritius of the Antipodes. If these things are done in 

 the early days of Fiji, what will the record of the not very 

 remote future amount to ? 



The Colonial Sugar Refining Company have at the present 

 time invested in plant, buildings, steamers, punts, and land in 

 connection with their business in New South Wales and Fiji 

 about .650,000, of which sum only about 50,000 represents 

 the cost of the land held by them. They employ during the 

 sugar season in the former colony between 1000 and 1200 

 men, but no Chinese or coloured labourers, and during the 

 remainder of the year 400 or 500 men. In Fiji they have 

 now about 90 white men, and 400 to 500 coloured labourers. 

 In the refinery, in Sydney, they work at present about 500 

 tons of sugar per week Their sugar-mills on the Clarence, 

 Richmond, and Tweed rivers, five in all, are capable of 

 producing 14,000 tons of sugar in the season of five months. 

 The Fiji factory will be equal to producing 6500 tons of sugar 

 in a season of five months. To give some idea of the plan, it may 

 be mentioned that the Company have between fifty and sixty 

 steam boilers of large size at work ashore, besides many others 

 of small power ; and afloat they have two ocean steamers, six 

 paddle-tugs and two more building, one screw-tug building, 

 eight steam launches and four more building, eight large 

 lighters and four more building, seventy-five cane punts (each 



