this trade, on the plea that a good deal of the sugar 

 was used for making Tembo. This has made an 

 enormous diflference to the total consumption in the 

 country — if such figures as I can get are correct it 

 must have cut off nearly half the total. Whether 

 this prohibition is to be extended to other districts, 

 or even continued, it is impossible to say. But it is 

 obvious that it has already very adversely affected 

 the prospects of the establishment of a local Sugar 

 industry on any large scale. This action was taken 

 without warning and without any legal sanction so 

 far as can be seen. It cannot be expected that 

 people will invest large sums in an industry that is 

 liable to be suddenly raided in this manner. 



LIKELY The total pre-war imports of the country could 



MARKETS. be produced by one moderate sized modern factory — 



so it would not be hard to overtake purely local needs. 

 Once these needs are overtaken the whole proposition 

 will assiume a very different appearance. If produce 

 has to be exported overseas it means working for 

 a much lower price. To do this successfully would 

 require the best of modern plants and management 

 and a high yield from the canes. Presumably it 

 would suit us best to look for new markets further 

 up country rather than seawards. The possibilities 

 in this direction are very great, but still latent. 



ADVANTAGES OP Perhaps the most attractive point about a highly 

 CLOSE SETTLE- developed cane growing industry is the excellent 

 MENT. prospects it holds out for closer settlement. A group 



of settlers round a central factory could do very com- 

 fortably off farms of 150 acres each with even 20 

 acres of good irrigable cane land. If the land were 

 already under a main irrigation canal, a return from, 

 the canes could fairly be expected in 2 years from a 

 start. Cattle work in excellently with any scheme 

 of cane growing, as their manure is valuable to the 

 canes, and spare cane tops and molasses are good 

 cattle foods. It has long been my hope to see this 

 section of the country — Donyo Sabuk — developed on 

 such lines. It has always seemed to me to afford 

 a quite unique combination of all the necessary quali- 

 fications for success. 



FINAL ADVICE. On the whole I am inclined to say to any intend- 



ing planter just at present, " Go slowly, and feel your 

 way very carefully. Don't trouble about it at alt 



28 



