ii. Timehri. 



tent expressions of willingness to make any sacrifice of men, materials, or 

 treasure in the future which may be necessary for its successful prosecu- 

 tion. 



Since the last issue of " Timehri" the colony has continued to go about 

 its lawful occasions " under the sure shield of the British Navy " in almost 

 every respect as if the war were in another planet. Prices of necessaries 

 certainly have gone up to an extent which the war may perhaps 

 explain and even justify but which has led among the less highly paid civil 

 servants cf the colony to co-operative action for the purpose of enabling 

 them to preserve some more definite relation between their salaries and 

 the constantly increasing cost of living. The better paid officials have given 

 their support to the action of their subordinates. The movement has no 

 aggressive features and as it is proceeding along purely practical lines can 

 only lead to beneficial results in regard to the control of profiteering 

 charges not only for the benefit of the officials but for the public at 

 large. 



The proposal of this Society to hold the postponed West Iudian 

 Agricultural Conference in the colony this year has not been realised 

 owing to the unexpected prolongation of the war through the betrayal of 

 Russia by the gang of international anarchists and German spies who 

 control the Bolsheviki dreamers. Our kindred scheme of a Coloni il and 

 Inter-Colonial Agricultural and Horticultural Show to be held at the 

 same time as the Conference has also been postponed. We recognized 

 the practical difficulties but wished to make sure that this part of the 

 Empire will not be as unprepared for peace as the Empire was for war. 

 The prevalent idea of deferring all progressive action in this colony until 

 the war is over and until more energetic communities can voice their more 

 articulate claims on British capital leaves us cold. 



On the other hand the cattle-track between the Berbice River 

 savannahs and the Rupununi in the neighbourhood of the Brazilian border 

 has been actively pushed forward by its originator, Mr. Melville, Commis- 

 sioner of the Rupununi District. By the end of the year we may see its 

 completion. It is in the nature of a rough traverse across the colony 

 through practically unknown country. Some of us would have preferred 

 to see it accompanied by railway and economic reconnaissance parties as 

 a preliminary to a flying survey for a trunk railway. Such a railway 

 reconnaissance will be indispensable. An economic survey will also be 

 necessary to reassure the Imperial authorities or any Canadian or other 

 railway capitalists as to our resources. The ground to be covered 

 by the cattle-track would however coi<"~'de only in part with 

 any probable railway route to the interior and there appears to be 

 a temporary apathy at the moment in regard to the development of the 

 interior which is easily accounted for by a considerable concentration on 

 coastland sugar and rice due to the war prices and local speculation in sugar 

 estates. Tropical colonists prefer to take short views of life. Meanwhile 

 although no preliminary steps are being pressed upon the Government by 

 the electives or by public opinion or by the press for the purpose of 

 ascertaining the possibilities of opening up communication with Brazil 



