Some Home Truths. 193 



We must not forget, too, that if the Vegetable Products Factory just 

 erected turns out the success every one wishes it to be, the area in ground 

 provisions may be trebled, with a corresponding shortage of the available 

 labour supply. 



At this period we may also expect renewed interest in our Mining 

 Industries — our Gold, Diamonds, Bauxite, Ironstone and other mineral 

 products claim their share of the Labour market, while Balata {Alinusops 

 globosa), the timber and other forest industries, we all hope to see ex- 

 panding, not contracting. 



Where is the labour to carry on all these industries ? 



If any are abandoned we get back to stagnation. 



In 1917 our balata exports were valued at 954,543 dollars. 



Our Charcoal and Firewood exports at 61,832 dollars, while we ex- 

 ported several thousand cubic feet of timber. 



Our Sugar and other Industries claim a certain percentage of our 

 people for tradesmen and mechanics; our young industries such as coco- 

 nuts and limes are rapidly developing and will need their share of people 

 and at harvest time a considerable number may be required for gathering 

 in the lime crop ; we need tappers for our rubber trees — these industries 

 now in their infancy, we want to see expanding, and the area, in coconuts 

 especially, increasing by leaps and bounds ; we want our 23,870 acres in 

 coconuts to extend rapidly to 100,000 acres. Our rice lands 

 are extensive and with drainage and irrigation assured, some of the most 

 suitable rice lands in the world consisting of several millions of acres, 

 could be planted, instead of a beggarly 58,000. Our Sugar Industry 

 could be increased to produce a million tons annually instead of a paltry 

 one hundred thousand tons per annum. 



Professor Harrison has told us that fully 9,000,000 acres of accessible 

 lands are unalienated from the Government and " much of this is suitable 

 for rubber cultivation and for the growth of other tropical products." 



With an adequate labour force the Banana Industry might be con- 

 sidered ; our Vegetable oils from the Kokerite (Maximiiiana regia) might 

 become a commercial success ; good paper has been made from the 

 Plantain, we have before us a specimen of paper made from plantains 

 we believe in the early forties ; our common Mucca-Mucca (Monlrichardia 

 aborescens) furnishes a fair paper, specimens of which we have seen, along 

 with excellent samples made from the Ginger Lily (Hedychium coro- 

 narium*) 



Some of our native fibres Urena lobata, the Mahoe, (Hibiscus 

 liliaceous,) sanseviera and other plants, are probably worthy of exploita- 

 tion. 



In the hinterland, tobacco and cotton may bring us wealth. 



