af 
9 
was returned at 278. 328, made up as follows :—European other 
bla 
natives of the Co iay. "In 1895- 96, 3,069 la bourers were registered 
for wood-cutting grants, 1,037 for balata grants, and 17,638 for 
gold-mining purposes. 
SUGAR INDUSTRY. 
23. The total area of British Guiana is officially given 
as 65,836,000 acres, or n bing size of Hungary and not much 
smaller than Austria. The area be sways! eame by cultiva- 
tion is estimated at 352, 000 acres or not e the size of Surrey. 
The area under sugar-cane is given as 66, 908 a acres or not quite the 
area of the county of London. The number of sugar estates now 
500 acres each. 
nve p 
estimated by the Planters’ Association at 10,000,0)07. The portion 
of the population directly concerned in the sugar industry 
according to the census of dev Rs 90,492, or about one-third of 
ge otal “population of the Col 
PEET of sugar i 1895-96 was 101,160 tons, of the 
f r » highest recent years was 
in 1887, when it reached 134,876 tons, of the value of 1,778,6387. 
With 76,569 acres under cultivation in that year, this would give 
an average yield of 1:7 tons of sugar, and an average value 
of pe 9s. per acre. Hence it ie be seen that the return value 
per acre in sugar has fallen in ten years nearly 40 per cent. 
According to the evidence tendered before the Lone es it is 
n o low as to hardly cover the cost of EE 
D. Ee: ugar is rear ig the siete produ vate of British 
Guiana. The industry is carried on with considerable energy 
and 
countries of the world. It is estimated that cane-sugar of high 
enna can be produced almost as cheaply in British Guiana as in 
tropical countries. British Guiana is nevertheless handi- 
ak in being compe ed to maintain an expensive system o 
artificial drainage, and in being so largely dependent for it e 
on coolie immigrat ion from India. Each coolie is estimat 
cost 17/7. to bring in, pir 122. 10s. to go out. e must also $ 
maintained during the period of indenture by regular wages at a 
prescribed ge Coolie ee began in british Guiana so 
long ago as May 1845. Up to June 1348 the total i immigrants from 
Calcutta and eaves had reached 11,437. Tram number in 50 years 
has gradually risen to 105,405 , and now forms more than a third 
of the total population of the 
26. As showing the great Sasi of the sugar industry on 
coole immigrants we find, as already stated, that 90,492 persons 
were returned as directly engaged in the sugar industry in 1891. 
