380 
by ne funds if Syne cannot be found for the labourers, 
it wo not be unreasonable, if private enterprise is not forth- 
esq » en antee the requisite cultivation, for the Government 
to make arrangements to this end ; and, if the recommendations 
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be um ted and cultivated in bananas. 
that a oed cultivation of 4,000 acres in the two islands must be 
secured in order to > produce suffieient bananas to make it worth 
while to run a steamer. If a considerable number of cultivators 
can be settled on the land, we have no doubt irre they algo will 
grow bananas and materially extend the indus 
385. In conclusion, we desire again to "es Spec attention to 
the very critical position of affairs in St. Vincent, where a 
population, which is ne Bat pet of property in any form, and 
o land on which it can labour, is threatened with the almost 
aae loss of the indbby amount of intermittent employment 
on d low wages which it at present manages with difficulty to 
secu 
386. "No time should be e in introducing any measures which 
it may be deemed advisable to adopt, with a view to applying a 
remedy to the condition of ys which we have described. It 
2 possible e the collapse of the sugar industry may come $0 
uddenly t necessary to find temporary employment 
at the Publ. expense for some portion of the population. In 
such case the cost would have to be borne by the Imperial 
eshequar as it does not seem possible for the Colony to find 
the mone 
viii—DOMINIGA. 
387. We arrived at Dominica, direct from St. Lucia, on 
Thursday, the 11th of March, and on the 12th and 13th of March 
held sittings at Roseau, the chi ef town of EM island, when 
we examined 14 witnesses. One of th Commissioners and 
Dr. Motris visited the Layou Flats, a PEGIN “district, which 
will be presently referred to. 
388. Dominica is ene of the heme e of the Federation of 
the Leeward Islands, with which we shall deal in the order 
in which we reached them. The weak "of government is at 
Antigua. 
389. The d according to the census of 1891, was 
26,841. This was 1,370 less:than in 1881. The total area is 
186, etd acres, of “phigh ne 60, 000 acres are said to be in private 
'The whole of the remainder i is therefore Crown land, and 
: “3 is rere that 80,000 acres of Crown lands are suitable for 
cultivation. 
390. In 1882 the total value of the exports was 61,297/., and 
in 1896 the total exports were valued at 48,9737. The value of 
the sugar, ru ipie iie exported in 1882 was 44,4941, and 
in 1896 ud tee That is to say, in the last 15 years the 
exports of sugar, rum, and molasses have fallen from 71 per cent. 
. to 15 per venit. of the total value of the exports. 
