PROCEEDINGS OF THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE. 
345 
were able to give a man a living wage, he did not mean four or 
five cents, but something which would give him a margin for 
comfort and a bit of a holiday and a little bit of luxury in his 
home — that was what he called a living wage. Some gentleman 
had told him they could get very fair labour, and another said 
he had no fault to find with the labour there The present rate 
of pay was from 6d to 9d. a day, that being the ordinary wages 
for able-bodied men. That, he thought, was sufficient to tell 
them the condition of affairs in that, at present, unfortunate 
little island. Skilled artizans gob from lSd. to 3s. a day. He 
did not think a blacksmith or a carpenter in Trinidad would 
work for that. Tobago has products essentially its own, as 
distinguished from Trinidad. There had been in times past a 
most excellent breed of very safe ponies in Tobago. He had a little 
pony not more than 13 hands high that carried him the whole 
livelong day. There were plenty of them. He had been told 
that of late years the stamina of the ponies had not been quite as 
good as it used to be — that, would be a question for Mr Meaden to 
discuss with the Governor so as to restore to Tobago that excel- 
lent class of pony which was a source of wealth to the island. 
In many parts the land was essentially fitted for the keeping of 
sheep. At Studley Park, about six miles from Scarborough, 
there were hundreds of acres of land where guinea grass grew 
wild like a weed without being cultivated as it was in Trinidad. 
He was sure large flocks of sheep could be kept, hut a first class 
shepherd must be brought out at a good salary and they must 
also import sires for the flock of the very best kind. The 
Warden of Tobago told him the other day that there was decided 
reason to hope that the revenue of Tobago would go up. Tn 
the matter of education, with a population of 2(1,000, the 
Government had only been able to spend =£500 or £600 a year, 
hi the matter of roads, when Mr. Low was Commissioner, they 
borrowed a loan from Trinidad which he believed had been 
'yiped out since the island became a Ward of Trinidad, and very 
little had been spent in public works. Public works would 
have to be done* in the way of roads and probably one or two 
jetties in some of those harbours ; public wor ks included a 
steamer such as he had suggested. This would be general 
encouragement to the old planters who were still Struggling- ?U1( 1 
to the new planters who were prepared to lay down their capital 
j, * ie y received proper encouragement and assistance from the 
government. Tobago had often been spoken of by the people 
rinidad with rather a curling lip and a smile of phy a,1 | 
com, but he was convinced that in the next twenty years n 
spL ? Vernment kept its shoulder to the wheel in the way it 
woulrM UlC ^ ne ^ t° do, the people of Trinidad, he was feure, 
u ^ exceedingly proud of their daughter next door, 
At 
