VERTEUIL — TRINIDAD AGRICULTURE. 
227 
by him two years ago. At that time one of the estates was 
shipping to their people in New York and he (Mr. Murray) was 
shipping to his own brokers, and it was a curious fact that he 
got double the price others were getting. He got very fair 
paying prices, and the fruit arrived in excellent condition. It 
was stated in the Royal Commissioners’ Report that the voyage 
to England was too long. He had to give that statement a 
most emphatic denial. Probably it would be news to most 
persons that during this season, since April, he (Mr. Murray) 
had shipped something like 16,000 cases of fruit, and that these 
fruit now entered the London market. He should say that a 
great deal of the encouragement he had got lately had come from 
the Royal Mail Company and he was thankful to a gentleman in 
the room for getting that company to assist him in exporting 
fruit to England throughout the season. There was capital 
wanted, if it was to be done on a larger scale, and the large 
companies at home and in America would handle any quantity. 
At the present moment he had requisitions from England for 
over 500 cases of oranges every packet. If he were to ask any 
gentleman here to finance this venture he would say no. If it 
were cocoa or sugar, the answer would be “oh yes,” but when it 
came to fruit the answer was “ oh, no.” There were only one 
or two firms here who were doing it at present ; they were doing 
everything they could, and he was confident in saying that the 
fruit trade would develop, if two or three or half a dozen men 
vrith capital would put their shoulders to the wheel and push it 
&1 ong. During the last six months the much maligned Govern- 
ment Railway bad done everything to assist him, by placing 
vans at his disposal and giving special instructions regarding the 
conveyance of fruit, and had made it possible to bring fruit to 
town anti ship it at reasonable costs and charges. During the 
past five years he had been steadily working out the lecturers 
idea of having central drying factories for cocoa. V erv few 
persons knew that there was a factory built on his property for 
the drying of cocoa in bulk for the market, by which large quan- 
tities could be prepared, all of the same grade. But the factory 
could not he worked because the Government was standing in 
the way. He had applied in the usual way to the Magistrate of 
the district to grant him a license to purchase even ordinary 
cocoa, but the answer was “ oh, no, you are not in a place where 
there are twenty houses, you cannot get it. Everyone o tie 
Magistrates said it was a splendid idea. The people could not 
dry their cocoa in January last year because the ram was pouring 
in torrents. A neighbour of his had 10 or Id ngs ° cocoa, 
lying in his cocoa house, but he (Mr. Murray) could not take it 
over because he would have been fined £50 for doing so. 
Attorney-General said the Ordinance might be amended, ne 
