1 Mar., 1898.] © QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 207 
through the heart of the scrub to Gympie. The price of corn had fallen 
hopelessly low, and potatoes no longer brought profitable prices; in fact, the 
“living wage” had almost gone out of farming. Manifestly, then, a fresh 
outlet or a new industry was needed. Therefore, any suggestion offering these 
things was gladly welcomed, and the bitter prejudice against sugar production, 
though deep-seated, soon disappeared. } 
The preliminaries, interesting and exciting enough at the time of the 
revival of the sugar question, are of no importance now. We will, therefore, 
pass on to the time when the Moreton Guarantee Mill (for that is its proper 
title) became an accomplished fact. 
“The plant stands upon a site given by the South Australian Land 
Company. Its position is convenient, being on the side of the railway, within 
a stone’s throw of station and township. The clearing of the site was 
commenced in March, 1896, and the erection of machinery and plant followed 
immediately. Messrs. A. and W. Smith and Co., of Glasgow—a firm which 
was crushed by losses following the recent Cuba insurrection—made and 
erected the machinery; and Messrs. Caskie and Thompson, of Brisbane, had 
the contract for the erection of the necessary buildings. This work was done 
with despatch, and on the 1st of August last year the mill started crushing. 
All things, however, were not ready when crushing commenced. ‘The 
tramways were behindhand. When the mill started, only one and a-half miles 
of permanent tramway had been made, and portabie tramways were non- 
existent. Fortunately, it was settled weather, and most of the drays and 
horse teams were pressed into service. When, however, the material arrived, 
after a delay of a month or six weeks, the portable trams were thrown down 
with great despatch, and several large fields of cane, inaccessible to drays, 
were thrown open. The portable tramways then became the chief feeders of 
the mill. 
Taxed to their utmost, the permanent and portable tramways were 
incapable of keeping the mill going day and night. It, therefore, worked on 
the “single-shift”’ system. : 
Altogether 400 acres were harvested, which gave 7,553 tons of cane. 
This, in turn, yielded 800 tons of sugar. It is roughly estimated that 150 
acres of crushing cane were untouched for the reasons already given. And 
this, with the acreage harvested and the new land planted this season, gives 
an approximate estimate of 750 acres for next season. 
Some excellent cane was crushed—notably, Messrs. D. and M. Mitchell’s 
and Mr. Chas. Perren’s, which was two years old and of exceptional growth. 
Next season a large quantity of two-year-old cane will be delivered. 
Judged by results, the mill is not found wanting. The net titre of the 
first-quality sugar averaged. 95 degrees (Baumé) ; the seconds, 84 degrees (do.); 
the thirds, 78 degrees; and the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, which took 
the whole output, commended the company for the excellent quality of the 
sugar. As a matter of fact, the Nambour Mill (on the testimony of an 
authority) enjoys the reputation of haying this season made the best sugar of 
all the guarantee mills, 
The Moreton Guarantee Sugar-mill has a capital of £32,000, guaranteed 
by the Government on landed security. Of this amount it has spent £24,250 
as follows:—Machinery, £19,250; tramways, £3,000; trucks, £800; survey, 
water supply sundries, £1,200. 
It was expected that there would be great difficulty in getting a tramway 
to Dulong—a locality adapted to cane, about five miles from the mill. Nam- 
bour itself is at the foot of the Blackall Range, and the country in the direction 
of the hills is broken and irregular. A survey had been made; but the con- 
clusion of the whole business was that a ‘‘shute” would have to be made to 
obviate the difficulty of the ascent too abrupt for rails. Messrs. Dalzell, 
Mitchell, and Morrow, however, discoveréd a route, which, by cireumbendibus, 
will carry trucks to the top of the Dulong ridge on a grade of 1 in 20. This 
is called practicable, and the survey of this route has just been commenced by 
