, 1880-07-17
:. SIR ANTHON X. MUSGRAVE'S PAPER
- ON JAMAICA. l26la8ts4

rqaQ~ a. tn0 meeting VI tAo Wye Coi"on.'"i
6gjltnfsy on tbe 20th April, entitled Jamaica
esSdFffteccn' years since.n g
paaoMf.G Neville lubbock, in opening the discus
sssio6gsaid aoIgam sure you will all share with
ma ndhe pleasure with which i have listened
al TO the able and interesting paper read tonight.
That paper has brought many facts before US,
and It is satisfactory to learn that, after careful
consideration of those facts by Sir A.. Mus
crave, he has come to the conclusion that on
~ the whole the condition of Jamaica is one OF
iporsasing prosperity. In the first place SIR
Anthony Mus grave bas called attention to tne
fact that the production of sugar and rum
apparently only engages five per cent. OF the
population. Now that is a remarkable STATE
ment, and it becomes more so when We consl-
der that the expectation of sugar and rum
y amuuuts in value TO more than one-half of the
? total exports of Jamaica. Therefore, one is
- naturally led to ask what are the other 80
4 Rsr cent of the population doing9 But the
4 facts are still more remarkable ii we c0mpare
the exports of Jamaica with those Of Trinidad
and British Guiana In Jamaica the value Oh
4be expectation is about 82, los. per head or
the oopulatiou, while in Trinidad it is EFT,
and in British Guiana it is els. No doubt 1t
is true, as Sir Anthony Musgrave has pointed
! ont. that in Jamaica there is a smaller amount
of food supplied in the shape of imports than
ia the case in Trinidad and Guiana, but after
making due allowance for this the comparison
is very unfayourable to Jamaica. 1t is more
remarkable since Sir Anthony tells US the
population is by DO means an idle one," and
that the people g inhabit a country the extent
and variety of whose resources are perhaps
unsurpassed by any tropical possession OF
g Great Britain" That is q striking feature on
which we might ask explanation. DO not
sSink Sir A. Musgrave is right in saying that
it has been put forward that Jamaica would
be ruined if her sugar industry went 70 the
wall. but it would no doubt compel Q large
portion of the population to seek other means
Tor getting a livelihood, and the stoppage of
the sugar industry would be deeply to be
regretted, I agree that there is an Improve.
ment in the condition of the West India
Creoles as compared with slaves, as l have
sesn them in Porto Rico; but. OF the same
time. / think we ought not to exaggsrate this,
think there is room still for much greater
improvement than has taken place, rs Sir. A.
& Musgraye appears to be aware. Win regard 10
9CDolie immigration, when | read . paper under
fheauspices # this Institute two years ago,
.iduring the discussion which ensnsd Sir Henry
D Irving remarked that If the CoOlie emigration
had been looked upon as 0 phllanthroplc move.
Iment, and not as a matter OF business, 1t would
have been recognised that no phlianthroplc
movement had done 90 large an amount OF
+ good to so great a rambler as Coolie emigration.
riFormy part / think the time has come when
this should be more fully recognised. 1t is
anot too much TO say that the Coolies leave
u India in q condition of semi-starvation,
that In all probability If they remained 10 India
thew would be doomed to actual death by
starvation. whilst, on the other hand, it ID
well known that when they reach the West
Indies they do earn not only a comfortable sub
slste noe. but are enabled to save considerable
: Gums of money. Therefore ! think We may
say that Coolie immigration is no longer an
! experiment, but is now q great success and
!. although il IL OF course not right that the
native population should be called on to pay
the whole cost Of the introduction OF such
labouf. It must be borne in mind that, as large
.~prod,eess and consumers, they amply repay
the Government the moderate amounts they
4 now contribute, and I think the Indian Gov.
erumeat might assist the emigration of those
people more than they do. lHear,J AS L
havs mentioned Sir Henry Irving, may | be
allowed to express my regret that the Colony
Of Tf trinidad is 40 soon to lose his services, for
everybody with myself must recognise the
! ability and energy he bias displayed and the
great progress which Trinidad has made during
bis administration. lCheers,i l now come to
another remark in the paper which l cannot let
pass unnoticsd. Sir Anthony Musgrave states
that there is q passive opposition offered on
the part of the sugar industry to the develop
Imsnt of the other industries which are likely
TO interfere with toe labour employed on sugar