The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-09-03
SUGAR CRISIS IN MAuRIIIus." !"

"SUCAR CRISIS IN MAURITlUS."
"The Sugar Crisis in the Mauri-
tius," is the title of pamphlet
from the able pen of the president
of the Chamber of Agriculture-the
Honorable w. Newton (says the
correspondent of the s. NJ. Herald).
This difficult question is treated in
mastery style, and after supplying
us with much food for reflection,
ends by making the four suggestions
hereunder: To abolish, or at
least to reduce, the export duty on
our sugars. 2. To lower the rail-
way rates for the conveyance of
sugars to Port Louis. 3. To offer
premium to the person who finds a
means of extracting from the cane
more sugar than is at present OBJ
tanned. A. To establish school
of agriculture, station dgronomique,
having for its object to study the
means Of bettering our culture, and
to teach the principles of agriculture
to young gentlemen desirous of
directing their attention to that in
dustry. These suggestions were re-
ferred to committee of the Chamber
of Agriculture, who recommended
that the first two suggestions be not
gone into just now, owing to the
falling off of the revenue of the CO.
lony. With regard to the premium,
they recommended that two should
be given, both on sliding scale
the first to the person who obtained
from the cane more juice than is at
present obtained according to the
following THUS for 10 percent of
gain, 60,oO0rs. 124, 75,000rs. Is,
9O,OOOrs. 17t, 1O5, 5,O0Ors. 20,
12o, DOORS; 22a, 135, DOORS; 25,
150,O00rs. The second premium to
be on an ascending scale, to be given
for the extraction of sugar from the
cane juice at the following rate:-
For 80 percent, 100, DOORS. ; 81, 120,-
DOORS. F.; 80, 0,0O0rs.; !; SO, 16O,-
DOORS. /; "a, 1870, ,OO0rs.; 95, 2OO,-
DOORS. F.; Sc, 22O, O,OOOrs.; 81, 24O,-
DOORS. /; SO, 6O,oOOrs.; 80, $780,
DOORS. {; 100, 00,O0Ors. This re-
port is now under the consideration
Of the Government. With reference
to despatch received from the
Secretary of State on the subject,
Lord Derby, who referred this pam
phlet to Sir Joseph Hooker, is of
the same opinion as the latter as to
the inutility of offering any rewards,
and expresses surprise that the pros
perity Of the island should be de-
pendent almost wholly on a single
production, when coffee, the aloe,
and China grass fibres could be
grown with advantage in many parts
of the colony which are unfit for
cane cultivation.
The foregoing selection is very
suggestive. 1t shows that more
sugar countries than this one have
been led, BY the ignis tatuus OF
large present profits, into the wilder
ness of dependence upon single
staple. Also, that those other coun-
tries, when left floundering in a bog
of financial depression by the ebb Of
the market tide, are disposed to
resort to the EXTREMIST factitious
devices in order to sustain theii
single staff Of bread in some degree
of proftableness. But in Mauritius,
as here, there is voice crying in
the wilderness, warning the people
against the folly of trying to raise
themselves out OF the mud by theil
bootstraps-or of trying to make
themselves rich by transferring
money from one pocket to another
There the voice belongs to Lore
Derby, late British Foreign Secre
tary, who in the calm words O.
English common-sense and expert
ence asks the Mauritians, in sur
prise, why they should continue
their dependence upon single pro
duction, when variety of othe
valuable staples will flourish through
out the colony. Here in Hawaii tn
same voice has been raised, but b.
the inhabitants themselves. 1t ha
even been joined in by leading suga
factors, the organ of their interes
making diversified industries one o
its leading objects. Let no reviva
of sugar prices, however great, b
allowed to render the word of warn
ing and Of wisdom ineffective.