, 1891-10-24

llshed government return, the total number
JOfSouth Sea Islanders at preSehtin Queens
land is 1852, but of course this number is be-
ing yearly reduced. DIS the men Rhdsetbree-
year agreements expire are retained to their
homes. By the end of 1893 colOred labor will
entirely cease to be an active factor in de-
Gliding the conditions of our labour market.
Even now the 5000 blacks are only a small
help in harvesting our 10000 long tons of
sugar.
FrOStS are, comparatively speaking, un-
known on the Queensland coast, to which
sugar growing is confined, and it has long
been asserted that whites cannot and will not
work in our tropical and sub-trOpical cane
brakes. The truth Of this is now being put
to the test. White gang labor is certainly
impossible, and steps are now being taken to
make farmers do the cultivation for them
selves with their families, and an odd hired
man or two, while the mill-owners buy at
lbs I'd. to los a ton, and manufacture the
sugar. The actual value of cane per ton has
not yet been settled in this country, and
prices paid at present must be regarded as
tentative or eX perimental.
I note that you have urged your planters
to separate cultivation and manufacture.
For their sakes | trust your advice will be
followed. Seven years ago the same gospel
was preached in Queensland, and was re-
Ceived first with diSdain, and then with
scOrn, %cOntumely, and at last with some de-
gree of attention. 1t is noteworthy now to
find that those who followed the advice are
the only ones who can face what we call here
"the evolution of the industry without q
qualm. The necessi ty of competing with
the world for the narrowing margin of pro-
fit now possible on sugar, sent manufacture
to the front, but with us, as l believe it was
with -4r nI10 M As-.Eso, --nc nSA-r
neglected.
So long as gang labor was available, no
one thought of d better method 1t is only
now that the labour difficulty is forcing Gull
tivatOrS to recognize that growing can not
be a success unless the same careful atten-
ton and cultivation is given as fall to the
lot Of other crops, such as cereals or We
getables. Under the old system cane was
cheap i it cached the rollers costing las. a
ton, and to that amount bad to be added
the ankle ties, risks and waste attendant Oh
the growth of it. All the large estates are
private prop erty, and the owners are now
putting farmers Oh their land to do the Gull
tivatiOn. The terms on which these men
take up cane growing vary co nsiderably,
but the method likely 70 come into general
use will be to charge IA pepper corn rental
and pay about las a ton tor the cane.
4uO IuCI vi COuIoOy gets CAO OpOiOu VI
purchasing the ground, but the price is made
low, as he is bound down to grow cane. The
richest sugar company in Australia, the Co.
lOnial Sugar R efning Company, is selling
its uncultivated land at Ell @er acre, and
that already cleared and broken up at &5.
The figures however do not represent the
real value of land, which is at least double
these amounts. Most of the good agricul-
tural land fit for sugar is now either free
hold or being made so under purchasing
leases from the Government. TIL govern
ment crown lands may be acquired in "a
variety of ways and on the easiest terms.
If the ~SelectOr elects to live on and inn
prove his land, he then gets it at FL an acre
with ten years to pay for it. In the sugar
districts there is a large number of farmers
living on their own land, usually blocks of l6O
acres each, but they are only just beginning
to grow cane, as in the past, the possession,
of gang labor seemed to blind the big estate
owners to disadvantage of having outside
cultivatOrs. The farmers then could only
get IS to los a ton for their cane, so they
preferred to make a precariOus livelihe0d
selling frewOOd, sweet potatoes, corn etc.,
to the sugar kings, as the estate owners
thought themselves. Now these farmers
are petted and urged to grow zane, and
many of them are leaving the lands they
have made freehold and going ON to the es-
tatoS on the terms [ have mentioned above,