, 1891-08-26
A JAMAICA AGRICULTURAL BANK.
To the Editor of the Cleaner.

Ueatl1uI Islanu, ana there Is no doubt great
truth in all We read. That the awakening has
taken place, true, but with what result? We
who know Jamaica, have all along been aware
Of Jamaica being all it is now represented, as
a health resort. MS regards its mdevtloped Re
sources etc, etc. mean we, the working bees,
are we any more awakened now than we We're
years ago? | say mo" The question then
arises who has been awakened, has theright class
ofmen been awakened? Fl mean the capitalistS(l
fear not. We have a Governor who is looking
after the welfare and prosperity of the country,
of this we feel assured, and his actions in every
way have how that his object is to d~evelope
and make Jamaica what it should be. We
have hotels and railways, and now we are get
ting good roads, all at a great cost to the Gov
eminent, but to what purposeif there is no
thing TO carry? If, therefore, the country does
not increase it's exports in proportion to the
extra expenses etc. there will be a grand fail
ure, which will prove for jamaica the greatest
curse to be handed down to Jamaica Ssonr. To
my mind there is a going too far to pull back
with safety, and my opinion is, the Government
has done this, our Legislators have committed
the country to this extent. Hotels, railways,
and roads (all good and useful enterprisesJ
have been started on the credit of the country,
but we, the working class of the country, are
in no better position than we were before, to
develope the resources of the country.
Our sad awakening simply means this -
you show a man gold in a rock and he has tho
strength and energy to quarry out the gold,
you will not enable him to get the tools to work
with, and we all stand idle, gazing at the wealth
we would obtain but cannot, while you give
us roads, railways and hotels. long before We
need them; but there is an old and true saying,
mo use crying over split milk" You will ma
4Urol1yy oSb than Huybo4 y,,yo 10 T., bo dDOn0h
Isay what the country wants is capital, and
unless We have this at our command at a rea-
sonable rate, then all that has been done will
prove a waste of money and make us q laugh
ing-stock' for others. How many thousands Of
people have property, and for the want of cap
ital they can do nothing with their lands, They
only stand idly by to see the bush growing
which they cannot clean. to see lands which
would yield heavily of the natural products of
the island (Which must draw the wealth from
other countries into our own standing idle,
al d having to rent out these same lands to ten
ants to enable them to keep the wolf from the
door, and the Government from contisc1ting
their lands for non-payment of taxes; and they
90 on, from year to year, with this f~rultlcSs
struggle, land and man idle alike, and con>e-
quently Of no benefit to raise his country
in any way. On the other hand we find men
land the sons of Jamaica) investing their
means outside of jamaica we find the Govern
ment doing the same we find the absentee
Proprietor also drawing the life-blood of the
country and if it had not been for the fruit
trade having sprung up, Jamaica would have
been drained long ere this. Are we to sit
down and expect capitalists from other toun-
tries to come here and invest their capital when
they see this state Of affairs -? l say
Then what is to be done mist be done quN
and that by the Government. Why could 4he
Government not start an Agricultural Bank ?
Why could the Government not employ the
large amounts of Savings Bank money in the
country. Why cannot the Government supply
the necessary tools for the development of the
c~ountry's resources ? It would be the saliva.
ton Of Jamaica, it would mean the awakening
of Jamaica, it would mean a source of revenue
to the Government, it would mean raising the
revenue of the country to such an extent that
in a few y ars taxation would be a small matter
and the people who now pay their taxes with
groans, would pay up with glad faces.
When this time comes, then I haye no doubt
we will find Jamaica flooded with capitalists
from other countries who, seeing a people who
have had enough confidence in themselves to
raise themselves) will have a like confidence
to invest their capital, and thus further the
prosperity of the country.
My obiect.'in writing this, is to stir up men
- 80 lo{Go~ ol1o 70 ID ca &bop ,oucoIf m