, 1893-11-25

also announced that he has been promoted toa
ooloneloy. Rumour says that ournew Governor
may be txpected here in December or Janu-
afy but we are not aware that anything
de6lite is known on this head.
dThe weather since the last mail left has
bees very dry. In some places the grass is
beginaimg to look brown and the canes are
also suffering. This is chiefly in the neigh.
bourhood OF Basin elsewhere the country
ia still gte>n and bright,
Great as is the importance If the cane in
duatry to this island, it is possible to over-rate
IT, BY this we do not mean to say that there
is any other industry In the island, or likely
t0b introduced, which could compare ia
v~ourably with it for we have always main
tanned that while, on the one hand, the level,
poor and dry lands Of the Bahamas are we'll
suited for fibre cultivation. and on the other
hand, the mountainous and well waterpd
islands, such Rs Jamaica and Granada. are well
suited for the cultivation Of fruits, cacao and
spices, the comparatively low and moderately
Satered islands, srch as Antigua and St.
Nroix, are best Wtrd for sugar cultivation.
What we mean then is s0methin. different
frog, this. la the first place, as we have
often tried to point out, we Santa Cruzians do
rot make a full use Of the secondary reSourc-
es which we already possess. More might be
done on the sugar estates themselves in rails
ing provisions, the whole Fart Eud aud some
moth 81 q properti s might be turned into
profitable cattle and sheep farms, aud more
fruit might be grown in the valleys among
our north western hills All these things
might be done without any speculative trials
and without any n W knowledge, and no one
can doubt that If they were done q consideA
able Improvement would be effected in the
condition Of the island. But reither is this
the point that we principally had in view
when VIZ remarked that i was possible to
ever rate the importance Of the cane industry.
What W. hal in mind was the frequently ex.
pressed view that the income ofthe island must
bo measured By its xports, and as these are
almost entirely made up of cane products.
that the INCOME, of the island must therefore
be measured solely by the value of its cane
industry. This is a mistake. Let us try to
illustrate this by the snpposition of an ex-
treme Cas-. Let us suppose that the average.
yearly value OF the exports is now 500, 600
and that in 20 years time the yearly average
fallst to $500, 600, would it follow that the
income of the island had been reduced by
$500, 900? That would Depend upon circum-
stances. Ii no other industry had been
Introduced and no already exsistipg industry
had been intended, it would he so; but sup
pose that additional food stuffs to the annual
value of 100000 were being raised in the
place; that, for example, the fisheries had
been improved. the raising of cattle 80 much
extended til 1t the island produced its
own meats and it's own butter, the growth
Of provisions increased 10 such an extent that
the former large imports of Dread stufs were
not oil ,needed, what then ?. Would not the
island be then in just as good position as if
the former high rate of expectation had been
maintained Undoubtedly it would. The
income of the place would be as great as be-
fore. the deficiency being made up from other
sources. If We nov suppose that the sugar
exports maintain their average value twenty
years henee, and that other industries have
in the meanwhile improved, then 1t is plain !,
that the island would in reality be better OF
shan now, even though the value of the ex-
ports should remain the same.
Such considerations, even If rather obvious.
are not without their value, for they teach us
that while we may willingly. admit that the
sugar industry is by far the most important
for US, yet that every industry which adds
= the products of the islaAd, whether such
additional products are exported or NOT, is of
value and deserves encouragement. Some
one has said that the man who makes two