, 1894-12-15

t"C L"'t@ ~ '"C 4lttos
Dear Sir,
The time has now come, when we
can no longer close our eyes, nor stop our
ears to- that which deeply concerns the future
of this once prosperous, but now thoroughly
depressed island.
Sugar, the staple industry of st. .Croix, asst
also is of nearly all it's. sister islands and Of
many other countries of the world, has seen
it's day, aud it's day is fast waning. Whatevet
may be the specuIatlons or opinions with re-
gard to sfg L cultivation as q profitable in
.ustry in other and larger countries under
uOre favourable circumstances, it is now an
lndoubted fact that it cannot longer be held
n to as IA sole means of maintaining IN pros
perity so small and 90 exhausted in money re-
sources a country as st. Croix, aud not only
exhausted pecuuiarily, but the soil of which,
drained to it's dregs, so to speak, and unused
to natural or artificial appliances to renovate
and rs-invigorate it, is therefore perfectly un-
bit to yield proftably to-day, q product like
sugar.
The alarm then that has been sounded is
net without just cause-Joa, it is not 4 mo-
ment TOO soon, in fact the trouble has been
for along time approaching slowly butsure-
", and the wonder is, that The leading men
Of the island we're not sooner astir, but this is
tIkc uhLukh1 AdllluS VI US, IA tIlAo p$AJ W VIC
world: however, thank God, some have at
last risen to the occasion, and their action as
taken q short time ago in the meeting Of the
agricultural Association" in WestEud, may,
1t Is to be hoped, prove to be the move in
the right direction, and also dead other IN
terested ones to be up and doing; for there
can DO no doubt but that the country, agri-
culturally, and as a nat lral consequence com
mercially too, is not only on the verge of
bankruptcy. hut really has lost balance and
. begun already to topplo over the precipioe.
Now, a word I two with reference to the
resolutions. ADDICTED at the meeting of the
"A. A" alluded to above.
find that as "a product to be substituted
for sugar as a staple industry, tobacco has
been suggested, discussed, and is so far likely
to be the selected article.
Tobacco is doubtless q product which at
the present time, is handsomely paying 10 The
few places where tis the chief growth, pro-
uct, anil manufacture. The supply If tobac-
for the worlds demand may be just evenly
danced, hence q price is being Il will say
"mmanded for this lHGury, which puts it on
g list Of profitable industries, but let US be
.reful, iu seeking to establish in the island
a industry capable of taking the place Of the
ne that we are compelled to relinquish; to
}leCt some arucle or aTLlcleS winch cOuIu
old their own always-a necessary for the
,any-and not simply because Of the golden
ronlise Of a day be led to fad only upon SOM
,artly despised and altogether limited luxury
the few; also let US bear in mind that to-
oacco, at "A prieo to-day, with its supply just
.%qualling its demand, 4oes not leave us as
,ured that in the near future, if the supply
rom greater productions ont runs the de-
nmd will not become ike other articles
low in over-Supply-and bring us Just ex-
city where we are to-day with sugar.
Cultivatin5 sugar in the years gone by was
ldeed, to use a common term, "a Golden
Investment" but as statistics prove to us
he order of the thing i quite reversed, sup
~ now takes the place that demand then .
eld-what guarantee have We that swith -
United luxury such as tobacco is merely,
%)untries in the same. awkward predicament
wc.are, may not follow the same path in