, 1894-02-14

british markets with British colonial sugar
through the bounty paid to the growers OF
beet by the German Government. To quote
from The visitors speech in Trinidad, why
should We buy year after year t9 800, 900
worth OF German sugar aud EjOO,0tO worth
of American sugar, when all and much more
could come of better quality from tue natural
plantations Of the West Indies and Queens.
land bringing wealth and prosperity to or
kith and kin. who in return would admit, on
preferential terms the products of our mills
and our looms, 10 The uutual advantage Of
the British race ami the perm lnqni consolid4..
tion of the Empire" Without endorsing
the Leagues creeI to the full extent Of its
exclusiveneSs, one cannot help seeing that
the policy it advoc ties would. destroy the
system Of unfair rivalry which II present
exists i'll the British markets between foreign
and Bsit'sh colonial products, with one form
of wh;ch-the louul sustained sugar OF
Germany-1Ae British Nesr Indies has had
bitter experience for yeals ra~t. And it is
such an obviously honest policy that as a
colony we ought to 90 oul vey best towards
getting fos i Paths entry recognition.
In the G lurse Of his speed. I. tn Trinidad
Chamber, Colonel Vincent SAID there was
no more melancholy episode in the chequerei
history Of the West Indies thau the haste
with which all the colonies, except g enada,
proceeded to mntilate' Then tariff, to impose
fresh taxation. to give preferences aad ad-
vahta4es to America over Great BritIn, the
instant the Mckinley Tariff olme into force,
in the VAIN and illnsory hope thar the sugar
producers III the United States were really
going to admit West Indian sugar to d fair
and genuine competition. The result has
been the disl0cation of colonial revenues
without any adequate return. We find in this
opinion, the giSt # what We expresstddnring
the months the Chief points OF the offer Of
the Americans were under consideration we
strongly opposed the upsetIing OF our tariff
in answer to the demands Of q foreign Gov
eminent, for the American proposal was
coushed in the language Of q threst. If this
colony had declined to concedr the points
demanded, it is extremely probable that our
sugar would have been admitted all the same
and if it had not been admitted, there would
ha been a return to the manufacture Of
high class sugar for the British market and.
in all p obabiiity, by this time nm established.
demand for 1t, witt ii fair margin of profit to
the consumer.
In his interviews with certain Venezuelan
authorities, Colonel Vincent had it made,
very clear to him that the imposition Of 80
per cent. extra duty upon goods from any u
the West Indian colonies was closely con.
nected with the British Guiana boundary
question, ana that II venezuelan CLAIMS III
the LATTER direction were admitted the ohieo.
tionahle prohibitive impost would be re-
moved. But, it was impossible to conceive
that the Imperial Government would admit
Venezuela's claims, for these were 30 e~xtrava-
gar&ly wide that, if they were granted, the
area of British Gniana, even of its sugar
lands that have been cultivated for a hun
.dred years past, woald DO curtailed. To
quote from Colonel V~inoent's speech, as it is
reported to us by a private correspondent =
Let me.say in passing that ifthere is any
gentleman here who is ecially interested In
the subject Of the boundaries between British
Guiana and Voneziela, / shall be happy, if
he cOuli come on board the ESk before the
ship sails, to show him the m lp showing the
precise stages which that discussion has tax
en- and the enormous difficulties Of it. The
Venezuelan Government il constantly urging
that British G@iarG terminates With the riUer
Esssqu DO, a fact ohich cannot be admitted by
our Government. On the contrary, we claim
That British Guiana Sho0ld 20 SO far to The
north and west towards the&erritory claimed
by Venezuela rs to give to our British com
merce' Freedom of navigation through tho
mouths and up the course of the river O1-
nooo.
Perhaps the reelection Of General Creapc