New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-16
SUGAR IN BRITISH GUIANA
DECLINE OF THE CANE-GROWlNG IN
DUsTRY-EUROPEAN COUNTIES
TIE CAI-SE.


Domerara SEM 2S-The condition Of the sugar
Industry Of British Guiana at the present moment
is far from euvia6le. Nor Is The outlook hopeful
Should tho difficulties which surround it continue
It's annihaton will be only a matter OF time Al
ready their existe a has retarded It's progress
for whereas In 1891 he exports of sugar amounted
"a nearly 1870 600 tons they did not quite reach
100 600 tons las, year Taking the value OF ton or
sugar to he 40 this means the disappearance OF
200 900 from the capital Of the country-a serious
matter for a colony 70 per cent Of whose exports
consist Of sugar and It's resultant produces rum ana
molasses The industry pays about t6p"0 annuany
in wages. Sugar is the staple Industry, and no
other III ustry take its place for considerable
number Of years to come. The under cane
cultivation has decreased. During the last four
or Ave years it has been reduced by nearly lo~o
acres Last year only sixty nine odd thousand
acres were under cultivation. Only the best land
Is being treated now.
The two main causes for the serious condition
q, affairs in the COLONY Ghe sugar industry il
the colony are the operation or European bounVe'
and the lack of cheap labor. 1t IS. Of course i'm
rossibIe within the compass Of a short article. 10
deal adequately with either Of these two handcaps
with which the British Guiana planters are
weighted The effect OF the bounties IS as simple
as IL Is severe. Beet sugar Is being sold In eng
land below the natural cost Of production by the
aid of export bOunties given by the different gov
e-n,,euts there can b. no doubt whatever
that the salvation of the sugar-producins colonies
in these parts depends. in the very first instance
unon the abolition of the bounties. Most or the
giving countries are feeling III" burden 81
these hountcs ard are realizing the folly of taxing
themselves for the purpose Of providing cheap
sugar for the English consumer. Unfortunately
the conference held in BRUSSELS some months ago
for the purpose of aho!ishirs these hounties came
~ naught That It would end Ia a hasco was
foreseen. for the British delegates received guard
ed instructions from the Foreign once ThcI
were told merely to look France refused to fall
IN line with the other Powers who Were for aboi-
,sh,rg bourties. and she found an ally and SUP
ror,er in Russia Consequently the conference adj
iourned Indefinitely and II is extremely doupttui
II IL will assemble. In the absence, then OF
an agreement between the Powers touching inns
matter the only course open 10 bring ABOUT the
destruction Of the bouHties ana the rehabilitation
Of the lettering sugar industry of the West Indies
and i'm British Guiana Is the adoption by England
Of n untervaing duty. The English press. that
AT first looked dskanCe at such procedure low
maintains that the imposition L. countervaillns
duty il advisable.
The sugar industry of British Guiana Is almost
entirely supported by English capital. The sugar
estates owned by local men-and there are but few
of these-are financed by English firms. For the
last ten or twelve years abandonment OF sugar
estates has been steadily going on. Men with
limited means who had invested In the Industry
were too hard hit by the low prices which ruled
lr consequence chiefly OF these bountes. Few Of
them escaped ruin Those Of the absentee pro-
prietors who could afford 1t kept but they are
not introducing any fresh capital. deeming such an
undertaking extremely hazardous. Quiniin Ilogg.
the whlom head Of the London frm OK hckg.
properties IN the colony has transferred his cap,
ital to Louisiana; his energies being now centred
ignorant people that the West Indian planter has
kent he times. made
no progress in respect to the methods of manu-
Is an absolute faIsehood No producing coun-
try has the average better machinery FOR the
many years $4,000 Worth OF machinery per annum
has been brought into the colony New and i'm
lion considerably OF late years in twelve years the
cost Of manufacture being reduced from % los
ducton from FIG to about t. per ton. Among the
improvements may be mentioned multiple evap,
orators double and triple crushing. boilers and
furnaces arranged for burning green megass. filter
presses. etc. In this direction the planters have
and It is doubtful whether further reduction In
the cost OF manufacture Is possible In the Guilt
yution OF the cane as much progress cannot be
reported In spite OF Improved extraction OF juice
and improved manufacture, and making the sugar
cheaper the tons Of sugar per acre have not in
creased much. on the average L IS little over
per acre have been obtained: IL is the Bourbon
variety that Is being cultivated and superior cane
numbers OF white transparent and also variety
of the best selected seedlings from the Botanic
Gardens.
Harrison, the Government analyst. and Mr. Jen-
man the Government botanst, have been carrying
out systematic researches with varieties OF sugar
cane as to their suitability for cultivation as
sugar producers and upon the rnonurial require
ments OF the sugar cane. On the average, Bour-
bon canes grow In the colony contain about 10
per cent OF sucrose. In TO the end Of 1896 about
thirty-eisht hundred varieties of Seeding canes
were raised and planted oy these two men, and
every cane showing any indication OF promise has
been repeatedly analysed. Several varieties yield OF
Inc average on the experimental scale. higher field
returns than the Bourb bon does, and few are OF
far higher sugar contents. The investisai ons are
stnl being conducted, and IL seems that I'm years
TO come they Will Ice successful. A. TIE results OF
the experiments with canes raised from seed. FRO
lessor Harrison and Mr.. JenInan conclude ihat
the following points Indicated: % The sac
charlne richness OF the parent cane Is not neces-
sarlIy the sedeng 2) the sise OF the
49, nd that Of sodelng.