Evening star., 1898-09-21
British West Indian Sugar Planters
Appeal to England.
PRESENT CONDITION HOPELESS
They Demand Right to Compete
in Home Market.
AGAINST BOUNTY PRODUCTS
Of the Associated Press.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, September s.
conference of delegates from the sew
elal sugar producing colonies in the West
Indies held here today in the coun-
Gil chamber. Through some erroneous re-
ports :he meeting was announced in the
United States and elsewhere as being a
conference called to consider the question
of the annexation of the West Indian ISL
ards to the United States or Canada J.
Gardiner Austin presided. number of
long speeches were made, and the follow
ing resolution, introduced by R. G. Duncan
of British Guiana was adopted:
Resolved That this meeting of delegates
from British Guiana, Trinidad, Jamaica.
Barbados and Antigua, while fully recog
niz.ng the efforts of the right honorable
the secretary of state for the colonies to
afford relief to the West Indian colonies
suffering from the serious depression of the
sugar industry, regret that, SO far. the
attempts to arrange reciprocal relations be-
tWeen the United States and the West In
dies, as well as to obtain the abolition of
the bounty system, have met with no sue
cess.
Need Speedy Legislation.
This meeting would strongly urge upon
the British government that nothing short
industry restore prosperity to the West
Indies and British Guiana, and they re-
spectfuiiy demand, as British subjects. the
right to compete in the home markets at
the natural cost Of production, with sugar
imported from foreign countries, and ur-
gently call upon her majesty's government
as the only effective remedy to take such
steps as will either prevent the importa ton
of all sugar on which export bounties are
given or annul by the countervailing duty
all the advantages derived from such eN-
port bountes."
Mr. Duncan, in the coures of his remarks.
said: '"The patience and loyalty of the peo
pie of the West Indies and British Guiana
have been put to a severe test by the delay
thai has arisen on the part of the mother
country to grant justice to the sugar in
dustry.
"A year has elapsed since the report of
the royal West India commission placed
the British parliament and people in full
possession of the facts. And yet nothing
has been done to relieve the injustice we
have been suffering from and stem the
tide of ruin that we all know is rapidly
OVertaking our sugar industry.
Colonies Going to Ruin.
THE British parliament and people are
aware that these colonies are drifting to
ruin and they cannot plead that they have
rot had full warning and knowledge of the
facts. If these colonies are allowed by
England to perish it will be a black page
in her history that records the fact that
the foreign growers of beet sugar on the
continent " ere enabled by means of bOun-
ties to command the markets of the moth
er country. while the loyal West India col
onies We're suffered to go to ruin and starry
alton. We have pleaded again and again
for justice and for fair play, and We de-
mand them a right. We have asked for
simple justice and a right to compete in
the markets of the mother country at the
natural cost of production of sugar i'm
ported from foreign countries.
Mr.. Chamberlain recently stated in a
speech in the house of commons that the
best managed estates in the W est Indies
and British Guiana We're able to make
profit. and he admitted that this was due
to the favorable treatment offered us by
the United States.
Invidious Position Assumed.
''It is surely an invdious position for re-
to have to plead that a British colony is
being justly dealt with by a foreign nation
who gave them fair treatment, while the
mother country delays. If the chances of
our future prosperity depends on America.
what can be our feelings as loyal British
colonists given over by the mother coun-
try to depend on the Justice of a foreign
nation? And. unfortunately, we all know
that our present position with regard to
America rests on a very unstable founda-
ton, which might at any moment bs swept
away.
Can any of US doubt that America, with
the colonies that viii be unner her pro-
lection. will in a short time supply all the
sugar required for her consumption? And
there is no doubt that when that takes
place our sugar will be shut out by a solid
wall of protective tariffs"
HAWAIIANS ARE DIVIDED.