The age-herald., 1898-09-22
WEST INDIAN
 SUGAR CONFERENCE
Prosperity of the Island Depend
 ent Upon the Industry.
NEGLECT BY GREAT BRITAIN
Is Causing the Former Prosperous Colo nies to Drift to Ruin-England Has Full Knowledge of All
 These Facts.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
 Bridgetown, Barbadoes, September 3.-A conference of delegates from the several sugar producing colonies in the West h. dies was held here today in the council chamber Through some erroneous reports the meeting was announced in the United States and elsewhere as being a conference called to consider the question of the an- nexation of the West Indian islands to the United States or Canada. J. G. Austin presided A number of long speeches were made and the following resolution intro duced by R. G. Duncan, of British Guinea, was adopted:
 Resolved, That this meeting of delegates from British Guinea. Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbadoes and Antigua, whilst fully recog- nizlng the efforts of the right honorable, the secretaryof state for the colonies, to afford relief to the West Indian colonies suffering from the serious repression of the sugar industry, regret that so far the at tempts to arrange reciprocal relations be- tween the United States of the bounty sys- tenn, have with no success.
 This meeting would strongly urge upon the British government that nothing snort of the speedy rehabilitation of the sugar industry can restore prosperity to the West Indies and British Guinea, and they re- spectfully demand, as British subjects. the right to compete in home markets at the natural cost of production with sugar i'm ported from foreign countries and urgently call upon her majesty's government the only effective remedy to take such steps as will either prevent the importation of all sugar on which export bounties are given or annul by the countervailing duty ha a6U ia dpriUad bountes."
 MT. Duncan, in the course of his remarks said:
 ',rhe patience and loyalty of the people of the West Indies and British Guinea have been put to severe test by the delay that has arisen on the part of the mother coun- try to grant justice to the sugar indus try. :, -.a::~4
 "A year has elapsed since the report of the royal West Indies 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 to stem the tide of injustice that Is rapidly overtakng the sugar industry.
 The British parliament and people are aware that these colonies are drifting to ruin, and they cannot plead that they have not had full warning and knowledge of the facts If these colonies are allowed by
 
 in history that records the fact that the foreign growers of beet sugar on the con- tinent were enabled by means of bounties to command the markets of the mother country, while the loyal West Indian colo nies were suffered to go to ruin and starv- ation. We have pleaded again and again for justice and for fair play and we de- mand them as a right. We have asked for a simple justice and right to compete In the markets of the mother country at the natural cost of production of sugar im- ported from foreign countries.
 spsh n GhfR'ssa he sae 6 5fSssss s5os sta Sat n the best-managed estates in the West Indies and British Guinea were enabled to make profit, and he admitted that this was due A) the favorable treatment offered us by the United States.
 'It is surely an invidious position for re- sponsible British ministers to be placed in to have to plead that British colony is being justly dealt with by foreign gov ernment which gives them fair treatment while the mother country delays. While the future of our prosperity depends upon America. what can be our feelings as loyal British colonies given over by the mother country to depend upon the justice of a foreign nation. And, unfortunately, we know that our present position with re- gard to America rests on very unstable foundation which might at any moment be swept away.
 "Can any of us doubt that America with the colonies that will be under her pro- lection, will in 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?"