, 1912-01-13

cover an area OF 1O9,SoO square miles, or Il
little less than the British Isles. The popn-
lation is estimated at 2,3OO,OOO. The value OF
the total trade is about E22, 100000. OF
their imports they take abouG 40 per cent
from the United Kin4lom; SD that, in spite
Of their Hearne3s to the United States, til 50
colonies continue to take II large siare OF
their manufactured and other goods from
the Home Country. An ~ircfease III the totnl
trade from El5,647, SIG in 1903 to e21,429,
30l in 1899 is also encouraging.
Not long aga Sir Charles Lucas, who is SO.
intimately acquainted with colonial matters,
happily remarked that, while the eighteenth
century saw the greatness OF the West In
dies, the nineteenth their distress, the TWEEN
tieth century, be hoped, would witness their
regeneration. The latter III part is becom-
ing true, for Lord Crewe, the late Secretary
of State, was in a position to announce, in
February last, that no West Indian Colony
was now in receipt of grants-in-aid.
In addition, the Colonies have compare
lively substantial sums in reserve, and can
meet any ordinary emergency without APP
pealing for assistance. The Gil cumstances
that have combined to bring about the new
prosperity in the West Indies may be briefly
stated us follows: ~ The revival of conf
dence Ill the sugar industry az the result OF
the abolition OF bounties and improved trade
relations with Canada; (2} the increase in the
production Of cacao III Trinidad, Grenada,
and Jamaica; (3) the development of the
American fruit trade in Jamaica; az the in
PRODUCTION of Sea Island cotton iuto st. Nln-
cent, Barba los, and the Leeward Islands;
~ the extension of the cultivation Of lines
in Dominica and rice in British Guiana.
As the Oldest Of our tropical pc isesSions
they have q singularly interesting history,
and rs they still possess extensive areas OF
cultivable land awaiting development, they
are q capable as they ever were to respond
to the Intelligent application of capital ard
energy, and regain in great measure their
former prosperity. There are also The pos
slbilities that may result from the opening
OF the Panama Canal. This may I'll imately
produce great changes in the commercial
relations of the West Indies with other parts
of tie world. The islands will then lie as
tride of a worlds trade-route and form a
halfway house between Europe and Eastern
Asia, also between Europe and Australasia,
and should offer favourable opportunities for
establishing coaling stations and docks, and
more British and o.her capital should flow
out to them,
[ now come to the subject of my Paper
the work of the Imperial Department of
Agriculture in the West Indies. This Da-
partment was created on the recommended
ton of a Royal Commission consisting of Sir
Henry Norman (Chairmanl Sir Edward
Grey, and Sir David Barbour. In 1897,
when the Commission visited the West Iu-
dies, many of the colonies were in n depress-
ed condition, and Il source of anxiety to the
Imperial Government and to those directly
Interested in them. The Commission was
charged, in the first place, to inquire into
the condition and prospects Of the sugar
growing colonies and suggest such measures
as would appear b7st calculated to restore
and maintain the prosperity Of those colonies
and their inhabitnnts.' A further subject
Of inquiry was: 'Wucther, in the event Of
the production of sugar being discontinued
or considerably diminished, what other in
dustries could replace if, and be carried on
proitabIy, aud supply employment for tue
labouring populations
In their report, which appeared in the
autumn of 1897, the Commissioner stated
that in most of the West Iudies the products
OF the sugar cane constituted by far the
larger proportion Of the total exports OF ma
tive produce, aud that in the event of a fail
ure of the sugar industry the welfare of each
colony would then depend on the extent to
ul,;ol, II po;rLt NO nOsrihla tn aSt.blicb Otbou