COLONIAL SUGAR COMPANY.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 106, 1 November 1900, Page 5

COLONIAL SUGAR COMPANY.

NEW ZEALAND £ND FIJI. [PEBSg ASSOCIATION.] SYDNEY, 31st October. At the annual meeting of the Colonial Sug#r Bfcfinihg Company, which was held to-day, the report amd balance-sheet were adopted. Tne profits of khe ha-U year, alter providing interest and all other charges, iwre £89,381. A dividend of 10 per cent, was declared. The Chairman said that irfcpnsequ&nce, of tlio drought in Queensland, and irost's in New South Wales, it was impossible for the quantity of sugar produced this season to exceed that of 1899. Unfortunately, the- had had to buy largely i from Java to meet this year's consump-, tion, but until weather conditions improved, the production of the colonies must continue to fall short of the demand. Good progress had been made^on the new estate in Fiji, and it was expected to have a large area under orop early in' .1902. Touching New Zealand's proposals to absorb Fiji, he said the serious difficulties of framing such a scheme appeared to have been ignored. It did not seem possible for the Colonial Office to favfw' the movement unless the promoters could clearly show that advant* age would accrue to all persons, black or white, having interests in the group, and also that the existing trade relations of the Australian, colonies would not bo disturbed.