CONTROL OF SUGAR.

Northern Advocate, 27 January 1922, Page 2

CONTROL OF SUGAR.

A MISSION TO ENGLAND,

Colonel Oldershaw, the Commonwealth Sugar Controller, has been commissioned by the Prime Minister to pay u visit to England on Government business early in the new year (says the Melbourne - 'Age" of December 7).' He will leave Melbourne by the R.M.S. Malwa on February 11, and will be absent from Australia about six months.

' The Sugar Controller in addition to j c'caling with matters relating to sugar as between the two Governments, will be entrusted with duties regarding the disposal of the canned fruit output, and with other functions relating to trade. Colonel Oldershaw has been in Australia for seven years. Nothing likely is to be sejtled in regard to the extension or abolition of Government control of sugar until the meeting of the Sugar Council, which vill take place in Queensland at the end of February next. This gathering will be attended by one, and perhaps two, Federal Ministers, and representa lives of the growers, refiners ,ahd frir.t pioducers, as well as other associated interests. Although some of the growers, backcd by the Queensland Government, are anxious that the Federal Government should renew the contrac. under which the whole of the output of cane is purchased at a stated figure, there is such pronounced opposition to ; a further extension of this system that some other means of assisting the growers will probably be adopted. The idea favoured at present is that a cane pool should be formed,, but it is rightly -.ontended in quarters which are influenzal that there would be no justification for a Government minimum guarantee. The annual report of the Queensland Bureau of Sugar experimental stations, which was recently completed, admits that the sugar industry has, enjoyci great properity in the last 12 moatlis, and attributes this prosperity to the generous terms secured under the agreement with the Commonweatlh Government. The agreement, which lifted tin* price from £21 per ton to £30 '3s. SI. per ton, has had the effect,- the rsport states, of stabilising the industry. Tli'; official estimate of the current crop was placed at 2,298,384 tons of cane, from which it is expected that the yield of sugar will be 2/8,500 tons. To this a production of about 17,000 tons of sugar -n Now South Wales is added, making he 'total output 295,500 tons. The requirements for local consumption :ire j estimated at 285,000 tons per an mm, so that a surplus is expected. The report naively states: "For some reason that has not been explained the consumption of sugar this year is stilted to be lower than usual." The reason is not very obscure to the general consumer. At fid. per lb. he (has not been able to afford sugar for home ;ja:n making and other purposes to which huge quantities would have been applied had the price been reasonable. The report notes that in recent voai.s there has been an improvement in the quality of the cane grown in Queensland. There has been an average increase in the production of cane and sugar, and a decrease in the amount of c:-ne required to make a ton of sugar. It is shown that should the yield this year reach the estimate of 278,500 tons in Queensland, the industry will be worth to Australia about £8,500.000. The yield of sugar in 1920 amounted to 1(57,401 tons. Little use is apparently made of the molasses, an important byproduct. The latest return shows that of 0,175,8(57 gallons manufactured, less than 1,000,000 gallons were sold, most of the balance being wasted.