SUPPLIES OF SUGAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17255, 3 September 1919, Page 8

SUPPLIES OF SUGAR.

POSITION IN NEW ZEALAND.

SHIPMENTS FROM JAVA.

PROSPECTS FOR FUTURE.

The fortunate position of New Zealand ■with regard to sugar supplies was mentioned yesterday by Mr. Thomas Hughes, one- of the Sydney managers of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, who reached Auckland by the K. -M.S. Niagara, en route to England. Dealing witn suppliua, Mr. Hughes said there was not sufficient sugar produced in Fiji last year to till New Zealand requirements, and it had been necessary to arrange for two shipments of raw sugar from Java, which had naturally to be bought at Use world's values, which throughout the war were very greatly in excess of locaf prices. This year the Fiji crops, owing to the unfavourable growing weatner and the cessation of Indian immigration, would again fall considerably short of New Zealand requirements, necessitating further purchases elsewhere. " What this means," said Mr Hughes, " can be fairly well gauged when it is remembered that last week it was reported that 175,000 tons of sugar, the bulk of the Mauritius crop, had been bought by the British Sugar Commission at £51 a ton for shipment to Europe. The ultimate effect upon the local market may be imagined when one remembers that ti.> prices paid by the British Governr.;cnt for Mauritius raw sugar is about double that charged for refined sugar at Auckland."

Mr. Hughes recalled that on a previous visit to Auckland he pointed out that the local pri«e of refined sugar was then about half of that quoted as the London value. H© emphasised that throughout the intervening period New Zealand consumers obtained their sugar at far lower "rates than those in any other British community in the world. New Zealand newspapers', said Mr. Hughes, referred recently to the rationing of sugar in Australia and he explained that there had not been any shortage in Australia itself bat the lack of refined sugar in the Southern States of Australia wa» due to the seamen's strike, which had prevented the transport of raw sugar from Hjneensland, where ample supplies were a<-<.iili&ble. These circumstances were without parallel in the company's experience. The position was dne to conditions beyond the company's control, but it was fortunately able to arrange that, despite the general shortage, all consumers, both manufacturers and individual users, were able t-, obtain small quantities sufficient o obviate the disadvantage of an entire laci* of such a commodity. "So iar a* the public in New Zealand •.: concerned," said Mr. Hughes, "the i'dihary deliveries h4ve hitherto been ir.intained without break, and the first .shipment of the new season's Fiji sugar has already been delivered by the Palocna, which is now on her way to New Zealand with a second cargo and due this 'reek, while the Atua and the company's steamer Fkna are due with further consignments within the next two weeks. Local deliveries will thus be maintained necked."

Questioned as to the probable future prices, Mr. .Hughes referred to his. previous statement that Fiji was not now producing sufficient sugar for the New Zealand trade, and said that the balance must necessarily be bought elsewhere at the parity of the current world's prices. . ■In reply ' -nestions as to the conditions of i, labour in Fiji, to which reference 1. ._ gently been made in the Southern press, Mr. Hughes said the general prosperity of Indians in Fiji had increased enormously during the last decade. A large proportion of the cane supplies for the Fiji mills was now grown by Indians, and sold 'by them direct to ' the sugar companies, who thus provided an absolute cash market for their produce.