THE SUGAR INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18088, 12 May 1922, Page 6

THE SUGAR INDUSTRY.

r to POSITION AND PROSPECTS. LABOUR PROBLEM IN FIJI. NEW ZEALAND SUPPLIES. Operations of the C'oluniai Sugar R«'tin- ■ ing Co., Ltd., during the half- year which -j ended on March 31 last were reviewed, in ! the address of the deputy-chairman, Mr. H. E. Kater, M.L.C., at the meeting of 11 shareholders in Sydney last week. c I Mr. Kater explained the absence of Mr. i; E. W. Knox by the statement that that ! | gentleman was on Ilia way to London on i [ the invitation of the Secretary of State , j for the Colonies, " in the hope that discussion there of the labour difficulties (in j|iiji) may lead to the solution of these s j and the ultimate recovery of the colony 1 ; from the failure that is imminent if the t tßi traduction ;of Indian labour should cease. " The word " ultimate" was used ! iu this connection, the chairman added, ' tor it was a very serious and costly matter I | to bring back a sugarcane plantation to i | tiie necessary state of high cultivation; i j when it had suffered from a stoppage oi' i | the continuous operations essential to sucj cesa. And that was already the case with j a large proportion of even the company's ' | own ileitis. • j Referring to crops and crop prospfcts, t j the chairman said die yields in New South Wales and Queensland list season hod | been below estimates, but. in excess of tho | Commonwealth's requirements. A surplus I I would be carried to next season. March . j weather had been dry, and the cane had j received a serious check If rain should I foil soon, the set-back might be remedied | to some extent, but the early expectations |of a very large crop could now be dis- ; missed, and, although it was risky to proj phesy, given normal weather until the | middle of the year, the next crop would j not bo much in excess of the last erne. | The output from the company's Fiji mills j last season was somewhat larger than aa- j i ticipated, as they wore able to work two factories up to the end of January. Next season's production was quite problematical, because it depended on labor eon- | ditions, about which it was impossible, at present, to form any conclusions ; at any rata, the output was bound to be considerably smaller than last season. Fluctuations in the world's markets since thev last met had not been very marked, | although prices gradually weakened toward ! the end of the year; since then a reaction j bad set in, and a much firmer tone prel vailed everywhere. The world's produc- | tion was not in exeess of the consumption ! under a normal state of affairs, but, " until j the purchasing power of the nations in- | creases, it may be difficult to find ready | markets for the sugar now being projduced." i The company's agreement with the I Federal Government for the refining_ot the I Austrian sugar crop would expire in ! June. but. as the Government woald again ! control the next crop, they expected i shortk* to make fresh arrangements fc | handling it. _ , t j The agreement with the New Zealand I Ckyvernmcnt also would expire in Jun<% , but, owing to the uncertain position it Fiji, the company had not been able, so far. to submit any fmjh proposals. They bnd, however, suggested for the consideration of the {Government, a temporary way out of the difficxiltv by which the Dominion would be provided with sugar up to the •' middle of October next.