COLONIAL SUGAR GO.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 11965, 30 April 1914, Page 5

COLONIAL SUGAR GO.

HALF-YEARLY REPORT.

Press Association—Electric Telegraph—Copyright.

SYDNEY, Wednesday. At the half-yearly meeting of tho Colonial Sugar Refining Company, the reports showed the net profits for Australia at £133,761, Fiji and New Zealand £130,000 to which a balance of £52,019 is added, leaving the total available £315,780. A dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum absorbs £162,500 and a bonus of 5s a share £40,625, leaving £112,655 to he carried forward.

It is stated that tho estimates of last season's crops were more than realised, and the sugar output of both Australia and "Fiji far exceeded that of any previous year. Next season's prospects are, on the whole, satisfactory, good rains having fallen in the sugar districts in Australia, but the weather in Fiji was rather dry. Deliveries of refined sugar were well maintained. No change of prices has taken place, during the half year. The largo proportion of Cuba is now tending to depress values on the world's

markets

The chairman referred to the gratifying result of the Privy Council judgment both to the shareholders and tho

board

".Regarding the bill introduced in the Queensland Parliament for the establishment of boards to determine the yearly prices w"l)ich millowners should pay to farmers for cane, the chairman said that there was still a good many people who believed that the prices of commodities could, with advantage to the community be fixed by legislation.

The chairman added that the Indian Commission appointed to inquire into the coolie labour in Crown colonies, had visited Fiji, and a report was expecter u-t an early date. The meeting resolved to vote £2000 to Mr Edward W. Ivnox, the general manager, in recognition of his iif'.y

years' service