Copy.
Enclosure No. 8.
CHINA SUGAR REFINERY.
36
The Refinery was closed down at China New Year as usual
and remained so until March 1st when we had sufficient work
in hand to warrant our starting it again. It is now working but unless conditions improve in China we shall have to stop
again in a short time.
Japanese have been, as customary, dumping sugar into China at prices at which we did not care to sell, and, owing
to the small demand on account of the civil strife and total
lack of security, there has been nothing to bring prices up
to a reasonable level. Under such conditions when we have as
much sugar refined as we care to keep in stock there is no
alternative but to shut down.
The Refinery employs about 550 people on a monthly basis and of these about 450 would be dispensed with on closing down. There are further some 100/150 coolies employed on
casual labour for whom there would be no work.
1st March, 1927.