PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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C.O. 882
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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192:
No. 144.
ACTING GOVERNOR SIR G. BOWER to MR. LYTTELTON.
(Confidential.)
(Received March 28, 1904.)
[Ansiered by Nos. 162 and 163.]
SIR,
Government House, Mauritius, February 22, 1904. In a separate confidential despatch of to-day's date* I have reported infor- mation which leads me to believe in the possibility of a crisis in the sugar industry
of Mauritius.
2. Knowing the financial position of that industry, I have foreseen that a crisis must come sooner or later, and that it is necessary to be prepared with a policy for adoption at the time of crisis.
3. A crisis in the sugar industry does not mean that sugar cultivation will be abandoned in Mauritius. Mauritius is admirably adapted for sugar culti- vation, as the cyclones which bring heavy tropical rains produce a damp heat, pre- judicial to the health of Europeans, but most beneficial to the growth of the sugar
cane.
4. The other tropical products, such as coffee or cotton, ripen in the cyclone season and cannot be cultivated in Mauritius with advantage. It may, therefore, he affirmed that Mauritius will always grow sugar though the economic and social conditions attending its production may change.
5. A gradual change has been in progress for some years past. The estate owners have by a process known as "morcellement" been parcelling out their estates amongst small Indian proprietors, and the number of sugar mills has been reduced. It is now estimated that about one-third of the sugar crop is produced by these small Indian proprietors. But though the Indians can grow the cane much more cheaply than the estate owners, they cannot, since the surra epidemic, in all cases convey their canes to the mills, nor can they command capital enough to erect mills of their own.
6. If a crisis should take place the Government would find itself the unwilling owner of several sugar estates, and it would have no choice but to parcel out these estates amongst small Indian proprietors and to lease the mills.
7. But it is of course essential that the Indian proprietors should have the means of conveying their canes to the mills.
8. The existing tramways and branch lines have done much to provide facili- ties for this purpose, but something still remains to be done.
9. The economic conditions of sugar production will be completely changed if the system of peasant property be largely extended, as it would inevitably be should a crisis occur.
10. But the matter would not stop there. A social and political change would be brought about. As matters stand now the Indian population outnumbers the Creole by more than two to one. Nevertheless the elected members of the Council of Government are returned almost exclusively by the Creole minority. The Pro- tector of Immigrants represents a larger constituency than the whole of the elected members of Council. An extension of the system of Indian proprietorship and a diminution of the number of European or Creole landowners would make the existing anomaly more conspicuous and would certainly involve constitutional changes.
11. Administrative changes would also become necessary. For the present burden of a large and growing Civil Service could not be borne during a time of financial depression. Economies would be inevitable and would necessitate change of system.
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12. I think, therefore, that a crisis should not be provoked until His Majesty's Government has fully considered the measures to be adopted to meet the crisis, and I am of opinion that those measures could with advantage be studied by a small Royal Commission.
• No, 143.
193
13. The new Governor could hardly carry sufficient authority to inaugurate important and unpopular changes, and his position would be less invidious if he had to execute unpopular recommendations made by an independent Commission and for which he could not be held personally responsible.
I have, &c.,
GRAHAM BOWER,
Officer Administering the Government.
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No. 145.
MR. LYTTELTON to Acting GoverNOR SIR G. BOWER. (Sent 6 p.m., April 8, 1904.) TELEGRAM.
[See No. 159.]
Your confidential despatch of 22nd February.* Will await arrival of despatch† referred to in your telegram of 28th March. Do not commit yourself in any way as to possibility of postponement of payments.
12464
No. 146.
ACTING GOVERNOR SIR G. BOWER to MR. LYTTELTON.
(No. 74.)
SIR,
(Received April 9, 1904.)
[Answered by No. 161.]
Government House, Mauritius, March 5, 1904.
I HAVE the honour to enclose, for your information, a reports of a debate on the condition of the small planters of this Colony which took place in the Council of Government on the
No. 35 of 1903-04
26th January and 2nd February.
2. As a result of this debate I have appointed a Commission composed as follows:
The Honourable P. E. de Chazal, C.M.G., Chairman.
The Protector of Immigrants.
H. Leclézio, C.M.G.
Dr. W. T. A. Edwards, C.M.G.
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G. Gebert.
"
22
E. Sauzier, K.C.
J. A. Duclos.
11
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32
L. Souchon.
Dr. M. F. X. Nalletamby.
The Poor Law Commissioner.
Louis de Rochecouste, Esquire. Clement Dumat, Esquire.
3. It is evident that the condition of the small planters deserves sympathy,
and, although I do not expect that it will be possible to do much for them, neverthe- less the Commission will collect valuable information and may perhaps indicate some way in which their difficulties may be lessened.
I have, &c.,
GRAHAM BOWER, Administering the Government.
• No. 144.
† No. 155.
11170: not printed.
§ Not reprinted.
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No. 147.
ACTING GOVERNOR SIR G. BOWER to MR. LYTTELTON.
(Received April 9, 1904.) .
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