218
1913. £1,266,000 £1,276,000
£150,000
£3,867,000
£3,850,000
1,992,000
5,118,000
Imports (excluding bullion and specie)
£1,726,000
Exports (ditto)
£1,862,000
£2,837,000 £2,249,000
PRINCIPAL EXPORTS.
44
It is pointed out that the great drawback is lack of population. The strong men are attracted by the high wages obtainable from cutting mahogany. Another drawback is the lack of combrication.
On page 124 of the Colonial Office List for 1919 the following words appear:-" There is a wide field for the colonist with a little capital and a stock of perseverance and common sense."
Here is evidently a Colony capable of immense development provided capital is available and if population can be found. It might well be a suitable field for assisted immigration from India.
JAMAICA.
Population (1911), 831,000. Area, 4,207 square miles.
Public Revenue
Public Expenditure
Loan Expenditure, 1901-13
Public Debt
Shipping entered and cleared, net tonnage
1901. £917,000
£880,000
45
The following figures of total exports are taken from the report for 1917-18 : —
1877
1887
1897
1907 1917
EXPORTS.
£1,459,000
£1,500,000
£1,470,000
£1,992,000
£2,479,000
The 1917 figures were up because of higher prices, the actual volume being less.
The increase between 1897 and 1907 was more than accounted for by bananas, many other items showing a decline,
Altogether, therefore, it would appear that Jamaica has rather stagnated for two main reasons, lack of capital investment in new enterprises and the damaging effect of the periodic
hurricanes.
The prospects for the future seem hopeful. Sugar, coconuts, logwood extract and bananas all have splendid prospects,
In 1917 the export of logwood and its extract reached a total of £540,000, as compared with £25,000 in 1901.
There is a continual fight in Jamaica between science and agricultural parasites and diseases, and medical science also has a constant struggle with a variety of tropical diseases.
It would appear that if shipping is ample, and if there are adequate funds for scientific research and some further development of internal transport, there a7s immense possibilities in Jamaica, provided the island escapes the devastating effects of hurricanes,
Cocoa
£84,000
Coffee, Raw
Bananas
Coconuts
Oranges
Ginger
£152,000
£115,000 £159,000
£852,000
£988,000*
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO.
£62,000
£135,000
£108,000
£59,000
Population (1911), 333,000. Area, 1,974 square miles.
£37,000
£37,000
1901.
1913.
Hides
£5,000
£23,000
Public Revenue
£712,000
£971,000
Honey
Logwood Extract
Pimento
£9,000
£15,000
Public Expenditure
£731,000
£952,000
£25,000
£170,000
Loan Expenditure, 1901-13
£346,000
£79,000
£88,000
Public Debt
£1,044,000
£1,476,000
Rum
£124,000
£101,000+
Shipping entered and cleared, net tonnage
1,326,000
3,737,000
Sugar
£137,000
£52,000
Imports (excluding Bullion and Specie, Transhipment
Cigars and Cigarettes
Wood and Timber
£13,000 £124,000
£38,000 £115,000
and inter-island trade)
£1,976,000
£2,360,000
Exports (ditto)
£1,789,000
£2,826,000
COMMUNICATIONS.
PRINCIPAL EXPORTS.
Railway Mileage
Telegraph Mileage
Telephone Mileage
185
923
154
198
1,175 644
Asphalt
£160,000
Balata Gum
£145,000
Acres.
Tilled Lands
286,000
Guinea Grass
145,000
Commons
591,000
The tilled land is used mainly as follows --
Sugar Canes
38,000
Coffee
20,000
Coconuts
26,000
Bananas
68,000
Ground Provisions
77,000
15,000
There are in Jamaica about 2,600,000 acres suitable for cultivation, but only 1,022,000 acre were under cultivation in 1917, made up as follows:-
Cocoa
Coconuts
114
Hides and Skins Petroleum
Raw Rubber
Bitters and Rum
Sugar
Tobacco
Tonus Венлв
£847,000
£21,000
£123,000
£1,424
£232,000 £621,000 £1,403,000 £91,000 £159,000 £82,000
£728
£107,000
£47,000
£43,000
£453,000 £9,000 £14,210
£421,000*
£28,000 £305,000+
Railway Mileage
Telegraph Mileage
Telephone Mileage
COMMUNICATIONS.
81 167 980
98 167
1,000
COCOB ...
As the export figures show, fruit is the greatest item of export in normal times, but during the war lack of shipping reduced this enormously. On the other hand, the war stimulated the export of sugar, which reached 640,000 cwts, in 1917, as compared with 406,000 cwts. in 1903, the highest previous record during the present century. The world shortage of dyes during the war also stimulated the export of logwood extract, which reached a value of £397,000 in 1917. The island has good roads and good sea communications, but the railway system has hardly been extended at all during the present century, and is not a financial success.
Except for bananas and logwood extract, the trade of the island was not showing any notable expansion prior to the war.
The stimulus in the case of bananas was the direct result of the late Mr. Chamberlain's policy in arranging with the Elder Dempster Line for a special service of ships adapted for the conveyance of bananas,
• £1,241,000 in 1912 and £1,491,000 in 1914.
+£185,000 in 1912 and £196,000 în 1914.
Trinidad has an area of 1,860 square miles, and Tobago, which is 26 miles N.E. of Trinidad,
has an area of 114 square miles.
Trinidad is evidently an island of great potentialities and one to which private capital
has been and will be largely attracted.
The variety and importance of its exports and the marked growth in the case of asphalt, balata gum, cacao, coconuts, petroleum and rubber indicate the possibilities.
Ita lake of asphalt (114 acres) is world famous.
The production of petroleum, which a few years ago was negligible, reached 56,000,000 gallons in 1917.
There were 11 oil companies at work that year. Large areas are let on exploration teaser There are several oil refineries at work.
The export of sugar was 1,253,000 cwts. in 1917, as compared with 659,000 cwts. in 1913. The railways are all in Trinidad. The total length of the system was 123 miles in 1917.
+
£640,000 in 1912, £597,000 in 1914.
† £1,316 in 1912, £2,744 in 1914,
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