CO882-(6-8) — Page 292

(No. A./252.)

196

Enclosure in No. 148. SURVEYOR-GENERAL to COLONIAL SECRETARY.

March 9, 1904. I went yesterday, accompanied by the General Manager of Railways, to Tamarind Estate (Black River)-where I met Mr. Broad, agent for the Liquidator of the Mauritius Estates and Assets Company, Limited to arrange for the con- struction of the Black River Railway Line on Tamarind Estate. Mr. Broad en- quired whether the Railway Department would be in a position to take the estate's sugars and canes during the coming crop. The General Manager replied that he could not hold out any promise, because he has not got a sufficient number of waggons. This is a serious state of things. The Government have made arrange- ments with the estate owners of Black River for the construction of the line and have asked them to bind themselves to send their sugars by rail. That they have readily accepted. There is, therefore, a contract between those owners and Govern- ment. Steps should, I submit, be taken, at once, to arrange about the transport of sugar, canes, aloes, and provisions, &c., on the Black River Railway Line from August next, or else the Government will be liable to damages, at least so far as the transport of sugar is concerned.

G. DE CORIOLIS,

Surveyor-General.

197

The position of this company in Mauritius, and the nature of the business which it transacts in the Colony, necessarily give my directors a full knowledge of the importance of this question to the bulk of the planters, who have availed themselves of the assistance generously granted to them by the Government at the time of their greatest need. They feel, therefore, that it is only their duty, being cognisant of the facts, to support as strongly as they can the application now before the Secretary of

State.

There is no doubt that, mainly owing to the very low price of sugar, the estates in Mauritius are only very slowly recovering from the terrible effects of the cattle plague (surrah), which caused such heavy losses to the planters in the Colony.

The difficulty in finding the necessary funds for the cultivation of the estates is still very great, and the demand for money is abnormally stringent.

If the payment of this instalment of the loan is insisted on at its due date, it cannot but have the effect of aggravating the financial crisis through which Mauritius is still passing, and may, in many cases, have very serious consequences.

This company has every reason to believe that the indulgence asked for will involve no risk to the Government of Mauritius, and that its security is ample.

So far as the company itself is concerned it has readily granted the priority over its own loans which the Colonial Government required from the planters, and has assisted them by advances to the full extent of its capital, perhaps even in excess of what might have been absolutely prudent on its part, but it can now do no more in this direction.

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PUBLIC RECORD

OFFICE

Reference :---

C.O. 882

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ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON;

12930

No. 149.

ACTING-GOVERNOR SIR G. BOWER to MR. LYTTELTON,

(Received 6.50 p.m., April 11, 1904.) TELEGRAM.

[Answered by No. 162.]

I have received to-day a deputation representing the following borrowers under Ordinance No. 43, of 1902: Crédit Foncier, Agricultural Company Ducray Regnard, Mauritius Sugar Estates, Arnaud and Company, Maurice Montocchio, Ismael Peer- mamode, Demmerez estates, the Mount Plessis Mon Rocher Martin of Industrie.

They state they cannot pay any portion of instalment of loan falling due 30th June, the banks will not advance money for entrecoupe unless the Government claim is postponed, and they state they cannot pay their Indian labourers to the end of the current month. They ask postponement of payment to 1906, but in reply to a question they state they cannot guarantee the payment for 1905, as the proceeds of the crop for last year has not met the exceptional expenditure. I have pointed out to the deputation the serious character of the request that they make as they destroy their credit by pleading their inability to pay the loan. They tell me they realise this but have no choice. I have also told them I have no authority to hold out any hope that their request will be granted.

13347

No. 150.

THE CREDIT FONCIER OF MAURITIUS, LIMITED, to COLONIAL OFFICE.

SIR,

(Received April 16, 1904.)

[Answered by No. 152.]

The Crédit Foncier of Mauritius, Limited,

39, Lombard Street, London, E.C., April 14, 1904.

THE Directors of the Credit Foncier of Mauritius, Limited, have been informed by a cablegram received on the 12th instant that certain planters and others interested in the welfare of the island of Mauritius have made application to the Officer Administering the Government of Mauritius to grant a postponement of the payment of the first instalment of the loan to the planters, which becomes due on the 30th June

next.

My directors also understand that the Officer Administering the Government has, by telegraph,* referred the question to the Secretary of State for his decision.

13599

SIR,

No. 151.

I am, &c.,

ALF. G. DICK,

Manager.

ACTING GOVERNOR SIR G. BOWER to MR. LYTTELTON.

(No. 104.)

(Received April 18, 1904.)

[Answered by No. 170.]

Government House, Mauritius, March 19, 1904.

IN continuation of my despatch, No. 49 of the 10th February last, I have the honour to transmit a copy of a Minute addressed by the Acting Colonial Secre- tary to the Surveyor-General requesting him to forward plans, sections and speci- fications of the proposed branch lines of railway for submission to the consulting engineers, and of Mr. de Coriolis's reply.

2. The Surveyor-General estimates the cost of furnishing the necessary plans

at Rs.12,000. Under these circumstances I do not think it right to incur this expenditure, unless there is a probability that the lines will be sanctioned.

3. As the railways cannot now be completed in time for this year's crop, propose to leave the whole question for the consideration of the new Governor.

I have, &c.,

GRAHAM BOWER, Administering the Government.

Enclosure 1 in No. 151.

ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY to SURVEYOR-GENERAL.

March 14, 1904.

I

His Honour the Officer Administering the Government will be glad if you will kindly forward, at your ealiest convenience, plans, sections and specifications of the proposed branch lines of railway for submission to the consulting engineers in England.

F. A. GIBSON, Acting Colonial Secretary.

• No. 149.

• No. 140.