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The size of these areas can be more readily understood if 1 mention that some 1,500 deer are shot annually during the three months' season.

For the most part this land is kept clear of big trees and is not allowed to have too thick a growth of vegetation. Such growth as there is indicates a good fertility of soil, and, indeed, in the course of the tours which I made, quite a remarkable fact was the small percentage of land in which a poor soil could be definitely assigned.

"As a result of my survey of the Highlands I came to the conclusion that almost the whole of it should grow tea well." Commenting further on the use to which this land is now being put he adds:-

**As a visitor to the island one cannot but be struck by the curious anomaly that no secret is made of the fact that times are very bad, but at the same time thousands of acres of good land are allowed to remain uncultivated for the sole purpose of deer shooting during a quarter of a year."

Part of the land to which Mr. Goolden refers as given over to deer shooting is owned by the Forest Department and, although it is still used for forest development or preservation, the sporting rights over it have been leased at the fantastic average rent of half a rupee an acre. The total extent of forest land so leased is 46,622 acres and produces in rent Rs.23,383 per annum. Against this rent is to be set the very considerable damage caused by the deer to the young plantations.

In our chapter dealing with the Forest Department it is pointed out that, notwithstanding the fact that this particular State industry has now been carried on for more than fifty years, and that very large sums of public money have been expended upon it, the results have hitherto been unprofitable. We have also expressed the opinion that a policy of further expenditure for developing the Crown forests of Mauritius on commercial lines cannot be justified by reference either to past experience or to any reliable information available as to future conditions. It is of interest to compare the complete uncertainty which exists as to the economic factors in a policy of forest development with Mr. Goolden's definite statement with regard to the prospects of using the same land for tea cultiva- tion, that he would be "extremely disappointed if it was found to be impossible to work up a well opened estate, planted on forest land, to a yield of between 700 and 800 lb. per acre."

The substitution of tea bushes for the scrub growth which covers much of this land should make no climatic difference so as to affect adversely the rainfall of the island.

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Despite the imperfect methods of cultivation and manufacture which he found in practice, the defects being wholly due to lack of

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experience and of sufficient capital, Mr. Goolden formed the opinion that the tea produced was of good natural quality and that "under proper conditions it will be possible to make teas in Mauritius which will be readily saleable on the open market." His opinion of the inherent quality of the tea was submitted to and confirmed by professional tea-tasters on his return to Ceylon.

19. The prospects held out by Mr. Goolden's report of developing tea cultivation as a second major industry for the Colony appear to us to be deserving of the most serious consideration by the Mauritian Government. With at least 100,000 acres of exception- ally suitable land available, and at present largely wasted or applied to uneconomic experiments in forestry, there appears to be no reason why a commencement should not be made with a policy of tea- industry development even in the present conditions of general trade depression. By offering long leases of suitable land at a nominal price and by increasing the protective Customs duty, a sufficient encouragement would be given to enable the industry to be established by private capital on a sound commercial footing and on a scale commensurate at least with the consumption limit of the local market. As pointed out by Mr. Goolden this market now absorbs on the average 390,668 lb. of imported tea per annum at an average retail price of Rs.1.30 per lb., whereas even under existing conditions of imperfect production and manufacture the local teas can be sold with profit at a price of from R.1 to Rs.1.20 per lb. The fact that tea cultivation involves a preparatory expendi- ture extending over four or five years before the first crop is yielded should not operate as an effective deterrent in Mauritius more than elsewhere, if an assured market on terms of reasonable profit can be held out to the investor. We are not in favour, however, of the Colony itself financing this new enterprise, still less of its embark- ing on a policy of fresh loans for the purpose. If, as we see no reason to doubt, Mr. Goolden's expert conclusions are commercially sound, they will stand the test of private business investment under the favourable conditions which the Mauritian Government is in a position to afford. A protective policy for providing such conditions appears to us to be fully justified in the case of tea as in that of tobacco. The present undue dependence of the Colony upon the fluctuating export capacity of a single industry can be corrected at least to the extent to which its resources for the cultivation of other products than sugar have been allowed to remain undeveloped.

FITBLIC

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