The annual production of sugar in Queensland since 1894 in long tons has been as follows:
| 1894-95 | 91,712 | |
| 1895-96 | 86,255 | |
| 1896-97 | 109,774 | |
| 1897-98 | 97,916 | |
| 1898-99 | 163,734 | |
| 1899-00 | 123,289 | |
| 1900-01 | 92,554 | |
| 1901-02 | 120,858 | |
| 1902-03 | 77,835 | |
| 1903-04 | 89,862 | |
| 1904-05 | 145,020 | |
| 1905-06 | 152,259 | |
| 1906-07 | 182,188 | |
| 1907-08 | 185,063 | |
| 1908-09 | 150,400 | |
| 1909-10 | 132,816 | |
| 1910-11 | 207,340 | |
| 1911-12 | 176,076 | |
| 1912-13 | 113,060 | |
| 1913-14 | 255,000 | |
| 1914-15 | 246,408 | |
| 1915-16 | 150,000 | |
| 1916-17 | 200,000 | [88] |
MAURITIUS
Great Britain’s island colony, Mauritius, lies in the Indian ocean between 57 degrees 18 minutes east and 57 degrees 49 minutes east, and 19 degrees 58 minutes and 20 degrees 32 minutes south, 550 miles from Madagascar. Irregular in shape, it extends 36 miles from north-northeast to south-southwest, and its greatest width is 23 miles. Its area is 710 square miles.
Mauritius is of volcanic origin, although signs of volcanic activity no longer exist. It is encircled by a coral reef which is submerged at high tide. The central part of the island is a tableland that rises from 500 to 2700 feet above sea-level and occupies more than half of the total surface. In the north and northeastern coast regions there are extensive low plains, but the rest of the coast territory is more or less broken by hills. The registrar-general’s report for 1908 gives the population as 374,450.
The climate is agreeable during the cool season, but oppressively hot in summer, which begins in December and ends in March. The temperature falls from April to June and rises again from June to December. In the elevated inland plains of the interior the thermometer ranges from 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit in summer, and in Port Louis and the coast region it runs from 90 to 96 degrees during that season. The average temperature at Port Louis is 78.6 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year.
The rainfall varies greatly in different parts, but an average of ten years (1893-1902) gave 79 inches for the entire island. Cyclones are frequent and generally occur between December and April.
The soil consists chiefly of a very light clay formation, easily penetrated by water. In some localities the clay is deep and evenly deposited, while in others many large pieces of lava are found in it, so that ploughing is impossible.