Or the steel harness of the steeds of steam;
All who, by skill and patience, anyhow
Make service noble, and the earth redeem
From savageness. By kingly accolade
Than theirs was never worthier knighthood made."
CHAPTER III.
THE SUGAR INDUSTRY.
Sugar-cane in the Northern Hemisphere.—The Rise of the Beet Industry.—Abolition of Slave Labour in West Indies.—Reorganisation of Industry on Scientific Basis.—Establishment of Industry in Queensland.—Difficulties of Early Planters.—Stoppage of Pacific Island Labour.—Evolution of Small Holdings and Erection of Central Mills.—Reintroduction of Pacific Islanders.—Stoppage of Pacific Island Labour by Commonwealth Legislation.—Bonus on White-grown Sugar.—Benefits Arising from Separating Cultivation and Manufacture.—Contrast between Past and Present Methods.—Scientific Cultivation.—Recent Statistics.—The Future of the Industry.—Queensland Leading the Van in Establishing White Agriculturists in Tropics.
Long before the Christian era classical and sacred writers made mention of that "sweet cane" whose product plays so important a part in the everyday requirements of modern life.