Colonial Sugar Refining Company (Fiji)
Encyclopedia
The Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR) began operations in Fiji
in 1880 and until it ceased operations in 1973, had a considerable influence on the political
and economic
life of Fiji. Prior to its expansion to Fiji, the CSR was operating Sugar Refineries
in Melbourne
and Auckland
. The decision to enter into the production of raw sugar and sugar cane plantation was due to the Company's desire to shield itself from fluctuations in the price of raw sugar needed to run its refining operations. In May 1880 Fiji's Colonial Secretary John Bates Thurston
persuaded the Colonial Sugar Refining Company to extend their operations into Fiji by making available 2,000 acres (8 km²) of land to establish plantations.
in 1882. Another mill was built at Viria and crushed from 1886 to 1895. It was closed because it was too small to be viable. The Chalmers brothers built the Penang Mill
in 1880 and sold it to Melbourne Trust Company in 1896. The mill was enlarged (with machinery from Mago Island
(where a mill had closed in 1895) and the increased crushing capacity together with favourable weather conditions enabled the mill to operate independently. The Penang was closed down in 1922 but reopened in 1925 by the Penang Company. In 1926 it was taken over by the CSR. Other mills were established in Ba
in 1886, in Labasa
in 1894 and in Lautoka
in 1903. At this stage there was only one other non-CSR mill in operation in Fiji. The Navua
sugar mill was built by Stanlake Lee in 1884 and operated under the name of Fiji Sugar Company Limited. The mill never made any profit and relied on CSR for support. The CSR did not buy the mill when it came up for sale in 1905 because it wanted other millers in the colony, so that they could approach the Government jointly over tax concessions. It was bought by the British Columbia Refining Company in 1906 and operated as the Vancouver-Fiji Sugar Company. It still failed to make any profit and was closed in 1923. The Nausori Mill was shut down in 1959 because of low sugar content in the cane supplied to it.
crop. Each province was assessed for tax and if the value of the crop handed to the Government exceeded the assessment, a refund was paid to the province. In 1884 Fijians produced 8,884 tons of cane which was 12% of the total cane crushed that year. By 1900, cane supplied by Fijians had risen to 15,447 tons but as a proportion to the total this was only 6%. After 1902, when a change in Government policy allowed cash to be paid for tax, cane supplied by Fijians decreased so that by 1914 cane produced by Fijians was negligible.
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
in 1880 and until it ceased operations in 1973, had a considerable influence on the political
Politics of Fiji
Politics of Fiji takes place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic. Fiji has a multi-party system with the Prime Minister of Fiji as head of government. The executive power is exercised by the government...
and economic
Economy of Fiji
Endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, Fiji is one of the most developed of the Pacific island economies, though it remains a developing country with a large subsistence agriculture sector. Agriculture accounts for 18 % of Gross Domestic Product, although it employs some 70 % of the...
life of Fiji. Prior to its expansion to Fiji, the CSR was operating Sugar Refineries
Sugar refinery
A sugar refinery is a factory which refines raw sugar.Many cane sugar mills produce raw sugar, i.e. sugar with more colour and therefore more impurities than the white sugar which is normally consumed in households and used as an ingredient in soft drinks, cookies and so forth...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. The decision to enter into the production of raw sugar and sugar cane plantation was due to the Company's desire to shield itself from fluctuations in the price of raw sugar needed to run its refining operations. In May 1880 Fiji's Colonial Secretary John Bates Thurston
John Bates Thurston
Sir John Bates Thurston was a British colonial official who served Fiji in a variety of capacities, including Premier of the Kingdom of Viti and later as colonial Governor.- Early life :...
persuaded the Colonial Sugar Refining Company to extend their operations into Fiji by making available 2,000 acres (8 km²) of land to establish plantations.
CSR Mills in Fiji
Sugar production had started in Fiji with the collapse of the cotton price in early 1870s. Many small sugar mills were established but these were badly managed and not profitable. During the period of low sugar prices in the 1890s, most of these mills closed, leaving only four mills in operation in Fiji at the turn of the century. CSR's first Mill in Fiji started crushing sugar cane in NausoriNausori
Nausori is a town in Fiji. It had a population of 47,604 at the 2007 census, the most recent to date. This makes it the fourth most populous municipality in the country. Situated 19 kilometers out of Suva, it forms one pole of the burgeoning Suva-Nausori corridor.Nausori grew up around Fiji's...
in 1882. Another mill was built at Viria and crushed from 1886 to 1895. It was closed because it was too small to be viable. The Chalmers brothers built the Penang Mill
Penang (Rakiraki) Sugar Mill
The Penang Sugar Mill in Rakiraki, Fiji is one of the four sugar mills operated by the Fiji Sugar Corporation. The FSC is the sole producer of raw sugar in Fiji.- History :...
in 1880 and sold it to Melbourne Trust Company in 1896. The mill was enlarged (with machinery from Mago Island
Mago Island
Mago Island is a volcanic island that lies in the northwest sector of Fiji's northern Lau Group of islands. One of the largest private islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the pristine island consists of of land....
(where a mill had closed in 1895) and the increased crushing capacity together with favourable weather conditions enabled the mill to operate independently. The Penang was closed down in 1922 but reopened in 1925 by the Penang Company. In 1926 it was taken over by the CSR. Other mills were established in Ba
Ba District, Fiji
Ba is a district situation on the North Western part of the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. The name Ba is also used for a province, a tikina , a town and a river. Ba district comprises the areas surrounding Ba Town and includes the Fijian administrative tikinas of Ba and Magodro. Ba district is in...
in 1886, in Labasa
Labasa
Labasa is a town in Fiji with a population of 27,949 at the most recent census held in 2007.Labasa is located in Macuata Province, in the north-eastern part of the island of Vanua Levu, and is the largest town on the island. The town itself is located on a delta formed by three rivers - the...
in 1894 and in Lautoka
Lautoka district, Fiji
Lautoka is a district situated in Ba Province, in the western part of the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. Lautoka District comprises the areas surrounding Lautoka City and includes the Fijian administrative tikina of Vuda. Lautoka district is in the Western Division...
in 1903. At this stage there was only one other non-CSR mill in operation in Fiji. The Navua
Navua District, Fiji
Navua District is located within Serua Province in the Central Division of Fiji. During colonial times it used to be a sugar growing area, but the closure of the sugar mill in Navua in 1923 led to a decline in economic activity in the district...
sugar mill was built by Stanlake Lee in 1884 and operated under the name of Fiji Sugar Company Limited. The mill never made any profit and relied on CSR for support. The CSR did not buy the mill when it came up for sale in 1905 because it wanted other millers in the colony, so that they could approach the Government jointly over tax concessions. It was bought by the British Columbia Refining Company in 1906 and operated as the Vancouver-Fiji Sugar Company. It still failed to make any profit and was closed in 1923. The Nausori Mill was shut down in 1959 because of low sugar content in the cane supplied to it.
Fijians as a source of cane
When sugar mills were being set in Fiji in the 1870s and 1880s it was hoped that Fijians would be the major supplier of cane. Initially cane was grown by Fijians as a taxTax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
crop. Each province was assessed for tax and if the value of the crop handed to the Government exceeded the assessment, a refund was paid to the province. In 1884 Fijians produced 8,884 tons of cane which was 12% of the total cane crushed that year. By 1900, cane supplied by Fijians had risen to 15,447 tons but as a proportion to the total this was only 6%. After 1902, when a change in Government policy allowed cash to be paid for tax, cane supplied by Fijians decreased so that by 1914 cane produced by Fijians was negligible.
European contractors
In 1880, settlers in Rewa had agreed to grow cane for the CSR for 10 shillings a ton. Even with a bonus in 1884 and 1885, planters were unable to earn a living. Many planters wanted to sell their unprofitable land but CSR would not allow this, but when the contract expired, CSR was forced to take over these plantations. The CSR acquired more land for growing cane and by 1914 controlled over 100,000 acres (400 km²). There also arrived in Fiji a new set of landholders who either planted cane themselves or leased their land for cane planting.European tenants
In 1890, CSR started leasing its estates to plantation managers and others with capital. At this time there was a general belief that cane plantations were economically viable due to improved cultivation methods and CSR tenants generally paid less rent than other contractors. From 1905 the CSR came under increasing pressure, by overseers, to lease its large estates because the overseers wanted a share in the profit of the sugar industry. In 1908, the management of CSR decided to divide its estates into 400 to 1000 acre (1.6 to 4 km²) lots and lease them to its overseers because it was noted that relationship between tenants and their labourers were better than between the company overseers and its Indian labourers. By 1914, most of the CSR's cane was bought from these tenants. One negative effect this had on CSR was that while all the experienced overseers had become tenants, it was left with inexperienced overseers, which led to labour troubles.See also
- CSR LimitedCSR LimitedCSR Limited is a major Australian industrial company, producing aluminium and building products. It is publicly traded on the Australian Securities Exchange. In 2009, it has approximately 10,000 employees and during a period of a major cyclical downturn the company made an after-tax profit of...
- Chelsea Sugar RefineryChelsea Sugar RefineryThe Chelsea Sugar Refinery, also known colloquially as "Chelsea" and the "sugar works", is a long-established business and landmark in Birkenhead, New Zealand, located on the northern shore of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour. It was established in 1884, and remains New Zealand's main source of sugar...
- Sugar mills in FijiSugar mills in FijiSugar cane grew wild in Fiji and was used as thatch by the Fijians for their houses . The first attempt to make sugar in Fiji was on Wakaya Island in 1862 but this was a fianacial failure. With the cotton boom of the 1860s there was little incentive to plant a crop that required high capital...
- Rail transport in FijiRail transport in FijiRail transport in Fiji exists to move cut sugar cane to crushing mills. There used to be two horse-drawn street tramway systems, some other passenger systems, an underground mine system and some tramways on construction projects.- Cane Trains :...
(the cane trains)