//
© 2026 Zoe. All rights reserved.
Zoe is a legal information platform. Always consult the Federal Register of Legislation for authoritative text.
Commonwealth legislation
This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.
These 1903 Regulations pay government bounties only to sugar‑cane growers who employ exclusively white labour, forfeiting payments if any non‑white worker is used, and thereby enforcing racial exclusion through economic incentive. They also impose licences, bonds and rigorous record‑keeping on manufacturers and refiners and set regional bounty rates. The rules are a clear instance of the White Australia policy and mark expanded Commonwealth control over sugar production, movement and sale.
Want the full deep dive?
Zoe can write the in-depth analysis on top of the summary above: how it works, who it affects and what each part actually does.
Direct links to the current provisions in Sugar Regulations.
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
Commonwealth of Australia
Department of Trade and Customs,
Melbourne, 6th October, 1903.
HIS Excellency the Governor-General in and over the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, in exercise of the powers conferred upon him by the Excise Act 1901 and the Sugar Bounty Act 1903, has been pleased to make the following Regulations.
WILLIAM JOHN LYNE,
Minister for Trade and Customs.
SUGAR REGULATIONS.
Repeal.
Sugar Regulations dated 28th July, 1902, 27th August, 1902, 11th September, 1902, and 8th January, 1903, are hereby cancelled.
Definitions.
1. In these regulations, except where otherwise clearly intended—
“Bounty” means bounty pursuant to the Sugar Bounty Act 1903.
“Cane” means sugar cane.
“Juice” means the liquid extracted from sugar cane.
C.9767.
“Juice Mill” means a factory in which juice is extracted from cane but is not finally made into sugar.
“Grower” means a producer of sugar cane.
“Sugar refiner” means a manufacturer who refines sugar.
“White-grown cane” means cane in the production of which white labour only has been employed after the 28th day of February, 1903, or in the production of which white labour only has been employed for twelve months immediately preceding the delivery thereof for manufacture : Provided always that no cane shall be considered white-grown cane if—
(a) it was produced on land which has been cultivated by other than white labour after a bounty has been paid in respect of the production of sugar cane thereon; or
(b) it was planted by other than white labour after the 28th day of February, 1903.
“White plantation” means the plantation particularized in the notice of intention to claim bounty.
The expression “white labour” in these regulations is used to the exclusion of all forms of coloured labour, whether aborigines of Australia or not, and whether half-caste or of full blood.
Bounty.
Nothing done before the 1st of March, 1903, shall prevent any cane from being considered white-grown cane.
Conditions of Claim for Bounty.
(1) Notice of intention to claim must have been given to the Collector of Customs for the State—
(a) As to cane planted before the 1st March, 1903, before that date, or twelve months preceding the delivery thereof for manufacture ;
(b) As to all cane subsequently planted, before the planting thereof, or twelve months before the delivery thereof for manufacture.
(2) The cane must have been produced on the white plantation, and must have been delivered for manufacture at a factory in the district in which it was produced.
(3) The claim for bounty must have been made not later than one month from the date of delivery of the cane for manufacture.
If any labour other than white labour is employed on the white plantation before all the cane produced thereon has been duly delivered for manufacture, the claim for bounty shall thereby be immediately forfeited; provided that in the case of white-grown cane being accidentally burned by fire and coloured labour is employed to cut the same to avoid loss, the Minister may, on being satisfied that the fire was the result of unavoidable accident and no sufficient white labour was available, direct that the bounty be not forfeited. In such case the grower shall report the full particulars to the officer in charge of the Customs House not later than seven days after such accident.
No cane shall be deemed not to be white-grown cane because after the cutting of the cane and its delivery for transport to the factory coloured labour is employed by any person other than the grower in relation to such transport, and to this extent the definition in Regulation No. 1 is modified accordingly, and the prescribed form of declaration indorsed on the bounty note may, when necessary, be modified by the addition of the following words:—”Except as permitted by Regulation No. 3.”
Notice of Intention to Claim Bounty.
SUGAR EXCISE.
Notice of Intention to claim Bounty for White-grown Cane.
State of Sugar District.
To the Collector of Customs for the State of
I hereby give notice that I intend to claim bounty in respect of white-grown cane.
The following are the particulars of the white plantation :—
| Name of County. | Name of Parish. | Number of Portion. | Area and Description of the White Plantation sufficient to identify it, and specially to distinguish it from any land on which the Claimant may desire to employ Coloured Labour. |
|---|---|---|---|
I attach a sketch plan showing the area of the white plantation and number of acres of cane.
Details.
The grower shall state under the heading “Details” whether—
(a) Bounty has been previously paid in respect of case grown upon the land specified in the notice;
(b) Any planting has been done on the land specified in the notice by other than white labour after the 28th February, 1903.
Signature of Grower.
Witness— Address.
Date.
Transferee may claim Bounty.
The Claim for Bounty.
SUGAR EXCISE.
Claim for Bounty.
State of District.
To the Officer of Excise doing duty in reference to the Sugar Factory.
Pursuant to notice of intention to claim, I hereby claim bounty in respect of white-grown-cane, grown by me and delivered at the above factory for manufacture, and I declare that the following particulars relating to the same are correct :—
Particulars.
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="width:100%; margin-right:auto; margin-left:auto; border-collapse:collapse"><tbody><tr style="height:63.15pt"><td style="width:99.65pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:middle; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:6pt; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff"><span>White Plantation where Cane was grown.</span></p></td><td style="width:96.85pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:middle; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:6pt; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff"><span>Name of Factory where Cane was delivered.</span></p></td><td colspan="3" style="width:81.5pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:middle; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:6pt; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff"><span>Weights of Cane delivered.</span></p></td><td style="width:68pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:middle; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:6pt; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff"><span>Dates of Delivery.</span></p></td><td style="width:46.2pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:middle; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:6pt; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff"><span>Rate of Bounty per ton of Cane Claimed.</span></p></td><td style="width:39.25pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:middle; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="margin-top:6pt; margin-bottom:6pt; text-align:center; background-color:#ffffff"><span>Amount of Bounty Claimed.</span></p></td></tr><tr style="height:68.1pt"><td style="width:99.65pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-right:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:2pt; vertical-align:top; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="font-size:11pt; background-color:#ffffff"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:96.85pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:top"><p style="font-size:11pt"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:27.5pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:top; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="text-align:center; font-size:11pt; background-color:#ffffff"><span>tons.</span></p></td><td style="width:27.5pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:top; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="text-align:center; font-size:11pt; background-color:#ffffff"><span>cwt.</span></p></td><td style="width:18.5pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:top; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="text-align:center; font-size:11pt; background-color:#ffffff"><span>qrs.</span></p></td><td style="width:68pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:top; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="font-size:11pt; background-color:#ffffff"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:46.2pt; border:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:1.62pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:top; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="font-size:11pt; background-color:#ffffff"><span></span></p></td><td style="width:39.25pt; border-top:0.75pt solid #000000; border-left:0.75pt solid #000000; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-right:2pt; padding-left:1.62pt; vertical-align:top; background-color:#ffffff"><p style="text-align:center; font-size:11pt; background-color:#ffffff"><span>£ </span><span></span><span>s.</span><span> </span><span></span><span>d.</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
Signature of Grower.
Address.
Date.
Issue of Bounty Note.
Forms.
Bounty Note.
No. District.
This is to certify that of has heretofore delivered at the factory tons cwt. and qrs. of cane for manufacture, which he claims to be white-grown cane, and in respect of which he is entitled three days after this date to receive the sum of pounds shillings and pence for bounty on making the declaration in the form indorsed hereon and on delivering and discharging this note at the Customs House at
Dated the day of 19
Officer.
A2
Advice of Issue of Bounty Note to be Indorsed on Claim for Bounty.
To the Officer at the (fill in nearest) Customs House.
I hereby certify that in satisfaction of this claim I have issued to the grower a bounty note for the sum of pounds shillings and pence in respect of tons cwt. qrs. of cane delivered at the factory for manufacture.
Dated the day of 19 .
Signature of Officer.
Declaration to be Indorsed on Bounty Note.
I, of
do hereby declare as follows, that is to say:—
I am the grower of the cane specified in this bounty note.
The cane was grown by me on the white plantation described in the notice of intention to claim bounty, given by and no labour other than white labour has been employed on the same land between the time of the giving notice of intention to claim bounty and the time of the delivery of the cane for manufacture.
All this cane was white-grown cane, in that it was either cane in the production of which white labour only has been employed after the 28th of February, 1903, or cane in the production of which white labour only has been employed for a period of twelve months immediately preceding the delivery thereof for manufacture.
Signature of Grower.
Declared before me this day of 19
J.P. or Officer.
Form of Discharge to be Indorsed on Bounty Note.
Received the sum of pounds shillings and pence in discharge of the within bounty note and my claim for bounty of the day of 19
Dated the day of 19 .
Signature of Grower.
Witness—
Districts.
“ No. 1 District,” comprising all that part of Australia north of the 19th degree of south latitude.
“ No. 2 District,” comprising all that part of Australia between the 19th and 23rd degrees of south latitude.
“ No. 3 District,” comprising all that part of Australia between the 23rd and 26th degrees of south latitude.
“ No. 4 District,” comprising all that part of Australia south of the 26th degree of south latitude.
Average Sugar-giving Contents of Cane.
The Scale.
| Name of District. | Average Number of tons of Cane to make one ton of Sugar. | Average Sugar-giving Contents of Cane. | Rate of Bounty per ton of Cane. |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 District............. | 8........ | 12·5 per cent...... | 5s. 0d. |
| No. 2 District............. | 8·57...... | 11·66 „....... | 4s. 8d. |
| No. 3 District............. | 9·22...... | 10·84 „....... | 4s. 4d. |
| No. 4 District............. | 10........ | 10 „........ | 4s. 0d. |
The Governor-General, by proclamation published in the Gazette, may before the 1st of June, in the year 1904, or in any succeeding year, alter the scale.
Account to be Kept by Producer.
This is an opening excerpt, not the complete document.