JERSEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21978, 30 December 1936, Page 10

JERSEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS

♦ . MORE TOURISTS THAN INHABITANTS LOW INCOME TAX ATTRACTIVE Income tax of Gd in the £ is one cf the main attractions that the island of Jersey, in the Channel Islands, offers, according to Mr E. S. Drury, a retired Indian army officer, who is at present in Chrirtchurch, and whose home is in Jersey. , Mr Drury has begun a four months holiday to be spent in tcuring New Zealand, and he gave some details of life in the Channel Islands to a representative of "The Press"' in an interview last night. Jersey, he said, was popular as a tourist place for a poorer class of visitors than those for which New Zealand catered. Groups of English working people formed clubs to save up for the trip, which would be made during their 10 days' holidays. There were many retired English people living in Jersey, but during the holiday season there was a greater number of visitors than the permanent popula-1 ticn. Cattle Breeding Mr Drury said that the breeding of the world-famous Jersey cattle was still carried on extensively, but he was puzzled as to how the type was developed. He thought it might have been introduced to the island by monks. "Jersey is a bi-lingual land," he said. "Although more people speak English, most of the farmers —who come frcm Norman and Breton stock—speak French among themselves, and French is used in the courts. Recently, however, they have allowed English to be used also. "The farmers, although they speak: French, are not very friendly with; France." Mr Drury said. This was partly because the French used to at- i tack the islands a long time ago. | France had fewer interests in tho island than England, but recently a reliable French steamship service h?.d been inaugurated, he said. The islanders specialised in growing early potatoes and tcmatoes, which were ripened in the open for the British market. Guernsey Discussing the other islands, Mr Drury said that there were more English people in Guernsey. There, more fruit fanning and hothouse cultivation were undertaken than in Jersey. The two islands were governed similarly, but had no connexion with each other. ! The chief magistrate and official of Jersey was known as the Bailiff. He had a number of jurors, but they were finding their position difficult, in their attempts to keep up with other countries in various nieces of legislation. Mr Drury said that he had visited Spain last spring, and there had been signs of discontent apparent then, but •no one tc whom he had spoken had thought much would come of murmurs. The civil war had helped the Channel Islanders in one way, in that it had removed a competitor—th" south of Spain—from the early-pro- ' duce market.