REGENERATION OF TRINIDAD

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 103, 25 January 1939, Page 15

REGENERATION OF TRINIDAD

A Five-Year Plan

COVERING THE COST A her of reforms are projected after tlie report of tlie Trinidad Riots Commission, in tlie first place housing in tlie oilfields is likely to be improved by ■ schemes which the Government is formulating in consultation with tlie Petroleum Association. Resident labour, as the commission found, is not a necessity on an oilfield to the extent that it is on a sugar estate, aud tlie oil companies provide houses for only a relatively small proportion of their employees—mainly key men and others whose residence close at hand is desirable because of the nature of their work. A large number of workers live in adjacent villages. Though no obligation regts on the companies to house their labour, the Government has some responsibility to see that proper accommodation is available in adjacent villages, aud that facilities tire provided so far as possible for workers to acquire laud aud erect their own houses. With this object the Government introduced a Bill in Hie Legislative Council. At tlie same time another Bill has come before the Council to provide for the orderly and progressive development of land, cities, towns, aud other areas, whether urban or rural, stall's the Trinidad correspondent of “The Times.”

The oil companies Have taken an important step for workers’ welfare by introducing an “employees’ gratuity provident fund.” It sets aside for each employee after five years’ continuous service ti sum equal to his pay for one week (58 hours) for each year’s service, which will be available for him on the termination of his employment. One week’s leave on full pay tninually is also being given to all employees who have completed two years’ continuous service. The Oilfield Employers’ Association has nominated Sir Henry Gollan, a former Chief Justice of Hong Kong and before that Attor-ney-General of Trinidad, as an arbitrator along with Mr. George T. Neilson, late of Beardinore and Co., to sit ou the tribunal which is to adjudicate on the oilfields wages dispute. Disgraceful Slums. Some of the measures which are being contemplated to implement the Riots Commission’s recommendations were recently outlined in a minute ou the draft estimates for 1939 which Sir Hubert: Young, the Governor, sent to tlie Legislative Council.

The housing of the working classes, on which great stress was laid by the commission, was, he said, to be tackled on a comprehensive scale and an expenditure of 4,800,000 dollars spread over a five-year period was proposed to begin with. This would provide 6000 or 6500 houses, and as many of these would have to be let at uneconomic rentals an annual subsidy would have to be paid from general revenue to the Housing Commission, which xvas to manage tlie undertaking. An application would be made to the Colonial Development Fund for a grant. The Governor described the slums In Port of Spain and other parts of the colony which he has visited as "a disgrace to a civilized community,” and declared that lie was determined to handle the problem boldly and see the worst of these blots removed during the term of his administration.

Bills would be presented to the Legislature to revise the Masters and Servants Ordinance, to provide a registration scheme for stevedores, and to control the recruiting of labour. Machinery was being devised for fixing wages statutorily in industries in which collective bargaining was not practicable. The future organization of the Industrial Adviser’s Department would be discussed with Major Orde-Brown, the Labour Adviser to the Colonial Office, who is expected to spend some time in Trinidad this year. Collective bargaining had already been introduced among workers in the oil industry, waterfront workers, shipwrights, in the asphalt industry, the railway, and the Government; printing establishment,, and similar progress would have been made among sugar workers but for the occurrence of stoppages on certain estates and factories.

New public health legislation had been prepared, but would not be introduced immediately, as the agenda of the council was already very crowded. Roads and Irrigation. ’.(’lie five-year development programme also made provision for extensive road construction and improvement, for an aerodrome, extension of the railway to Hie oilfields at Fyzabad. extension of n'ater supplies, and electricity projects. Expenditure for 1939 would exceed the approved estimate for the current year by 1,500,000 dollars, but the Governor thought this addition amply justified because of the colony’s unexampled prosperity. A sum of 180.000 dollars has been provided for old age pensions, which it is hoped to introduce nt the beginning of next July. To finance the five-year scheme it is proposed to allocate 3.117,733 dollars from surplus funds, and to raise a loan of .10,922,500 dollars, Hie charges on which will be more than met by setting aside half the revenue from oil royalties, estimated at 1,000,000 dollars annually. The Governor imide it clear that though the Colonial Office had already been consulted, further reference would have to be made to it before the proposals were finally approved. The expenses of the loan issue are estimated at 218,450 dollars. It Is proposed to make annual provision in the budget for financing irrigation and drainage projects costing a total of 250.000 dollars, and anti-malarial and sanitation schemes to a like amount, also for further hospital ami medical buildings and public officers’ quarters.