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Minister of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs:

The Hon. Dr Tommaso Caruana Demajo, MP

Minister of Trade, Industry and Agriculture: The Hon. Dr Joseph Spiteri, MP
Minister of Health: The Hon. Alexander Cachia Zammit, MP

Minister of Education, Culture and Tourism: The Hon. Dr Paul Borg Olivier, MP
Minister of Labour, Employment and Welfare: The Hon. Dr Vincent Tabone, MP
Secretary to the Cabinet: Chev. Edgar Cassar

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Speaker: The Hon. Dr A. Bonnici, MP
Deputy Speaker: The Hon. Dr Philip Saliba, MP
Clerk of the House of Representatives: Maurice Gregory

LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
The Hon. D. Mintoff, MP

JUDICIARY
Chief Justice:

His Honour Professor Sir Anthony Mamo, OBE, QC
(President of the Constitutional Court and of the Court of Appeal)
Vice-President of the Constitutional Court and of the Court of Appeal:
The Hon. Mr Justice Professor J. J. Cremona.

The Hon. Mr Justice J. Flores

The Hon. Mr Justice J. Xuereb

Judges:

The Hon. Mr Justice M. Caruana Curran
The Hon. Mr Justice E. Magri

The Hon. Mr Justice A. P. Gauci Maistre The Hon. Mr Justice V. R. Sammut

MINISTRIES AND GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS

OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
Administrative Secretary: The Hon. Edgar
Cuschieri, CBE

Under Secretary: Chev. Edgar Cassar
Principal Assistant Secretaries: J. Carabott;
M. Abela, MBE

Director of Civil Aviation: Gerald H. Ferro,
MVO, MBE

Commissioner of Civil Defence: E. S. Tonna,

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Director of Agriculture: Anthony S. Farrugia
Manager, Water Works: Carmel Schranz
Postmaster-General: Joseph Buttigieg

Manager, Milk Marketing Undertaking:
Cosimo Montebello

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION,

CULTURE AND TOURISM

Secretary: Major V. J. Castillo, E D
Director of Education: S. Gatt

Librarian, Royal Malta Library: Dr Vincent
Depasquale

Director of Museum: Captain Charles G.
Zammit

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

Crown Advocate General: Dr Michele
Tufigno

Registrar of the Superior Courts: Dr V.
Borg Costanzi

Director of Public Registry: Dr Vladimir
Formosa

Notary to Government: Victor Miller
Director of Prisons: Joseph Tonna

Commissioner of Land and Chief Land
Registrar: Dr J. Pullicino

MINISTRY OF PUBLIC BUILDING AND WORKS
Director of Public Works: Salvino J.
Mangion, OBE

Housing Secretary: J. M. Micallef

MINISTRY OF Labour,

EMPLOYMENT AND WELFARE

Secretary: J. M. Rossignaud

Director of Emigration and Labour: E.
Vassallo

Director of Social Services: J. Vella Bonnici

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

Chief Government Medical Officer: Anthony
Cuschieri, MP

Independent Statutory Bodies

THE GAS BOARD

Chairman: G. Craig

THE MALTA BROADCASTING AUTHORITY Chairman: Judge A. J. Montanaro Gauci,

CBE

TOURIST BOARD

Chairman: J. Pollacco

MALTA ELECTRICITY BOARD

Chairman: C. J. Mallia

DIPLOMATIC

MALTESE HIGH COMMISSIONERS IN OTHER
COMMONWEAlth CountrIES

THE GOZO CIVIC COUNCIL

President: Chev. Dr A. Tabone, OBE

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION Chairman: Judge W. Harding, CBE, KM Secretary: George Soler

CENTRAL BANK

Governor: Dr P. L. Hogg

MALTA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Chairman: Sir Sadler Forster, CB E

MALTA DOCKYARD CORPORATION
Chairman: J. M. Rossignaud

REPRESENTATION

Britain: John F. Axisa, MBE (High Commissioner); Australia: Dr Anthony Pullicino (High Commissioner).

COMMONWEALTH HIGH COMMISSIONERS
IN MALTA

Australia: Sir Hubert Opperman, OBE;
Britain: Sir Geofroy Tory, KCMG; Canada:
G. G. Crean (Resident in Rome); India:
I. J. Bahadur Singh (Resident in Rome);
Pakistan: Mustafa Kamal as Chargé
d'Affaires ad interim (Resident in Rome).

MALTESE REPRESENTATIVES IN NON-COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES Council of Europe (Permanent Representative resident in Malta); United Nations (Permanent Representative resident in Washington); West Germany and France (resident in London); The Holy See and Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta (resident in Malta); Italy, Israel, Austria and Switzerland (resident in Rome); Tunis, Libya and United Arab Republic (resident in Tripoli); Belgium, N.A.T.O.; E.E.C., Spain, Netherlands (resident in Brussels); U.S.A. and U.S.S.R., (resident in Washington).

M

MAURITIUS

AURITIUS lies 500 miles off the east coast of the Malagasy Republic between latitudes 19° 58′ and 20° 32′ S. and longitudes 57° 17′ and -57° 46′ E. It owes its name to the Dutch settlers who landed there in 1598 and who named the island after their ruler, Prince Maurice de Nassau. It is 1,551 miles from Durban, 2,094 from Colombo and 3,182 from Perth, Australia.

The territory includes Rodrigues Island, 350 miles to the east, with an area of 40 square miles and a population of about 20,000.

Mauritius, which is roughly pear-shaped, is 38 miles long by 29 miles broad. From the north an extensive undulating plain rises gently towards the central plateau, where it reaches a height of about 2,200 feet before dropping sharply to the southern and western coast. There are three main groups of mountains-the Port Louis group running in an east-north-easterly direction, the Black RiverSavanne group massed in a north to south direction, and the Bambous group with an east-west trend. The highest peaks are Piton de la Rivière Noire (2,711 feet), Pieter Both (2,690 feet) and Le Pouce (2,661 feet). The main watershed of the island runs northwards across the central plateau for a distance of about 20 miles. From this ridge the ground slopes towards the coast, except where interrupted by the mountain ranges or by isolated peaks. The rivers consequently tend to run westward or eastward. Most of them are short and fast flowing, generally at the bottom of deep ravines and interrupted by waterfalls. The

longest river is Grand River South East (24-5 miles). No river in the island is navigable but some of the larger have been harnessed for hydro-electric purposes. True crater lakes are found at Bassin Blanc and Grand Bassin, but in general water conservation is achieved by man-made reservoirs, of which there are now eight, the most important being Mare aux Vacoas. The mountains are a striking feature of the landscape, rising abruptly from the surrounding plain, with their lower slopes covered with dense vegetation-now being replaced by sugar cane or tea-and their upper slopes ending in precipitous rocky peaks. The island is almost completely encircled by coral reefs, within which are lagoons and a succession of beaches of white coral sand.

The island enjoys a sub-tropical maritime climate, with sufficient difference between summer and winter to avoid monotony: further variation is introduced by the wide range of rainfall and temperature resulting from the mountainous nature of the island. The south-east trade winds blow most of the year and the climate is generally humid. The summer season runs from November to April, and the winter from June to October, though April-June and SeptemberNovember can be looked upon as transitional periods and are usually the most pleasant in the year. Rain falls mainly in summer, but there is no well-defined dry season. At sea the annual rainfall near Mauritius is about 40 inches, but the uplift of the moisture-laden maritime air caused by the mountains results in an annual rainfall varying from about 60 inches on the south-east coast to 200 inches on the central plateau. On the west coast the annual fall is 35 inches. Variation from year to year is not large, but is nevertheless sufficiently great to reduce considerably the size of the sugar and other crops when the year is dry. In Port Louis the day maximum and night minimum temperatures during the hottest months average 31°C (87·8°F) and 24°C (75·2°F) respectively; in the winter they average 25°C (77°F) and 20°C (68°F). The highest and lowest reached are:

Port Louis..

Maximum
36°C (96.8°F)

Minimum 12°C (53.6°F) 7°C (44.6°F)

Curepipe (1,850 feet above mean sea level) 32°C (89-6°F)

A complete census of the population is made every ten years. The last census took place in 1962 and showed a population of 681,619. At 31st December 1968 the population was estimated at 794,746.

The following table gives the ethnic distribution of the population in 1968.

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The term 'General Population' refers to people of European descent and of mixed and African descent.

The population of Mauritius being made up of people of European, Indian, African and Chinese ancestry, the number of languages in use among the various ethnic groups is necessarily large. The 1962 census classified the population by mother tongue as follows:—

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The number of live births during 1968 was 24,413, corresponding to a birth rate of 31-0 per thousand while deaths registered during the same year numbered 7,126, corresponding to a crude death rate of 9-0 per thousand.

The official language of the country is English, but French may be used in the Legislative Assembly and in the lower courts of law. Creole is, however, the lingua franca.

The capital of Mauritius is Port Louis, population 137,650, in the north west. Other important towns are: Curepipe, population 51,370; Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, population 70,640; Quatre Bornes, population 44,915; and VacoasPhoenix, population 48,320.

The Reconstruction and Development Programme (1960-66) was wound up on the 30th June 1966, and was followed by the Public Sector Development Programme (1966-70). Expenditure during the six years of the 1960-66 programme amounted to Rs 324-07 million leaving an unspent balance of Rs 75.93 million on the ceiling of the Rs 400 million fixed for the whole programme. Schemes which were not completed at the close of the last programme have been carried forward into the current Public Sector Development Programme (1966-70). Of these schemes the most important are the Central Hospital North, inaugurated on 20th August 1969, the University of Mauritius, the new Government Centre and the Registrar-General's Office.

The Public Sector Development Programme (1966-70) has been prepared by the Economic Planning Unit under the direction of a Ministerial Economic Development and Planning Committee. (There is also a Development Advisory Council). The ceiling fixed for this four-year Plan is Rs 340 million. For the year ending 30th June 1967 capital expenditure was Rs 54-44 million. The project expenditure relates to schemes carried forward from the previous programme as well as new schemes initiated in the current programme.

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The projections in respect of firm, semi-firm and potential resources for the financing of the Public Sector Development Programme (1966-70) are as follows:

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Retail price indices for the period 1963-1969 are shown in the following table:

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(a) Three new indices were introduced in July 1962, with January to June 1962=100, and cover households whose main wage earner draws an income of less than Rs 1,000 per month. The main industry of the island is the growing of sugar as a plantation crop. Some 67,000 workers are employed in this industry during the harvest or 'crop' season, from July to December, and 55,000 during the intercrop season. The whole of the production with the exception of some 29,000 metric tons consumed locally, is exported, mainly to Britain, Canada and the U.S.A.

In 1968 the production of sugar reached 596,579 metric tons obtained from a harvested area of about 197,600 acres. The average yield of cane per acre over

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