Under this new Constitution introduced on 6th January 1964, the Governor has special responsibilities for defence, external affairs, internal security and the safeguarding of the terms and conditions of service of public officers. Further, for so long as the Government of British Honduras continued to receive money from the United Kingdom Government in the form of Grant-in-Aid of the current revenues, the Governor would have a special responsibility for maintaining or securing the financial and economic stability of British Honduras and for ensuring that any condition attached to any financial grant or loan made by Her Majesty's Government was complied with. This latter responsibility came to an end on the 31st December 1966 when the Grant-in-Aid ceased. The Executive Council has been replaced by a Cabinet consisting of a Premier and other Ministers. Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Premier. The Governor appoints as Premier the person who appears to him to be likely to command the support of the majority party in the House of Representatives. The bi-cameral legislature is known as the National Assembly and comprises a House of Representatives and a Senate. The House of Representatives consists of 18 members elected under the system of universal adult suffrage. The Speaker may be elected by the House from among its own number or from outside the House but the Deputy Speaker is elected by the House from amongst its own number. The Senate consists of eight members appointed by the Governor. Five are appointed on the advice of the Premier, two on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition and one after consulting such persons as the Governor considers appropriate. The President may be elected by the Senate from amongst its own number, or from outside the Senate, but the VicePresident is elected by the Senate from amongst its own number. LAND POLICY The alienation of Crown land is carefully controlled to prevent, as far as possible, the acquisition of such land for purely speculative, non-productive purposes. No racial discrimination is exercised. During 1953 and 1954 a land use survey was carried out. A land policy, based on the findings and recommendations of the Survey Team, has been formulated and was published by Government in 1958. In order to encourage the economic development of the country a tax on undeveloped rural land was introduced in January 1966. In 1971 land tax was doubled on holdings over 60 acres. The normal land tax was considered by a special fiscal committee to be extremely low. GOVERNMENT At the 1963 Constitutional Conference it was agreed that the next general election should be held when it became due in the ordinary course, i.e. not later than March 1965. As the members of the legislature at that time were elected on the basis of the 1961 constitution, the conference agreed that the alterations in the legislature should not take place until after the next General Election, except that the two official seats in the legislature should be abolished when the new Constitution was introduced. The Constitution was introduced on 6th January 1964 and at the election held on 1st March 1965 the People's United Party (PUP) secured 16 seats and the National Independence Party (NIP) two seats. The House of Representatives elected a Speaker from outside the House. In the Senate a President was elected outside the Senate. The second election under the 1963 Self Government Constitution was held on 1st December 1969. The People's United Party won 17 out of 18 seats under the leadership of Premier George Price. Premier and Minister of Finance and Development: The Hon. George Price Minister of Home Affairs and Health: The Hon. C. L. B. Rogers Minister of Agriculture, Lands and Cooperatives: The Hon. S. Perdomo PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES Education, Housing and Labour: The Hon. F. Marin Agriculture, Lands and Cooperatives: The Hon. D. L. Mckoy LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION Hon. P. S. W. Goldson HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Speaker: The Hon. Sir W. H. Courtenay, KBE THE SENATE President: Ewart William Francis, OBE Leader of Government Business: J. Gray CIVIL ESTABLISHMENT Governor and Commander-in-Chief: His Excellency Richard Neil Posnett, OBE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION Charles Woods (Chairman); Miss S. Vernon; A. S. Pinks, JP; Miss K. M. Usher, JP; J. N. Avilez READING LIST ANDERSON, A. H. Brief Sketch of British Honduras-Past, Present and BRITISH HONDURAS. Report 1964-65. H.M.S.O. 1968. S.O. Code No. 58-1-8-65. CARR, D. and THORPE, J. From the Cam to the Cays. Putnam, 1961. GANN, THOMAS. Mystery Cities. Duckworth, 1925. GANN, THOMAS. Ancient Cities and Modern Tribes. Duckworth, 1926. GIBBS, ARCHIBALD ROBERTSON. British Honduras. An Historical and GREGG, A. ROBERT. British Honduras. Corona Library, 1968. JOYCE, T. A. Report on the Investigations at Lubantuum, British Honduras. London. Royal Anthropological Institute, 1926. PENDERGAST, Dr DAVID. Altun Ha. Government of Belize, 1969. SHERLOCK, PHILIP. History of Belize, Education Department, Belize City, 1969. SWAN, M. British Honduras. Phoenix House, 1957. WADDELL, D. A. G. British Honduras; A Historical and Contemporary BELIZE, The Awakening Land (National Geographical Magazine), T BERMUDA HE Bermudas or Somers Islands derived their names from the Spanish seaman Juan Bermudez, who sighted the group before 1515, but no settlement was made until 1609, when Sir George Somers, who was shipwrecked on his way to Virginia, colonised the islands. Bermuda is situated in the Western Atlantic Ocean about 570 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, 32° 18′ N. latitude, 64° 46′ W. longitude. Until 1940 it had an area of 19.34 square miles. As a result of work done by the United States authorities since 1940 to unite and extend some of the islands with materials dredged from the sea, their total area is now 20.59 square miles, of which 2.30 square miles are leased to the Government of the United States for naval and military bases, leaving 18-29 square miles available to the civil population. The United States bases include a large airfield which is used by both military and commercial traffic. The Bermudas consist of about 150 islands and islets, roughly in the form of a fishhook, along the southern rim of the oval plateau summit, about 22 miles from east to west and 14 miles from north to south, of a steep submarine volcanic mountain which is reputed to be between 14,000 and 15,000 feet in height. The ten principal islands are connected by bridges and form a chain about 22 miles long between its north-east and south-west extremities. These islands vary in width but the main island, which is about 14 miles long, has an average width of about one mile; it contains about 9,000 acres of land, the highest point being only 259.4 feet above the sea. All the other islands and the areas reclaimed for the United States Bases aggregate about 4,240 acres. There are no rivers or lakes. The City of Hamilton, the capital since 1815, with a population estimated at about 2,500, is situated on the main island. The town of St George on the island of St George was formerly the capital. Its population is estimated at about 2,000. The climate is generally mild and humid with a mean annual temperature of 70°F and average annual maximum and minimum temperatures of 90°F and 47°F respectively. The coldest and hottest months are February and August. The average annual rainfall is 58.1 inches. Bermuda's last census was held in 1970. While the statistics resulting from the census have not yet been fully tabulated, the resident civil population is estimated at 52,251 persons. The official language is English. During 1972, 1,008 births were recorded, representing a birth rate of 18.94 per 1,000. The death rate in 1972 was 7.3 per 1,000. The Department of Health and Social Services is responsible for providing medical services and facilities. These include baby and pre-school clinics, and medical and dental services for school children. There are four hospitals: King Edward VII Memorial (general hospital) (230 beds); St Brendan's (mental hospital) (240 beds); Prospect and Lefroy House (geriatric hospitals). At the end of 1972, the total number of persons employed, excluding U.S. citizens at the American bases, was 27,200. The principal occupations were: production and related workers, 6,900; service workers, 6,500; clerical and related workers, 4,900; professional and technical workers, 3,600; sales workers, 2,500; labourers, 1,100; administrative and managerial workers, 1,000; farmers and agricultural workers, 600. There are ten registered trade unions: Bermuda Industrial Union (4,241); Bermuda Employers' Council (172); Bermuda Public Service Association (875); Bermuda Federation of Musicians and Variety Artistes (318); Amalgamated Bermuda Union of Teachers (325); Union of Government Industrial Employees (117); Hotel Employers of Bermuda (29); Construction Association of Bermuda (18); Bermuda Cable and Wireless Staff Association (70); Electricity Supply Union (141). The area of arable land, always small, is diminishing, owing to encroachment by building development. Of 760 acres now remaining, some 300 acres are utilized for vegetable crops, 231 acres for fruit and 25 acres for flowers. The climate permits double cropping for most vegetables and four crops a year for beans. Bananas valued at $222,000 and citrus fruits valued at B$115,000 were produced. Cut flowers valued at $13,000 were exported. Dairy farming is the most important branch of agriculture. The quantity and value of produce was: eggs, 817,000 dozen, $898,700; milk, 424,578 gallons, $518,493; beef, 73,500 lbs., $44,100; pork, 199,300 lbs., $95,580; veal, 6,120 lbs., $4,284. A major undertaking of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries since 1949 has been re-afforestation. Work started as a result of losing 80 per cent of the native cedar trees through a severe infestation of the juniper scale. Clearance of the dead areas and planting of the cleared areas began in 1952. |