Executive authority is exercised by the Governor, who is also CommanderChief. In the exercise of his functions relating to matters not dealt with by Ministers the Governor, whilst retaining the usual reserved powers, normally acts in accordance with the advice of the Gibraltar Council (which consists of the Chief Minister, the Deputy Fortress Commander, the Deputy Governor, the Attorney-General, the Financial and Development Secretary and four other Ministers). The elected members of the Gibraltar Council are appointed by the Governor after consultation with the Chief Minister. There is a Council of Ministers composed of all the Ministers and presided over by the Chief Minister. The preamble to the Order in Council (to which the new Constitution is an annex) contains the following: "Whereas Gibraltar is part of Her Majesty's dominions and Her Majesty's Government have given assurances to the people of Gibraltar that Gibraltar will remain part of Her Majesty's dominions unless and until an Act of Parliament otherwise provides, and furthermore, that Her Majesty's Government wil never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes; . . . ." The Constitution also contains a Chapter providing for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms on the lines of similar Chapters in the constitutions of various other territories within the Commonwealth. A. P. Montegriffo (Minister for Medical and Health Services) M. K. Featherstone (Minister for Education) A. J. Canepa (Minister for Labour and Social Security) I. Abecasis (Minister for Housing (with Post Office)) Lt.-Col. J. L. Hoare (Minister for Public Works and Municipal Services) HOUSE OF Assembly The Speaker: A. J. Vasquez, CBE The Attorney-General The Financial and Development Secretary Clerk of the House: Paul A. Garbarino, ED CIVIL ESTABLISHMENT GOVERNOR AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Grandy, GCB, KBE, DSO MILITARY ASSISTANT Group Captain R. J. Spiers, OBE, RAF Aide-de-Camp: Capt C. D. Horsfall, The Life Guards Deputy Governor: E. H. Davis, CMG, OBE Administrative Secretary: J. L. Pitaluga, OBE Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax: Principal Auditor: N. Harrison, OBE Director of Education: A. W. Johns, OBE Director of Medical and Health Services: JUDICIARY Chief Justice: Sir Edgar Unsworth, CMG, OC Judge of the Court of First Instance. Stipendiary Magistrate, Coroner and Registrar, Supreme Court: F. E. Pizzarello THE GILBERT AND ELLICE ISLANDS The Gilbert and Ellice Islands, which also include Ocean Island, the Phoenix and the Line Islands, are situated in the South-West Pacific around the point where the International Date Line cuts the Equator. Although the total land area is only 324 square miles it is scattered over more than two million square miles of ocean, and distances between extreme points are enormous. Christmas Island in the east is 2,000 miles from Ocean Island in the west, and the latitude of Washington Island in the north is more than 1,000 miles from the latitude of Niulakita in the south. Furthermore, the islands are remote from large centres of civilisation, and Tarawa, the capital, is about 2,500 miles from Sydney and 1,365 miles from Suva. The scattered nature of the territory and its remoteness cause many difficulties in administration, transport and communications. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands are atolls composed of coral reefs built on the outer arc of the ridges formed by pressure from the central Pacific against the ancient core of Australia. In most of the atolls the reef encloses a lagoon, on the eastern side of which are long narrow stretches of land varying in length from a few hundred yards to some ten miles, and in width from one or two hundred yards to nearly a mile. The surface of these islands seldom rises more than twelve feet above sea level. The climate of the central Gilberts, the Phoenix Islands and Ocean Island is of the maritime equatorial type, but that of the islands farther north and south is of the tropical type. The mean annual temperature is 27°C (80°F). The trade winds blow throughout the year with a strong easterly component and exercise a moderating influence on the temperature. From October to March there are occasional westerly gales. Rain comes in sharp squalls and is very irregular, giving wide variations in total fall from island to island and year to year. The average is 40 inches a year near the Equator, rising to 120 inches in the extreme north and south. L A census of the population of the islands was held in December 1973. The total population enumerated was 57,819 and comprised 28,332 males and 29,487 females. The territory lies midway between Polynesia and Micronesia, the people of the Gilbert Islands being Micronesian stock, whilst the people of the Ellice Islands are Polynesians with close connections with Samoa and the Tokelaus to the south and east. The racial groups indicated by the 1973 census were as follows: Micronesians (almost entirely Gilbertese) 47,517; Polynesians (almost entirely Ellice Islanders) 7,310; mixed race 776; other races 2,216. The land area of the 29 inhabited islands is very small, and although no accurate surveys have yet been completed, it has been estimated that there is an area of 100 square miles in the Gilbert Islands and 10 square miles in the Ellice Islands. With population increasing at a rate of 1.8 per cent per annum, pressure is acute. In 1973 the density of population was 0.327 persons per acre. The main languages spoken are Gilbertese, Ellice and English. The official language is English, but on the outer islands away from the headquarters at Tarawa it is seldom used. Practically the entire population is Christian, but whereas the religion of the Ellice Islands is predominantly Protestant, that of the Gilbert Islands is more evenly divided between Protestant and Roman Catholic. Agriculture is virtually non-existent in the islands due to the poor quality of the soil, which is composed largely of coral sand and rock fragments. The major part of all islands, except Ocean and some of the Phoenix and Line group, is covered with coconut palms which provide the islands with an important source of food and drink, and with copra, which is their only cash crop. Sea fishing is excellent but on a small scale at present. Phosphate of lime is mined at Ocean Island by the British Phosphate Commissioners. Livestock is limited to pigs and poultry. There is little useful timber. The people of the territory maintain a reasonable standard of living by intensive exploitation of the sea and the very limited resources of their infertile atolls, and by sending their young men out to work. A small number find employment on the copra plantations in the Line Islands (Washington, Fanning and Christmas), but the main outlet is to the phosphate industry on Ocean Island and Nauru which take approximately 500 and 650 workers respectively, many of them accompanied by their families, and as seamen working on overseas ships, based mainly in German ports. In 1974 there were approximately 1,000 men at sea. The only exports are copra, mainly shipped to the United Kingdom, and phosphate (untreated). The value and origins of imports in 1973 were: A Copra Board is responsible for all purchases of copra and sales overseas. Internal purchases are made through the agency of the co-operative societies. Most imports and sales of retail goods are handled by the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Development Authority—a statutory organisation—and by the co-operatives. The volume of private trading is small. The principal ports are at Betio Islet (Tarawa), and Ocean Island. Small ships of up to 10 feet draught may enter the harbour at Betio, whilst larger vessels drawing up to 28 feet anchor in the lagoon and are serviced by barges. At Ocean Island there is a cantilever through which phosphate is loaded, and barge and boat loading facilities are also provided by the British Phosphate Commissioners. Vessels of up to 30 feet draught can enter the lagoon at Funafuti, while at Christmas Island vessels anchor or lie at buoys outside the lagoon. During 1973 a total of 115 overseas vessels, including yachts, called at ports in the territory. Two airports, at Tarawa and Funafuti are used for scheduled overseas commercial flights. The airfield at Christmas Island is still in use for charter flights. The airfield at Canton Island is used by United States military aircraft. A weekly service Suva, Fiji, to Tarawa via Nadi and Funafuti is operated with HS 748 aircraft by Air Pacific. Air Nauru operates a weekly flight from Nauru to Tarawa using an F-28 Fokker Fellowship jet. Airfields for an internal service have been completed at Abemama, Tabiteuea, Butaritari and Marakei, and the service, operated by Air Pacific with a Heron Mark II Aircraft, commenced in July 1969. Further airfields are under construction at Nonouti and Beru and the Heron will be replaced by a Britten Norman Trislander in 1975. The forty-two islands of the territory are divided into air districts which are (with their headquarters islands in brackets): Ocean Island, Northern Gilbert Islands (Butaritari), Central Gilbert Islands (Abemama), Southern Gilbert Islands (Tabiteuea), Ellice Islands (Funafuti), and Line Islands (Christmas Island). The Phoenix group and the Central and Southern Line Islands are uninhabited. Tarawa is the capital. Government offices are on three separate islets on South Tarawa-Betio, Bairiki, and Bikenibeu. Bairiki and Bikenibeu are connected by causeways, but Betio, the port area and scene of the bitter struggle between the United States Marines and the Japanese in 1943, lies two miles west of Bairiki and is served by a scheduled launch service. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has its headquarters at Bikenibeu. Tarawa, where the Central Hospital (153 beds) is also situated. Another general hospital (100 beds) is operated at Ocean Island by the British Phosphate Commissioners for their employees. At Funafuti in the Ellice Islands there is another general hospital. There is a dispensary with a medical assistant in charge on all other islands. |