will gradually extend through areas subject to economic development where the owners wish it. All mineral rights in the islands are reserved to the Government. Prospecting and mining are subject to control under modern mining legislation which was revised in 1968. Land privately owned by non-Solomon Islanders is also being brought on to the Land Register under transitional provisions in the land legislation which contain an element of compulsion. Use of such land is subject to the same controls for the protection of valuable natural assets as land under customary ownership. THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS His Excellency Mr D. C. C. Luddington, CMG, CVO (Governor) A. T. Clark, мVO (Deputy Governor) Dr G. A. P. Zoloveke (Education and Cultural Affairs) T TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS HE Turks and Caicos Islands lie to the south-east of the Bahamas between latitudes 21 and 22° N., and longitudes 71° and 72° 30′ W. The Turks Islands are said to derive their name from a species of cactus (echinocactus myriostigma) whose scarlet flowers resemble a Turkish fez. There are a number of theories on how the Caicos Islands got their name, one being that the name is derived from the Spanish name "Cayos" for cays. The territory is made up of two groups of islands separated by a deep water channel about 22 miles wide known as the Turks Islands passage. The Turks Islands lie to the east of the passage and the Caicos Islands to the west. The Turks Islands consist of two inhabited islands, Grand Turk and Salt Cay, six uninhabited cays and a large number of rocks. The principal islands of the Caicos group are South Caicos, East Caicos, Middle (or Grand) Caicos, North Caicos, Providenciales and West Caicos. Geographically the islands are a part of the Bahamas chain and have the same flat characteristics, there being no land above 250 feet. The total land area is estimated at 193 square miles. The climate is good. The south-east trade winds blow constantly throughout the year, giving an equable and healthy climate. Rainfall is variable and tends to be higher in the Caicos Islands; on Grand Turk the annual average is about 21 inches. The temperature ranges throughout the year from 60°F to 90°F. Severe hurricanes occurred in 1866, 1873, 1888, 1908, 1926, 1928, 1945 and 1960. The population at the last census (October 1970) was 5,675. The majority of the population are of African descent. The birth-rate in 1974 was 28.5 per '000 and the death rate 6-7 per '000. Religion is Christian, the main denominations being Baptist, Methodist and Anglican. English is the official and spoken language. There are 14 Government Primary Schools, two Private Primary, two Government Secondary and two Private Secondary. In January 1975 there were 1,629 enrolments in the Primary Schools; Turks and Caicos High and North Caicos Junior had 496, Pierson High 136. Education is free. The main seaports are Grand Turk, Salt Cay, Providenciales and Cockburn Harbour on South Caicos. There are regular mail and freight services from Miami. Grand Turk and South Caicos have a number of metalled roads. Providenciacles, North Caicos and Middle Caicos all have a network of roads, albeit unpaved. Grand Turk, South Caicos and Providenciales have International Airports. The other islands have airstrips. Mackey International Inc. operates a fourweekly schedule passenger service to Miami. Bahamasair operates a onceweekly schedule passenger service to the Bahamas. Turks and Caicos Airways operate a three-times-daily service to all the islands and four flights per week to Haiti (Port-au-Prince) plus charters anywhere in the Caribbean. Turks Air Ltd operates a twice weekly schedule cargo service to Miami and Turks and Caicos Air Services operates a once per week cargo flight to Miami. Airmail is received and despatched via Miami, four times weekly, Surface mail from all parts of the world is routed via the US arriving at regular threeweekly intervals from Miami, Florida. Cable & Wireless (West Indies) Ltd provide internal and international cable telephone, telex and telegraph services. (A 300 line automatic telephone exchange is operating in Grand Turk and a 100 line in South Caicos). A 50 line automatic telephone exchange should be going into operation on the island of Providenciales in mid-1975. Systems are planned for North and Middle Caicos and Salt Cay. The Company also operates telephone and telegraph services with ships at sea, using the call sign VSI. The establishment of an Island Broadcasting Service is under active consideration and in partial operation. Government is sponsoring a two-hour daily broadcast consisting of news and educational programmes. There is a 20-bed cottage hospital of modern design at Grand Turk. together with a dental clinic. Medical Officers are stationed at Grand Turk and at Cockburn Harbour on South Caicos. There is a clinic at Cockburn Harbour, a maternity clinic in the charge of a midwife at Bottle Creek on North Caicos, a clinic in the charge of a qualified nurse on Providenciales and a clinic nurse at Salt Cay. There is practically no agriculture carried on in Turks Islands and South Caicos, but in the rest of the Caicos Islands corn, beans and other crops are normally grown in sufficient quantity to satisfy local needs. Sisal production ceased in 1968 owing to poor crops and export difficulties. In the past the principal occupation of the population of the Turks Islands group and of South Caicos was the production of salt by solar evaporation. However, because of difficulties in finding markets, the operations on Grand Turk and South Caicos were closed down at the end of 1964. Operations continue on a reduced scale on Salt Cay. Government revenue in 1974 was US$2,630,897 and expenditure under the Turks and Caicos Development Plan during the year 1974 was US$2,552,684. HISTORY The islands were discovered in 1512 by Juan Ponce de Leon while on a voyage from Puerto Rico. At the time of their discovery the islands were apparently uninhabited. The first European occupation was by Bermudians who, beginning at least as early as 1678, came regularly for salt about March, remaining until around November when the salt raking season was over. They sometimes stayed throughout the year. The Caicos Islands were settled by Loyalist planters from the Southern States of America after the War of Independence. After the abolition of slavery in 1838 the planter left the islands, their former slaves remaining in possession. In the meantime the islands were placed under the Bahamas Government, but in 1848 in answer to a petition from the inhabitants a separate charter was granted divorcing them from the control of the Bahamas; this provided for an elective Legislative Board and a President administering the Government. After a period of severe financial stringency, the Legislative Council in 1873 petitioned Her Majesty that the Islands might be annexed to the Colony of Jamaica and from 1874 to July 1959 they were one of its dependencies. An Order in Council of 1873, which annexed the islands to Jamaica, made provision for the constitution of a Legislative Board for the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Commissioner was ex-officio President of the Board, which had full legislative and budgetary powers, but ordinances required the assent of the Governor of Jamaica before becoming law. Laws passed by the Legislature of Jamaica did not apply to the Dependency unless they were made applicable in express terms. On 20th February 1958 royal assent was given to the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands Act, 1958, by which Her Majesty was empowered to make provision by Order-in-Council for the Government of the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. On 25th February 1966 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh in the course of the royal tour of the West Indies visited Grand Turk and South Caicos; this was the first occasion that a reigning monarch had visited the islands. His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh made his second visit to the Island on 21st March 1975. CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT The Turks and Caicos Islands (Constitution) Order in Council 1959, provided for a new constitution which was brought into operation on 4th July 1959. Under it the office of Governor of the Islands was constituted (the Governor of Jamaica was also Governor of the Islands) and the office of Commissioner replaced by the office of Administrator. The former Legislative Board was replaced by a Legislative Assembly consisting of the Administrator as President, two or three official members appointed by the Governor, two or three nominated non-official members appointed by the Governor and nine members elected on a constituency basis by universal adult suffrage; and an Executive Council was introduced consisting of the Administrator, two official members, one nominated member and two elected members (elected by the nominated and elected members of the Assembly from among the elected members of the Assembly). On 6th August 1962, when Jamaica attained independence at the wish of the local inhabitants, the Islands became a Crown Colony and the post of Governor was abolished. A new Constitution then came into force, basically the same as that of 1959, but with the powers formerly exercised by the Governor to be exercised by the Administrator. In 1964 talks were held between representatives of the Government of the United Kingdom, the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands concerning a closer association between the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. As a result of these talks the Turks and Caicos Islands (Constitution) Order in Council 1965 (which came into operation on 5th November 1965) provides that the Governor of the Bahamas shall be also Governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The office of Administrator, Turks and Caicos Islands, remained in being. On 18th June 1969 a new Constitution came into force which provided for an Administrator and a State Council. The State Council consists of a Speaker, three official members, not less than two, nor more than three nominated members and nine elected members. The Council sat in public under its Speaker when dealing with legislation and in private under the Administrator when dealing with executive matters. However, in the light of the independence of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, there was a constitutional advancement which transferred the powers previously held by the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Bahamas Islands to the Governor, a Supreme Court and a Court of Appeal of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Thus the office of Administrator was abolished and replaced by that of Governor, Turks and Caicos Islands. The Constitution of the State Council was altered by the inclusion of the Chief Secretary and Financial Secretary in place of the Treasurer and one additional official member. The Constitution (Amendment) Order 1973 came into operation on 25th April 1973. A formal request was made by the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands to review the present Constitution of the Islands and in 1973 the Right Honourable the Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KCMG, was appointed Constitution Commissioner. His report is still being considered. Lord Oxford's proposals include the creation of a small Executive Council with an elected majority to be four members elected by the Legislature and three official members. LAND POLICY On Grand Turk and South Caicos Islands much of the land is privately owned, but Crown Land is also available. On the other islands the majority of land is owned by the Crown. The purchase of private land, which is not controlled in any way, is subject to personal negotiation. A system of registration of land ownership carrying a Government guarantee of the authenticity of title, has been instituted so that title and interests in land are certain and known. The present policy in respect of Crown Land is not to part with freehold title until an agreed amount of permanent improvement has taken place. Such land will therefore be issued on a conditional purchase lease in the first instance. The conditions are phased over a number of years, usually about five, except in the case of a very large scale development scheme when a longer period would be granted. In any case some progress must be shown within two years. The Govern ment would bind itself to grant freehold title at the end of the period if the agreed development had taken place. If no development takes place within the stipulated period the land would revert automatically to the Crown. An applicant for Crown Land should give, in some detail, his proposals for development, and the area or areas required, together with details of his financial backing. It is very necessary that all applicants for land or their agents should visit any site proposed before submitting detailed proposals as in some cases only enquiries made locally would reveal whether the site was suitable for development. STATE COUNCIL ELECTED MEMBERS A. V. Butterfield (Kew, North Caicos) NOMINATED MEMBERS Speaker: G. E. M. Ewing, JP OFFICIAL MEMBERS Chief Secretary: P. Dale GOVERNMENT The Governor: His Excellency A. C. Watson Financial Secretary: A. F. Williams Assistant Secretaries: O. A. Smith; S. W. Garland; A. R. Misick Chief Medical Officer: Dr J. H. Ashmore, OBE Postmaster/Manager, Savings Bank: M. Hanchell Magistrate (also acts as Judge of Supreme Court, Registrar of Companies): P. P. Simpson Water Adviser: K. F. Sparkes |