Air Estimates, 1935.

Part of Orders of the Day — Supply. – in the House of Commons at on 25 July 1935.

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Photo of Mr John Banfield Mr John Banfield , Wednesbury

In concluding his speech the Secretary of State referred to the question of freedom and democracy and reiterated that our Parliamentary system here enabled us to do certain things all over the world. I want to make an appeal to the Minister to carry into practice his belief in democracy. I have a complaint here from the Fiji Islands pointing out that on the 16th May a Motion was proposed, without any prior consultation or warning, to replace the elective system there by a system of nomination. This was carried by a majority of the Council. In answer to a question which I asked to-day, the Minister said that he was considering the position that had been created, but that, in the meantime, the present elective Council would be kept in office for a further 12 months. Resolutions have been passed at meetings consisting, on the one hand, of Europeans, and, on the other hand, of Indians, at which it has been declared by representative people that they have no wish after 30 years of an elective system to be condemned to a nominated council. They point out that this means in effect a practical autocracy and that the nominated people would be under the direct influence of the Governor; while the Europeans claim that right to a franchise which they believe is the birthright of Britishers the world over. I hope that we shall get some consideration for that point.

I want to make an appeal for one of the distressed Colonies and to draw the attention of the Minister to the plight of the Island of Mauritius and of the islands of the West Indies generally. I have a copy of a cable sent to London in which it is pointed out that considerable numbers who are without the means of existence must rely upon the public charity which can be provided. In fact, the number of underfed unemployed in every station—professional men, artisans and day labourers—continues to increase alarmingly. The figures obtained last year regarding the unemployed cannot give a true picture of the distress and destitution under which the bulk of the population are now suffering. The island depends entirely on the production of sugar. If it is unable to get a decent price for its sugar, it has nothing else upon which to fall back. The hon. Member for Altrincham (Sir E. Grigg) said that one of the advantages of our colonial system was that it enabled salaries and pensions to be paid by the Colonies to certain individuals. In this particular case the people are complaining bitterly that the Budget now introduced makes provision for expenditure on salaries and pensions to the extent of £1,200,000, which is out of all proportion to the resources of the Colony. We talk about the distressed areas in this country, but here we have a distressed area in which men, women and children are on the verge of starvation. I have here a letter sent by Sir William Garthwaite, who is interested in the Colony, in which he declares: I know myself from personal visits and from the visits of my associates that the population of some 400,000 souls is more or less on the border line of starvation—badly fed, badly housed, and lacking proper medical attention. The position in all the sugar producing islands in the West Indies is almost as bad as that of Mauritius. There are complaints about poverty, degradation and semi-starvation throughout the West Indies, and I want to ask what policy the Government are going to lay down in connection with the production and marketing of sugar. Surely there must be some relation between the payments of subsidies for beet sugar in this country, the state of the sugar market in the West Indies, and the position of the population there, both native and European, as a consequence of the present sugar policy. We have to bear in mind that in these islands, where sugar is almost the sole product, the population is continually increasing. For instance, in the Barbadoes there are 1,000 persons to the square mile, and the appalling problem that has to be faced is that with the reduction of the production of wealth there is an ever-increasing population. It would be interesting if the Minister could tell us what he proposes to do, whether he proposes to consult the Minister of Agriculture, and whether the Government, in dealing with the sugar beet industry in this country, has considered the plight of the West Indies.

What, in short, is to be the future fate of these islands which are so dependent upon the sale of sugar? As is pointed out by Sir William Garthwaite, the refiners in England buy the Mauritius crop and they make handsome profits. He points out that Tate and Lyle declared last year a net profit, after paying tax, of £1,205,000, and in addition had reserves of £2,816,000. He quite rightly contrasts the prosperity of the sugar refiners with the appalling destitution and poverty of great numbers of people in the West Indies. The House is entitled to know what steps, if any, the Colonial Office are going to take to relieve this destitution and poverty. It is true that in Jamaica, for instance, there are other things which make up for the failure of the sugar crop. When it is remembered that sugar is fetching to-day only 4s. 5½d. per cwt., which is far below the cost of production, it is obvious that this state of things cannot go on much longer. Are the Government prepared to do something to sub- sides the West Indies? After all, if they can come to this House and ask for subsidies for cattle, beet sugar, wheat, and so on, surely we have some moral responsibility to the people in these Colonies, most of whom are descendants of the old slaves that were freed in days gone by. We look upon them as a direct responsibility, yet I have it on unchallengeable authority that they are on the verge of starvation, that there is no provision for them, and that no one there knows what to do. I hope that the Colonial Office will make speedy inquiry into the whole matter.

I also want to draw the attention of the Colonial Office to the position of labour generally in the Colonies, and want the new Minister to realise that this question should be looked into as soon as possible. In Northern Rhodesia, for instance, the question of labour inspection and a Labour Department cries out for almost immediate attention. There have been disturbances, riots, shootings and so on. Here we have a territory which within the next two or three years will call for much labour and which should be fairly prosperous. We have heard from the Minister that neither the Government nor the nation as a whole wish to see the deliberate exploitation of native labour, and I urge on the Minister to appoint labour inspectors and to endeavour to do away with the unrest which every now and then breaks out in bloodshed and rioting.

It is absolutely essential that some action should be taken. The taxation of the natives should receive attention. The troubles in Northern Rhodesia were chiefly due to the fact that there was an increase in taxation without any corresponding increase in wages to pay the taxation. Both there and in Kenya taxation is based upon a rotten principle, in my opinion—it is based upon the hut. I asked a question in this House regarding statements that widows' huts have been burned because the owners were unable to pay the hut tax. I hope that these questions of taxation, the proper supervision of native labour, the protection of the natives against exploitation—because we desire to retain our good name for holding the balance fairly in the case of people who are unable, really, to speak for themselves—will be taken into consideration by the new Colonial Secretary, and that by courage and determination and a resolve to bring forth new ideas and introduce new methods he may make his term at the Colonial Office a time of which he may ultimately be proud.