JNF-The-Working-Class-Struggle-of-Half-a-Century

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is a little four-page newspaper. You go among civilised people and they have new edition every five minutes. Why? Because the people want to know what is going on and read to find out. My friends, you have to buck up and make your civilisation what it ought to be. Read, read, read; never stop until you discover the knowledge of the Universe. If you don’t understand the compass of your own world, how can you navigate properly? Christ himself paid tribute to intelligence. He made it clear in the parable of the talents... Spend a little less on food and a little more on your brain. Eat less and think more. Read more literature. Today it is a struggle of wit against wit, brains against brains... Your island is a Garden of Eden - viewed from the Waterfront it looks like a paradise. I have not come here to steal away everything; what I would like to steal away is ignorance, so that when I cross the Caribbean I can dump it into the deep Atlantic. I like the country very, very much, and the people too. You are very hospitable here. Everywhere I went, I was received with open arms... Try to make your little country the best spot in the world. Get hold of the land and don’t let it get away from you. The men who own the land make the laws. Own your own house and own the land, then you will be a respectable citizen and God will approve of you and the blessing of God Almighty will be upon you. 163
20 THE MOVE FOR MINIMUM WAGES On the 1 st January 1970 the “Labour (Minimum Wage) (Domestic Servant) Order, 1969, came into effect. Earlier workers was paid whatever wage rate their employer chose to pay. Long after the emancipation of the slaves in 1834, workers were still at the mercy of their former masters where payment was concerned. Closely related to low wages were the handicaps of poor health, crime and lack of educational facilities. These social ailments made life miserable for the masses and were rendered more stubborn because of the prevailing doctrine that the industry must thrive on cheap labour. Child labour was used extensively by the estates. There was practically no limit to the exploitation of the young generation. These were taken on to work and grouped into what were called “Small Gangs”. The advantages of this source of cheap labour to the estate made the planters put up strong resistance to anything designed to provide regulations for the fixing of minimum wages. The Workers League used every means at its disposal to expose this notorious state of affairs and to lay the groundwork for legislation to regulate wages. In February 1936, when Sir John Maffey, Permanent Under Secretary of the State for the Colonies, visited St. Kitts, the League made the case for social, political and industrial reforms, including a call to halt exploitation of our young people. In its memorandum the League stated, Child Labour takes the form of the employment of “Small Gangs” of children of school age and this has been the principal source from which our criminals are drawn, and is an over present dead weight upon the morale of the communities of the Presidency... In December 1937 Minimum Wage laws were enacted by the General Legislative Council of the Leeward Islands in Antigua. First Wage Fixing It was the accepted philosophy in business that industry and commence must thrive on cheap labour and other lines of employment in the country took the cue. Prominent in the picture was the sugar industry which 164
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J. N. FRANCE ______________________
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© 2015 Published by The National A
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Preface The Working Class struggle
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1 EARLY VISION Where is this countr
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With the passing of time, social an
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This early attempt at workers' orga
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post as a school teacher to succeed
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For several years the pressure was
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and school houses are being used fo
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housing condition arising from the
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3 PREPARING THE GROUND The thought
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That impressive English story told
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they had accumulated £28 with whic
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Commons that since the colony of th
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1922, some of the members of Legisl
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On 30 th August 1932 the Dominica T
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country and I regard British Guiana
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Mr. Marryshow then raised his tone
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Delegates to the West India Confere
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The conference opened its proceedin
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protests can be ignored with impuni
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Closer Union Commission widened to
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He said it was a privilege to him t
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possible, an education that must be
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and suffering, and in such a condit
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The land forming the Hospital compo
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ing able to grant the request of th
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prison sentences for what was commo
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sinned against the Factory. Theirs
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9 FROM PAUPER RELIEF TO PROVIDENT B
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1954 declared the first Monday in M
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it has proposed to interfere will b
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Change When the League came on the
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Children of the working class. 61
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had just dumped out a load of cane
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There was no reply from London. Twe
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president. When the delegation gave
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Under the law of 1937 only a limite
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Workers who would have benefited fr
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Grenada, and will seek to work in a
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Ferguson, Chairman of the Commissio
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Now let me say in the first place t
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We should like to refer to West Ind
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in West Indies there is a considera
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The 1932 Commissioners commented on
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not regard it as essential that the
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official news of its adoption by th
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gravity of the situation to the att
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On 13 th December, 1934 an unusuall
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employed by those who demand the ad
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concerning the right for the workin
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come relief to a grateful people an
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vance towards the goal of the Feder
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members of the Council. Mr. Marrysh
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see no reason why we should be give
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Unofficial Majority on the Legislat
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tional reform movement in this Pres
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combine to give the Closer Union Sc
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prominent part in marking the close
Page 122 and 123: when the slaves were set free, and
Page 124 and 125: The people in those days took it fo
Page 126 and 127: Sugar Factory workers were “chast
Page 128 and 129: At West Farm the marchers were prev
Page 130 and 131: Some of the men, it was alleged, we
Page 132 and 133: gear was damaged and the employees
Page 134 and 135: Inspector of Police and Magistrate
Page 136 and 137: H.M.S. Leander arrived in the port
Page 138 and 139: satisfied that the action taken by
Page 140 and 141: 16 THE FIRST ELECTION The clash of
Page 142 and 143: opposed to it. The 1936 Constitutio
Page 144 and 145: important matter, I promise the Ele
Page 146 and 147: could have no better representative
Page 148 and 149: whether it was a fact that the St.
Page 150 and 151: existing, it is not considered that
Page 152 and 153: 17 THE 1938 ROYAL COMMISSION The 19
Page 154 and 155: A: Any law-abiding citizen over 16
Page 156 and 157: appeared and presented the case of
Page 158 and 159: 18 A STAKE IN THE COUNTRY Land owne
Page 160 and 161: culture and Commercial Society. The
Page 162 and 163: After this, the land would vest abs
Page 164 and 165: age. In the following month, Januar
Page 166 and 167: 19 MARCUS GARVEY IN ST. KITTS St. K
Page 168 and 169: When he made man he said, ‘By the
Page 170 and 171: oil underneath his feet. Englishmen
Page 174 and 175: provided the major portion of the e
Page 176 and 177: which should be paid for the variou
Page 178 and 179: In April 1969 the Minister of Labou
Page 180 and 181: 21 POWER OF THE PRESS During first
Page 182 and 183: Commission headed by Sir Charles Fe
Page 184 and 185: President wrote, The issues are too
Page 186 and 187: the sea. The effects were terrible
Page 188 and 189: mendous crowd packed the Mutual Imp
Page 190 and 191: territory, the success of the past
Page 192 and 193: the notice, was that employees were
Page 194 and 195: 185
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JNF-The-Working-Class-Struggle-of-Half-a-Century

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