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

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Grenada, and will seek to work in association with existing progressive political institutions through out the West Indies. Indeed this was the first national organization in the British Caribbean. It was designed to weld the interests of all the islands together and to provide a machinery for collective action. The West Indian National League incorporated all of the forward-looking elements in the region with nationhood as the goal. The Labour organisation in various Islands became branches of the West Indian National League. The St .Kitts Workers League was the local branch. The Workingmens Association of Antigua, Grenada, Trinidad and St. Vincent, as well as the taxpayers reform association of Dominica and Montserrat, along with other territorial Labour units, were all organised into the broad-based West Indian National league. A united Caribbean voice called for the widening of the scope of the Closer Union Commission to include the question of selfdetermination. Requests for effective control over public affairs had gone forward many times and the response of the British Colonial office had been disappointing. The leaders prepared for any eventuality before they rose from the conference table in Dominica. They finalised the plan of action with regard to the Closer Union Commission which was to be sent from London in 1932 to deal with the amalgamation of the Leewards, Windwards and Trinidad. Part of the strategy was to prepare every island for the arrival of the Commission so that pressure on the London team could be applied in every way from the outset. The chief weapon was to be the boycott. The line to be taken was set down in the Conference report: It was agreed that provided that the terms of reference of the Closer Union Commission were extended so as to include a constitutional advance towards selfgovernment, a delegation, representative of the conference, should meet the commission at each Island to urge that the recommendations of the conference be implemented; but that unless the terms of the conference be widened to include this subject, no conference delegation should meet the Commission. 73
The framing itself of that resolution reflected the earnestness and great skill of the draftsmen. The opening was mild, but the sting was put in the tail. Unless the wishes of the people prevailed, the commission would be ignored. That was that. The weight of the situation now hung entirely on the nature of the Commission’s terms of reference. The influential West India Committee of London was asked to ascertain the true position. This was done through its secretary, Mr. A. Aspinall. The reply was a repetition of the statement that - the Secretary of State was not prepared to alter the terms of reference of the Closer Union Commission, but the Commissioners would not wish to curtail unreasonably the range of evidence which would be submitted to them. The statement was vague. West Indian leaders remained cautious. They knew that they were dealing with top-ranking officials of a nation, which distinguished itself as the greatest coloniser on the globe so they took care to avoid being caught in the web of British diplomacy. Outward bound The commission sailed from England in November. Each day of the portentous voyage found the Caribbean stalwarts feeling more uneasy. On this side of the Atlantic the southwards stretch of the journey was made on S.S. Lady Drake. The terms of reference were still the big question. The lips of London’s officials were still sealed. On the 19 th November the chairman of the West Indian Conference issued a directive by cable from Dominica to all branches of the West Indian National League. It read, Exhibit conspicuous posters on the arrival of the Commissioners, namely (1) No taxation without representation; (2) No federation without self-government; (3) Crown colony rule must go. Arrival St .Kitts, the first Caribbean island colonised by Britain, was also the first one at which the Closer Union Commission called. No sooner had the ship entered the port on 23 rd November on its way to Antigua, then a letter was sent on board and placed into the hands of General Charles 74
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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
Page 31 and 32: 1922, some of the members of Legisl
Page 33 and 34: On 30 th August 1932 the Dominica T
Page 35 and 36: country and I regard British Guiana
Page 37 and 38: Mr. Marryshow then raised his tone
Page 39: Delegates to the West India Confere
Page 42 and 43: The conference opened its proceedin
Page 44 and 45: protests can be ignored with impuni
Page 46 and 47: Closer Union Commission widened to
Page 48 and 49: He said it was a privilege to him t
Page 50 and 51: possible, an education that must be
Page 52 and 53: and suffering, and in such a condit
Page 54 and 55: The land forming the Hospital compo
Page 56 and 57: ing able to grant the request of th
Page 58 and 59: prison sentences for what was commo
Page 60 and 61: sinned against the Factory. Theirs
Page 62 and 63: 9 FROM PAUPER RELIEF TO PROVIDENT B
Page 64 and 65: 1954 declared the first Monday in M
Page 66 and 67: it has proposed to interfere will b
Page 68 and 69: Change When the League came on the
Page 70 and 71: Children of the working class. 61
Page 72 and 73: had just dumped out a load of cane
Page 74 and 75: There was no reply from London. Twe
Page 76 and 77: president. When the delegation gave
Page 78 and 79: Under the law of 1937 only a limite
Page 80 and 81: Workers who would have benefited fr
Page 84 and 85: Ferguson, Chairman of the Commissio
Page 86 and 87: Now let me say in the first place t
Page 88 and 89: We should like to refer to West Ind
Page 90 and 91: in West Indies there is a considera
Page 92 and 93: The 1932 Commissioners commented on
Page 94 and 95: not regard it as essential that the
Page 96 and 97: official news of its adoption by th
Page 98 and 99: gravity of the situation to the att
Page 100 and 101: On 13 th December, 1934 an unusuall
Page 102 and 103: employed by those who demand the ad
Page 104 and 105: concerning the right for the workin
Page 106 and 107: come relief to a grateful people an
Page 108 and 109: vance towards the goal of the Feder
Page 110 and 111: members of the Council. Mr. Marrysh
Page 112 and 113: see no reason why we should be give
Page 114 and 115: Unofficial Majority on the Legislat
Page 116 and 117: tional reform movement in this Pres
Page 118 and 119: combine to give the Closer Union Sc
Page 120 and 121: 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
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gear was damaged and the employees
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Inspector of Police and Magistrate
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H.M.S. Leander arrived in the port
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satisfied that the action taken by
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16 THE FIRST ELECTION The clash of
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opposed to it. The 1936 Constitutio
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important matter, I promise the Ele
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could have no better representative
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whether it was a fact that the St.
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existing, it is not considered that
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17 THE 1938 ROYAL COMMISSION The 19
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A: Any law-abiding citizen over 16
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appeared and presented the case of
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18 A STAKE IN THE COUNTRY Land owne
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culture and Commercial Society. The
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After this, the land would vest abs
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age. In the following month, Januar
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19 MARCUS GARVEY IN ST. KITTS St. K
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When he made man he said, ‘By the
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oil underneath his feet. Englishmen
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is a little four-page newspaper. Yo
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provided the major portion of the e
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which should be paid for the variou
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In April 1969 the Minister of Labou
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21 POWER OF THE PRESS During first
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Commission headed by Sir Charles Fe
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President wrote, The issues are too
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the sea. The effects were terrible
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mendous crowd packed the Mutual Imp
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territory, the success of the past
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the notice, was that employees were
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JNF-The-Working-Class-Struggle-of-Half-a-Century

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