HC Deb 14 December 1938 vol 342 cc1987-8
57. Mr. Riley

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies which of the recommendations of the report of the Commission on Disturbances in Barbados, in July, 1937, have been put into operation?

Mr. M. MacDonald

As the reply is rather long, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Riley

Has any increase in wages taken place as a result of the recommendations of the Commission?

Mr. MacDonald

Yes, Sir, some increases have taken place. They were referred to in a reply which I gave a month or two ago, and they are also referred to in the long answer to the question.

Following is the reply:

Since the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Shipley (Mr. Creech Jones) on 28th July, the following additional recommendations of the Barbados Commission have been put into operation:

  1. (a) Arrangements have now been made for the inspection of scales and the verification of weights before the next crop season (paragraph 17 of report).
  2. (b) A Transport Board has been created and has passed regulations to allocate and control bus services (paragraph 34).
  3. (c) A Housing Board has been appointed and has presented, as a preliminary step, a £5,000 scheme for housing persons to be evicted from slum areas.
    4. 1988
  4. (d) The post of Labour Officer has been created and I am taking steps to find a suitable officer to fill it.
  5. In addition to the above, the following proposals are receiving active consideration.
  6. (e) The Director of Agriculture has proposed an alternative scheme of minimum payments for sugar cane grown on peasants' holdings. The alternative scheme will give the same average price as that recommended by the Commission in paragraph 16 of their report. Legislation is being drafted to give effect to this.
  7. (f) A scheme for the centralisation of health services has been drafted by the Board of Health and now awaits consideration by the Legislature (paragraph 18).
  8. (g) Regulations under the Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery Act are being drafted to constitute Advisory Boards (paragraphs 22, 45 and 51).
  9. (h) A Bill to compel the planting of vegetables on 5 per cent. of the arable acreage of plantations is in draft (paragraph 64).
  10. (i) A Trade Union Bill is before a Select Committee of the Legislature (paragraph 65).

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