THE FEDERATION OF THE WEST INDIES

HL Deb 06 February 1962 vol 237 cc26-31

3.39 p.m.

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR COLONIAL AFFAIRS (THE EARL OF PERTH)

My Lords, I think that now might be a convenient moment for me to make the statement about my right honourable friend's visit to the West Indies. Perhaps it will be easiest if I use the exact words that my right honourable friend is using in another place. It is as follows:

"As the House is aware, I paid a visit to the West Indies from the 13th to the 28th of January. My object was to discuss with the leaders of the Governments in the Eastern Caribbean the situation arising from Jamaica's desire to leave the Federation. During my visit I had talks with the Federal Government and with the Premiers of Barbados and Trinidad, as well as with Chief Ministers of all the Leeward and Windward Islands which form part of the Federation of the West Indies.

"My talks revealed that we face this situation: Jamaica has declared its determination to withdraw from the Federation and this decision has been accepted by Her Majesty's Government. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has decided not to participate in any federation of the Eastern Caribbean. Finally, the Premier of Barbados and the Chief Ministers of the Leeward and Windward Islands, while advocating a new federation between their territories, are agreed that the present one should be dissolved.

"In these circumstances Her Majesty's Government have with regret reached the conclusion that they have no alternative but to arrange for the dissolution of the present Federation.

"Under the Federation, however, a number of common services of great value have been operating in the area. We are anxious to ensure their continuation on a regional basis pending clarification of the constitutional position throughout the area. Her Majesty's Government have therefore decided to introduce legislation into Parliament very shortly which will enble us to dissolve the present Federation, and to set up an interim organisation under a Commissioner appointed by Her Majesty's Government, which will be responsible for running the common services for the time being, until some more permanent arrangements for their operation can be worked out in conjunction with the Governments of the West Indies.

"Her Majesty's Government regard the suggested federation of Barbados and the Leeward and Windward Islands as a promising development. They consider, however, that a great deal of careful study, both here and in the West Indies, will be needed before any final decisions can be taken, and they propose for their part to initiate this study in the very near future."

3.43 p.m.

VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLS-BOROUGH

My Lords, we are obliged to the noble Earl for giving us this statement. I think the whole House will agree with the Government in expressing regret that they have had to reach the conclusion they have and that there is no alternative but to arrange for the dissolution of the present Federation. We can understand, from what has been said earlier, the difficulties which have faced the Government in dealing with this matter; but somehow or other I feel in my heart that I should like efforts to continue in the future to try to get a satisfactory federation, if that were possible, and to persuade certain personalities to agree with each other in the matter.

However, the procedure which is laid down now in the statement is naturally that the Government will be introducing legislation, and perhaps we may have a further discussion on the matter in general when that comes up. I agree that we shall have to look at the question of how to run the rest of the common services for those who are not in the Trinidad or the Jamaican set-up. I think the suggested Federation of Barbados and the Leeward and Windward Islands is a matter which can be pursued as a promising development; but I hope that the Government will pursue it with care, as well as with urgency, and that we may come to the help of these places as much as lies within our power.

THE EARL OF SWINTON

My Lords, I should like to add one word, having always been a keen supporter of this Federation. I am sure we all share the regret of Her Majesty's Government that it has broken down. Geographically it had great difficulties; but constitutionally it looked as if it might be one of the most hopeful of all the new developments, because the West Indies had a long tradition of all that is best in British Parliamentary and constitutional life. Therefore, it is a great misfortune that this suggested Federation has broken down. But I agree that the Government must accept the decision, taken first of all in Jamaica and, following upon that, in Trinidad.

I would only say this: I am delighted to hear that they are going to continue the common services. I think that is extremely important. It is important not only because they are in themselves of great value to every one of these Island dependencies, but also because of the fact that they work well together. The noble Viscount the Leader of the Opposition said that he hoped this might not be the final word. It is, of course, for the moment. But, after all, people separate and people come together again; and the more they work in co-operation over common services perhaps the better the chance will be that they may draw together once more in closer union.

THE EARL OF LISTOWEL

My Lords, as I, too, was one of those involved in the original plan for the Federation of the West Indies, I should like to supplement what has already been said about how much we regret the decision to dissolve the Federation. At the same time, we on this side of the House have always said—and it is, I think, a view shared by most people—that no Federation can continue without the willing support of its component units; and that is a view we have held in relation to other Federations besides the West Indies.

I should like to ask the noble Earl one or two questions in relation to common services. I am as delighted as the noble Earl, Lord Swinton, and as I am sure other noble Lords who have been to the West Indies will be, that the common services will continue to operate. I should like to know whether the Colonial Development and Welfare Funds will be available for the cost of these common services or whether funds from them provided by Her Majesty's Government will continue to be available; and also whether personnel from here, as well as from the West Indies, will be available for the technical posts which often cannot be locally filled. Finally, I would ask whether the Commissioner whom the Government propose to appoint will be a political figure or a civil servant.

3.48 p.m.

THE EARL OF PERTH

My Lords, I must say that I am not surprised at the general regret that has been expressed on the ending of this experiment. It was a very difficult one, with many thousands of miles between some of the Islands. But there it is. As noble Lords have said, we must accept at the moment that what various of the Islands have said is the wish of their people. But I feel very much with the noble Viscount the Leader of the Opposition and with the noble Earl, Lord Swinton, that while they are concentrating on what remains—namely, the common services—that may not be the end of the story. It would be wrong to give your Lordships any hope that we see something building up from the common services to-day: indeed, one might do a disservice to the whole concept of what can be done in the future if one did build too much on them. But it is important that they should go on.

I am not sure that I shall be able to answer in detail the questions put by the noble Earl, Lord Listowel, because they involve things that we are going to discuss with the Islands as soon as we can. But I have no doubt that it, for example, there is need of people from over here to help them run their technical services, and so on, we shall see what we can do in that respect. That is not a commitment; it is just a general expression of our policy in those things. I hope the noble Earl will accept that I cannot say more in reply to the other questions that he asked.

LORD OGMORE

My Lords, while agreeing with everything that has been said, and regretting that it has become necessary to dissolve this Federation, I take it that there will be a hiatus, as it were, between the time when one Federation is dissolved and another one is created, if it is created. How does the noble Earl propose that the various services which are now federal services shall be continued during that period?

THE EARL OF PERTH

My Lords, the thought is that the interim organisation will carry on with the common services as a matter of practical administration while issues of the constitutional arrangements may be debated quite outside and run at their own pace and in their own way. As your Lordships know, we have at this moment a constitutional conference going on about Jamaica. That conference will come to certain conclusions. We may face a similar conference in regard to Trinidad and Tobago. As I said in the statement, it may be that the other concept of the Federation of the remaining eight islands may take more concrete shape. It depends very much on what everybody decides after further study. But while all that is proceeding, it seems to me that there need be no hiatus; we certainly have no thought in mind that there need he any hiatus in the practical administration of the common services under an interim organisation. Obviously that is the wish of all the islands.

LORD WALSTON

My Lords, as I understand it, the original object of Federation was to bring together a sufficient number of people to create a viable economic unit, with a view to eventual independence which was to have been granted very shortly. Now that this whole idea has fallen to the ground, it is certainly commonly held in the West Indies that Jamaica will still receive independence shortly, and Trinidad also in a very short time. I do not know whether the noble Earl has any statement or comment to make on that feeling and, if in fact it is true, on what has occurred to make Her Majesty's Government feel that a unit of a little over one million inhabitants, such as Jamaica, and one of a little under one million, such as Trinidad, are now large enough to be economically independent, whereas a few years ago the idea was that they could achieve independence only if there were something over two million inhabitants.

THE EARL OF PERTH

My Lords, the answer to the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Walston, as to what has changed our judgment of whether there can be independence with, let us say, a little over one million for Jamaica, or a little under one million for Trinidad, whereas at one time we thought in terms of bigger figures, is that that is just how things have developed. We have seen other examples—the case of Cyprus. Whether it will be so in the case of what is projected possibly for Zanzibar, or perhaps for other territories in the not too distant future, I do not know. There is a further point—namely, that in both Jamaica and Trinidad there has been considerable economic development in the last years which has made them more viable as units on their own. This is not to say that to see them fragmented in this way as opposed to the original concept of a larger grouping is a good thing, because clearly a larger unit had its advantages not only because of its general standing in the world but because of the diversification it offered in relation to its economies.