Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/406

 284 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — WEST INDIES

The Bank of Nassau issues notes of the value of 20s. and 4.v. respective!}'. The Royal Bank of Canada has opened a branch at Nas.'-au. The Post Office Savings Bank on June 30, 1911, had 2,108 depositors wilh 25,498Z. to their credit, British silver and bronze coin are legal tender without limit.

BARBADOS.

Lies on the E. of the Windward Islands.

Governor. — Sir Leslie Probyn, K.C.M.G. (2,500Z.), with Executive Council, Executive Committee, Legislative Council of 9 Members (appointed by the King), and House of Assembly of 24 members, elected annually by the people ; in 1911, there were 1,986 registered electors.

Area, 166 square miles ; population (census of 1911), 171,982. Capital, Bridgetown; population, 16,648; Speightstown, 1,500. Births (1911), 6,106 ; deaths, 4,561. Government grants to the Church of England, 9,74iZ. ; Wesleyan, 700Z. ; Moravians, 400Z. ; Roman Catholic, 50Z. — per annum, 10, 891Z. Education is under the care of the Government. In 1911 there were 166 primary schools, and 16,314 pupils in average attendance ; 6 second-grade schools (1 for girls), 329 pupils ; 2 first-grade schools for boys, with an attendance of 158 and 55 respectively, and 1 first- grade school for girls with 91 pupils ; Codrington College, affiliated to Durham University, 20 students. Government expenditure on education in 1911-12 19,382Z, One monthly, one tri-weekly, one weekly, and three daily newspapers.

There is a Supreme Court ; Grand Sessions once in every 4 months ; 7 police magistrates. In 1911, 11,142 summary convictions.. 55 in superior courts : 203 (daily average) prisoners in gaol. In 1911, 19,551Z. was spent in poor- relief, &c. Police, 318 officers and men. Harbour Police, 40 officers and men.

Of the total area of 106,470 acres, about 74,000 are ander cultivation ; the staple produce is sugar and cotton About 35,000 acres under sugar-cane ; yield in 1910, 39,889 hhds., and 77,722 puncheons of molasses; in 1911, 30,548 hhds., and 84,887 puncheons of molasses. There are 388 sugar works and 5 rum distilleries. The cotton crop for 1911 was 740,269 lbs., valued at 43,182Z. ; for 1906, 483,473 lbs., valued at 26,000Z. Of "man-jak" or "glance i»itch," a bituminous petroleum for fuel, 164 tons (1,568^,) M'erc exported in 1911. In the fishing industry, about 250 boats are employed, and about 1,000 persons. Value of fish caught annually, about 17,000Z.

The Colonial Bank has a paid-up capital of 600,000Z. The Royal Bank of Canada has a paid-up capital of 1,291,666/. The Government Savings Bank on March 31, 1912, had 20,683 depositors, with 435,966Z. to then- credit. English gold, silver, and bronze coin are in circulation, and 5-dollar notes of the Colonial Bank. Post office, 1911 : letters, &c., and parcels inwards, 1,000,629 ; outwards, 923,258. Internal letters and parcels, 781,884.

Registered shipping 1911, 74 vessels of 18,416 tons net. The total tonnage of shipping entered and cleared at the Port of Bridgetown during the year 1911 was 3,475,511 tons, of which 2,620,223 toiis represented British tonnage. There are 470 miles of roads ; and 28 miles of railway of 2ft. 6in. gauge, belonging to a private company. There are 47 miles of Government and 24 miles of railway telephone line in the island, besides a line with 1,800 miles of wire belonging to one private company.

JAMAICA.

Jamaica was taken by the English in 1655, and their possession was con- firmed by the Treaty of Madrid, 1670. In 1661 a Representative Council was established ; this was abolished in 1866, but in 1884 a partially elective Legislative Council was instituted;