Electrical Department. Director, 8001., H. H. Manson. BARBADOS.* Situation and Area. Barbados is situated in latitude 13° 4′ North and longitude 59° 37' West, and is the most easterly of the Caribbee Islands. It is nearly 21 miles long by 14 in breadth, and contains an area of 106,470 acres, or about 166 square miles, somewhat larger than the Isle of Wight. History. The exact date of the discovery of Barbados is not known. It is said to have been first visited by the Portuguese, who found it uninhabited and rude from the number of bearded fig-trees. in appearance, and named the isle Los Barbados, It was nominally taken possession of by the English ship Olive Blossom in 1605, when it was almost uninhabited. In 1626 Sir William Courteen, a London merchant, under the protection of the Earl of Superintendent and Chief Engineer, 500l., E. L. Marlborough, who held a grant of the island from Moore. Senior Shift Engineer, 450l., F. R. Moultrie. Engineer, Grade 1, 3601.-161.-4201., G. Pearce. Engineer, Grade II, 3001.-141.-3601., W. Lightbourn. Linesman, 3007.-147.-3601., D. A. W. Taylor. Engineer-in-Charge, Ice Plant, H. V. Brown. Out-Island Commissioners. Senior Commissioner, 500l., J. A. Hughes (Travelling Surveyor-General's Office. Surveyor General, 6001. (vacant). 450l., J. V. Cox. Clerk, Grade IV, Geo. E. Johnson. Clerk, Grade VI, Miss G. M. Cash. Imperial Lighthouse Service. Inspector of Lighthouses, Commander R. Langton- Store Officer, M. J. L. Trenchard. James I., fitted out two large ships, only one of which arrived at Barbados, and the party, which consisted of some thirty persons, landed in February, 1627, on the leeward side of the island, formed a town called James' (or Hole) Town, and appointed Captain William Deane their Governor. In 1627 the Earl of Carlisle obtained a grant from Charles I. of all the Caribbee Islands. This grant was opposed by the former patentee, Lord Marlborough, but the matter was compromised on the Earl of Carlisle agreeing to settle on the Earl of Marlborough an annuity of 3001. Soon after this the Earl of Carlisle being employed on a diplomatic mission, the Earl of Pembroke, then Lord Chamberlain, obtained a revocation of the former nobleman's patent in his favour and supported Sir W. Courteen; but on the Earl of Carlisle's return from his embassy, he remonstrated with the king, who reinstated him in possession of the territory. Wolferstone, a native of Bermuda, was then commissioned by the Earl of Carlisle as Governor, and in 1628 sixty-four settlers arrived in Carlisle Bay, commenced the erection of wooden houses, threw a bridge across the river which intersected the ground, and laid the foundation of Bridgetown, the present capital. The Leeward and Windward men opposed each other, the latter ultimately triumphing. The civil war which raged in England contributed to people and enrich the island and on the downfall of Charles, many families attached to the Royal cause found shelter in Barbados. The island was afterwards governed by Lord Willoughby, a Royalist, to whom it was conveyed by Lord Carlisle (son of the first patentee); but when the island was subdued by the Commonwealth he was banished. In 1662, after the Restoration, Lord Willoughby renewed his claim, and the kinsmen and heirs of the two earls brought forward demands on the settlers. To satisfy these claims, a duty of 4 per cent. on all exports was imposed; and under certain conditions the pro Chief Engineer, Ditto, F. W. Poole (maintained out prietary government was dissolved and the of General Lighthouse Fund). Foreign Consuls. Sovereignty of Barbados annexed to the British Crown. The inhabitants long protested against the United States of America, J. W. Dye, Consul; W. K. imposition of the 4 per cent. duties, but without Ailshie, Vice-Consul. France, H. N. Kelly, Consular Agent. Norway, R. H. Curry. Sweden, J. Burnside; A. R. Bethel, Vice-Consul. Hayti, A. W. Erickson, Jr. (resident at Inagua). Cuba, L. Fuentes, Consular-Agent. Greece, Honorary Vice-Consul, T. J. Mangos. (a) Quarters. success; and it was not till 1838, four years after the abolition of slavery, that the tax was abolished by an Act of Parliament. Barbados has not, like most of the neighbouring islands, changed owners; it has always remained in possession of Great Britain. * See under Windward Islands for general map of the West Indies. General Description. Bridgetown, the chief town and port, is situated in the parish of St. Michael, in latitude 13° 6' North, and longitude 59° 37' West. This town contains, according to the census of 1921, 13, 486 inhabitants. Speightstown, the only other town, has about 1,500 inhabitants. Carlisle Bay, the harbour of Barbados, is an open roadstead, much exposed to the wind from the south and south-west. There is an inner harbour or careenage, protected by a structure called the Mole Head. It is a port of registry, and had registered, on 31st December, 1936, 57 vessels, of a total net tonnage of 6,891 tons. The island is almost encircled by coral reefs, which in some parts, as off the parish of St. Phillip, extend nearly 3 miles to seaward, and prove very dangerous to navigation. The area of the island called the Scotland district, which is the part enclosed by a semi-circular sweep of the ridge in the north-east, is composed of sandstones, clays, and infusorial earths. Traces of oil were discovered in certain districts and experimental borings were carried out by the British Union Oil Company, Ltd., but the flow of oil was inadequate and operations on a large scale have ceased. The Company has also established an oil depot and bunkering station for ships in Carlisle Bay. A water supply is provided for all the parishes of the island by the Colonial Government, which bought up and extended the water works formerly operated by two companies, the Bridgetown Water Works Company and the Barbados Water Supply Company. Owing to the steady Easterly Trade winds, which blow almost continuously from December to June, the climate is bracing and the heat is never oppressive. During the remainder of the year, the wet season of the Island, the heat is seldom excessive, although the absence of the Trade Winds renders the climate less invigorating. The average temperature is 79'8, and rainfall 61 inches. The Island is largely visited as a Health resort by residents of neighbouring West Indian Colonies and British Guiana. It is, to a considerable extent, also utilised as a winter resort by visitors from temperate climates and a port of call for tourist steamers. Industry, Trade and Customs. The chief articles planted for exportation for some years after the settlement of the island were indigo, cotton-wool, ginger, and aloes, besides several kinds of woods; and the manufacture of sugar does not appear to have been practised with much success till about the middle of the 17th century, when the cultivation of the sugarcane increased rapidly, and the plant became, in commercial importance, the island's most valuable production. At that period, too, the introduction of African labour was commenced. The produce exported during the last three years has been as follows: Sugar. Tons. Molasses. Gallons. The Customs Tariff of the Colony is the result of the Canada West Indies Reciprocal (Tariff) Agreement Act, 1926, which provides that the duties on all goods the produce or manufacture of Canada shall not be more than 50 per cent of the duties on similar goods imported from Foreign countries. Exceptions to this provision are Tobacco, Cigars and Cigarettes while specific preferences are provided for on a list of Articles named in Schedule B of the Act. These preferences were by the Customs Tariff Act, 1921, extended to goods the produce or manufacture of all parts of the British Empire. Twenty-five per cent., 50 per cent. and 75 per cent. of British factory cost of articles, partly of foreign origin, entitles these goods to be admitted under containing 50 per cent. or more by weight of cotton the British Preferential Tariff, except piece goods, or of artificial silk or of cotton and artificial silk combined imported from the United Kingdom, which may not be admitted under the British Preferential Tariff unless they have been spun, woven and Act, 1934, all importations of this class of piece finished in the British Empire. Under the Quotas goods from any foreign country are restricted. As a result of the Conference held at Ottawa in 1932 further preferences were granted to Empire goods and given effect to by the Customs Tariff (Amendment) Act 1932 No. 2. About two-thirds of the duties are on a specific and the remainder on an ad valorem basis. Population. The population of the island in 1851 amounted to 135,939. By the census of 1891 the population was returned at 182,306. By the census of April, 1921, the population was 156,312, the decrease, as compared with the figures for 1891, being attributed to the large numbers of the labouring classes which have from time to time emigrated to Panama in connection with the Canal Works, while many others have gone to Para, Brazil, Cuba, the United States of America and Canada in search of more remunerative employment than what can be obtained locally. The estimated population at the end of 1937 was 190,939. English is universally spoken. Labour is cheap, and the soil is well cultivated, the island having the appearance of a well-kept garden. Includes £1,415 Bullion and Coin. Currency and Banking. Government accounts are kept in sterling; commercial accounts in dollars. British coin is legal tender and the chief medium of circulation. There is no limit to the legal tender of British silver, and there is no gold in circulation. There are three banks doing business in Barbados, Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas), capital paid up 4,975,500l. sterling, and the Royal Bank of Canada, with a paid up capital of 7,291,666., and the Canadian Bank of Commerce with a paid up capital of 6,250.000l. There is a Government savings bank, which had, on 31st December, 1937, 16,160 depositors. The total amount at credit of depositors on 31st December, 1937, was 843, 1697. Steamer Communications, Postage, &c. Steamers of the Harrison Line run a freight and passenger service from London monthly, a freight service from London and Glasgow monthly, and from Liverpool fortnightly. These vessels occasionally call at ports in the Leeward Islands en route. Length of passage between 13 and 17 days. The Cie Generale Transatlantique (French) Line runs a regular monthly service touching at Southampton on the outward and Plymouth on the homeward journey. Length of passage 11 days. This Company also operates an Intercolonial Service between Martinique and the Guianas, calling at Barbados and other islands in the Lesser Antilles en route. The Royal Netherlands Steamship Company runs a regular fortnightly service, touching at Dover on the outward journey and at Plymouth on the return journey. Length of passage 11-13 days. This Company will also operate a Service once fortnightly. Service beginning from November, 1938, as follows:-From Amsterdam to Dover, Barbados, Trinidad, Paramaribo, Demerara, back to Trinidad, thence to five Venezuelan Ports, Curacoa, Haiti and New York. Return from New York to Haiti, La Guaira, Curacoa, Porto Cabello, back to La Guaira, Porto Sucre, Pampaton, Campano, Trinidad, Demerara, Paramaribo, back to Trinidad, Barbados, Madeira, Plymouth, Havre and Amsterdam. The Hamburg-American Line of steamers runs a regular monthly service, touching at Dover outwards and Plymouth homewards. Length of passage 10 days. From Canada, the Canadian National Steamships run a fortnightly service from Halifax via Boston, Bermuda and the British West Indian Islands. This company also run another service from Montreal via Puerto Rico every three weeks during the summer months and every six weeks during the winter. The Ocean Dominion Line of steamers also arrive fortnightly from Canada via West Indian Islands during the summer months, and from Vancouver ships of the Canadian Transport Company call monthly. From the United States, the Bermuda West Indies Steamship Company (Furness Withy) run a service from New York every 24 days during the summer months, and approximately fortnightly during the winter months, and the American Caribbean Line run a weekly service. The Aluminum Line of steamers arrive fortnightly from New Orleans and Gulf ports via West Indian Islands. The McCormick Steamship Company run a monthly service from San Francisco. Periodical calls are made by ships of the Booth Line from South American ports and by ships of the Nourse Line from the Far East. Telegraphic communication is carried on by:(1) The West India and Panama Telegraph Company, an associated Company of Cable and Wireless Limited. This Company has connections by cable to Georgetown, British Guiana, Trinidad, Granada, St. Vincent, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba and through Turks St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Croix, St. Thomas, Island and Bermuda to Halifax, where it joins the North Atlantic system to Great Britain and beyond. British Guiana, Granada, Barbados, St. Lucia, It also possesses Wireless Stations in Georgetown, Dominica, Antigua, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Jamaica and Bermuda. associated Company of Cable and Wireless Limited. (2) The Western Telegraph Company Limited, an with direct cable communication with Brazil and South America in general. (3) The Western Union Telegraph Company with direct cable communication through Miami, Florida to New York. The principal tariffs per word are :- |