Commissioner's Report 1960

THE ANNUAL REPORT
OF
THE DISTRICT OF Grand Bahama ISLAND
FOR
THE YEAR 1962
BY
COMMISSIONER D.H.J. JONES
CHAPTER I.
GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.

GOVERNMENT.
The District of Grand Bahama, which comprises and includes the main Island of Grand Bahama and the adjacent Cays, including Water Cay, Sweetings Cay and others, lies on the Southern edge of the Little Bahama Bank, one hundred and forty miles West North West of New Providence and sixty miles East South East of West Palm Beach, Florida. The District was represented in The Honourable House of Assembly by the Honourable Warren Lavarity, MH A., until November of this year. In the General Election held in November, Mr. Harold DeGregory was elected to represent this district.

Courts of Revision for the Registration of Voters, were held Quarterly, as required under the Act, in the four Divisions of this District. A new Register was compiled, (beginning in December, 1959) after the franchise was extended, by the new Act, to all males and females over twenty-one years of age, and at the General Election in November some 2047 people were eligible to vote in the District; [o]f these some 93% exercised this privilege.

ADMINISTRATION.
From August administrative duties of the District were performed by the writer, assisted by the usual number of subordinate Officers including two Clerks, Customs and Immigration Officers at West End and Freeport, members of the Nassau Constabulary also at West End and Freeport, and four Local Constables.

It is now very clear that the District of Grand Bahama has become too cumbersome to be handled by one person and the necessity for division of the Island into two magisterial districts has become imminent. It is anticipated that this will be effected in 1963.

The estimated population of the District for the year 1960, is between 8.500 and 9,000. The following distribution is an estimated detailed distribution of this population among the various settlements, not including the U.S. personnel at the U.S.A.F. Base at Gold Rock Creek: -

The Following is a Record of Births and Deaths in the District during this year:
There was a total of 249 Births; 139 Males and 110 Females. Of the 249 Births, there were 8 still births. 62 of these births, or about one in every four, were illegitimates. There were 46 Deaths during the year; 18 males and 18 females; of these there were 10 children under one year, including 8 still births. Causes of Deaths were: Cardiovascular diseases; Cancer; Senility; General Debility; Child-birth; Brain Tumor; Gas Gangrene, Addison Disease; Tetanus; Gastro-enteritis; Broncho-pneumonia.

76 persons were sent to Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau for treatments, 53 males and 43 females. These cases were Surgery, Gynecology, Maternity, Internal Diseases and Tonsillectomy.

The general health condition of the people of this District has continued to remain very satisfactory. Most of the diseases encountered were successfully treated by the District Medical Officer, and to some extent, by the private Medical Officer at Freeport.

Public Wells, still mostly, the only source of water supply, were well kept and maintained during the year. The injections of the Salk’s Polio Vaccine against Infantile paralysis, continued and there are now very few, if any, children who have not been immunized.

Nutritional deficiency – malnutrition - while less in evidence, was successfully dealt with by the use of artificial vitamins. The importation of fresh fruits and vegetables is increasing more and more, and fresh milk is now much more available.

Incidents of infectious diseases have remained low and without any particular significance to the general health or to the economy of the Island.

Venereal Diseases have been well controlled. No Primary Syphilis was seen or any other Venereal disease, besides Gonorrhea, which has increased considerably over previous years due to the influx of many workers from various parts of the Bahamas and elsewhere. There were 132 cases in 1962 as compared with56 cases in 1959 and 58 cases in 1960.

Tuberculosis has been visibly declining for the past three years. There was only one new case in 1962, and former patients have remained under close observation and care of the District Medical Officer and the District Nurse. One of these cases had to be sent back to the Hospital n Nassau, because the management of this in their own home was impossible because of alcoholism and vagrancy, while a number of cases have been fully restored to health.

Hypertension and Cancer have been responsible for about 35% of all deaths on Grand Bahama during 1962. Of the total 467 deaths, Cardiovascular diseases have been responsible for 10 deaths and Cancer for 5 of them. An additional three persons from Grand Bahama have died of Cancer after being sent to Hospital in Nassau. Deaths from this disease have been unusually high this year. In 1959 there were 3; in 1960 there were 4 and in 1957 only one person died of cancer here.

The most important Medico-social problem of this Island, and I presume this is true in many other places as well, remains Alcoholism. Alcoholism is the source of unhappiness, broken homes, poverty, criminality and is an important factor leading to accidents and diseases. It is a far more serious problem than tuberculosis, malnutrition, or any other disease. Alcoholism in Grand Bahama is such a natural phenomenon that it appears to be no more perceived. It seems now to be just a part of the accepted pattern of life. There is some hope of improvement, however, as alternative diversions are becoming more prevalent.

SANITATION.
Definite improvements in certain areas are being made in this direction, but much is still to be desired, especially in respect of the water supply system which is outdated and primitive.

Again this year, it is pleasing to report that a considerable number of new homes and business places have been built in every settlement in the District. While some of these new buildings are being constructed of wood most of them are of concrete block construction. The problem of over-crowding of large families in small houses is still with us and shall be, I’m afraid, for a long time yet.

Most of the homes now being built are all equipped with sewer and electrical facilities for modern living. They are all well built and of modern designs.

FOREST.
Large areas of the vast pine forest covering most of the Island’s surface, has been sold for various Commercial Developments, and forest products of all kinds have been discontinued.

MARINE.
The principal Marine Products are fish, conchs and crawfish. Sea-shells, Coral and Star-fish are also gathered and sold to markets in the United States.

Edible and sport fish, of numerous varieties and quantities, abound in the waters of this District. Thousands of visitors come by every means of transportation to take part in the sport of game fishing.

All of the edible fish, is sold on the local market where the demand is much greater than the supply in spite of the continued increase in the price. A number of smacks and dinghy boats are continuously engaged in this fishing business.

The export of the Conch meat was prohibited for many years and now the Banks have been closed to the export of the shells. To some this has been quite a blow, but this had to be done sooner of later in spite of the seemingly inexhaustible supply spread over the many miles of Banks, North and East of this Island. Like fish, the price of this food has increased considerably over the past two years and there is yet no shortage in the supply.

Open season for the Crawfish is from the 1st, January to the 15th of March and from the 1st of October to the 31st of December of each year. It has been found that the clause in the Rules of the Agricultural and Marine Products Board which permits the taking of a certain quantity of these fish for personal use, during the closed season,

has been very much abused and thousands of the fish are caught and sold as a result. If this industry is to survive at all, a more rigid application of the Rule must be made with possibly the complete exemption of this clause.

The 1961-1962 season, for these fish, was not at all a good one. Comparatively few fish were caught and much fewer exported. Most of the export of the fish was from the Eastern End of the Island by boats directly to the United States. Most of the fish caught in and around the West End area was sold to Hotels and Guest Houses at very good prices. This local sale of the product, however, has considerably increased the number of under-sized fish caught and sold.

Turtles are found in fair quantities in the waters of this District, especially in the banks and in the creeks and inlets, where the Green Turtle is rather plentiful, although not very large ones. In the West-End area, the Loggerhead is more plentiful, but is also found in other areas as well. The Hawksbill is the least plentiful but may be found in all areas in seemingly limited quantities. The meat of these turtles find ready sale on the local market at fairly substantial prices.

Stone-Crabs, a delicacy of the crab family, are still found in apparently increasing numbers on the banks North and East of West End and on the Eastern end of the Island. The capturing or taking of these Crabs is prohibited by Law.

The people of this District are not agriculturally minded and this industry is steadily decreasing

POULTRY-RAISING.
Poultry raising has increased considerably and there is a large poultry farm operating commercially near the Freeport area. Although the output is not yet large enough to take care of the needs of the whole Island, there is a continuous growth in this enterprise which will adequately fulfill the orders which they now have to refuse.

Approximately 80,000 crawfish, small quantities of scalefish, sea-shells, sea-fans, star-fish, feathers and coral were exported to markets in the United States. The approximate value of this export was about £7,000.
Tomatoes and Cucumbers were exported by the Green Cove Farms Limited, out of Freeport, but the quantity and value are unavailable at this time. No forest products were exported this year.

Customs Duties collected on imports at West End amounted to [blank]. A similar or larger amount was collected at Freeport, but although requested several months ago,

While a small amount of the foods and clothing and all of the liquor is imported from or through Nassau, most of the foods and clothing and all of the fresh meats, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables, except what is produced here, are imported from the United States, as well as practically all of the building material, with the exception of concrete blocks, which are manufactured locally in the Island. These commodities and material are brought both by sea and air transportation at West End and Freeport.

Government’s basic wage for the common labourer is now 1-16-0. per day for men and 1-8-0 per women [sic], but still, in order to obtain labour in some places, it is necessary to up to 30/- to 40/- per day of eight-hour days. Private companies and contractors operating in the District, pay considerably higher wages to their casual workers.

The following is the scale of wages which prevailed, generally, in the District during the year under review:

Common Labourers (men)	…………….	4/ – per hour to 7/ –.
Common Labourers (women)	…………….	3/6 per hour 5/ –.
Semi-skilled labourers	…………….	5/ 6 per hour 8/ –.
Carpenters & Masons	…………….	12/ – per hour 18/ –.
Plumbers & Electricians	…………….	14/ – per hour 25/ –.
Painters & Chauffeurs	…………….	8/ – per hour 16/ –.
Domestic Workers	…………….	2/6 per hour 5/ –.

Hours of work are generally from 7.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. with one hour off for lunch, but this varies under certain circumstances.

There is a steady increase in the cost of labor and of all the commodities which in turn increase the cost of living. Until quite recently prices of consumable goods in the West End are were outrageous. However, a small super-market has recently opened and the prices are much more reasonable than in the other stores, for example, previously a pound of New Zealand butter was priced at anything between five shillings to eight shillings per pound, while the new store sells the same product for four shillings. Naturally the locally established store keepers have complained about this competition, which they consider unfair. I feel that it is a matter of the public to decide and I have taken no part in discussing their grievances with the new business. The cost of living in the District is comparatively high and is on the increase.

In all the largest settlements of the District, schools are established and conducted under the supervision of the Board of Education. There are four Board Schools and six Grant-in-Aid. These are located as follows: –

West End ……………	Board ……………...	W. Butler & L.V. Smith.
Eight Mile Rock ….	Board ……………...	W. Ferguson.
Holmes Rock ……….	Board ……………...	W. P. Parker.
McLeans Town …….	Board ……………...	R. Patrick
Water Cay ………….	Grant-in-Aid ………	M. Thomas.
High Rock ………….	Grant-in-Aid ………	R. Dean
Pelican Point ……….	Grant-in-Aid ………	L. Laing
Free Town ………….	Grant-in-Aid ………	C. McIntosh
Sweetings Cay …..	Grant-in-Aid ………	N. Russell
Smith’s Point ……….	Grant-in-Aid ………	D. Smith
Lewis Yard …………	Board ……………...	M. Archer

Schools are conducted as well at Freeport City and Hunters. The schools at Freeport City are privately run; one by the Grand Bahama Port Authority, with an English Teacher, Mr. Brown, as Headmaster, nod is attended only by the children of white employees and residents of Freeport. The other school is, like the school in Hunters, is [sic] run by the Roman Catholic Church and is open to children of all races and Creed. Three or four Nuns or “Sisters” are in charge of each of these schools.

All of the schools are reported to have been conducted fairly satisfactorily and regularly during the year. Attendance, in most of them, was also satisfactory, but much is to be desired in this respect.

A new School and Teacher’s Residence was completed at High Rock, as well as at Lewis Yard and a Teacher’s Cottage at Holmes. A Teacher’s Cottage was completed at McLeans Town.

WELFARE INSTITUTIONS.
Friendly and Burial Societies, including a few Branches of several Secret Orders, are operating throughout the District, and comprise a total membership of several thousands of men and women. They are established in just about every settlement of the District in one form or another, for the primary purpose of aiding the sick and burying the dead of their members. Assistance is also rendered to the families of the deceased members whenever the needs warrant it. The funds of these Institutions are deposited, except in a very few cases of very small groups, in one of the local Banks or in the Post Office Savings Bank. Some of these accounts are quite substantial.

These Institutions are continuing to do a good job in the performance of their philanthropic duties, and many more widows and orphans are rendered assistance each year, and many a burden lifted from the shoulders of the bereaved of their members. These Organizations are all operated by an elected Committee of Management and most of them are registered with Government.

MAIL SERVICE.
The regular weekly mail service was performed by the motor vessel, Church Bay, and substitutes, during the year under review. I received many complaints about the service given by this vessel and, in particular, the inhabitants of Sweetings Cay have suffered greatly from the irregular service. It has been also reported to me that the Captain seems to treat the public in a manner not becoming the Master of a boat which serves the public. I am simply reporting what has been reported by reliable citizens
The air services supplied by Bahamas Airways, Limited and Mackey Airlines has been very good. The only criticism is the unfortunate habit that Bahamas Airways has of changing schedules without due notice to the public. These services transported thousands of tourists and residents to and from this District and has contributed greatly to the stable economic situation existing on this Island. The sum of £14,428. 14. 0. was collected for Departure Taxes during the year. The number of vessels entering and clearing at the three Ports of Entry in this District has increased during the year. There was also an increase in the number of vessels refueling at the Freeport Bunkering Terminal.

ROADS.
The general condition of the roads in the District are without a doubt the most appalling I have ever experienced. The available funds to maintain the Grand Bahama Main Road connecting the West End and Freeport is completely inadequate. In any event the original construction of this 25 miles of road was very badly done. The only solution is to completely re-construct the road, which, of course, would require a large sum of money. The ever increasing number of traffic accidents on this road is testimony to the treacherous condition of the surface. The Missile Base at Gold Rock Creek are now grading the section of road in their immediate vicinity and, although it is not oiled, it compares favorably with any other section of road on the Island. With the advent of upsurge of investments in the Freeport area, there has been a fantastic increase in the number of vehicles licensed during the

year. This increases the hazards of driving not only on a treacherous road but also the many more vehicles encountered when using the roads.

I cannot urge strongly enough that some major reconstruction be started in the very near future before the situation becomes impossible.

The traffic situation in the settlement of West End will be relieved to some extent when the back road is completed.

POST OFFICES.
There are five sub-Post Offices in the District, located at Eight-Mile-Rock, Freeport, High Rock, Sweetings Cay and Smith’s Point. These sub-Post Offices, except for the one in Freeport, handle only mails and parcels. Each of four of these sub-Postmasters holds an imprest of stamps from the District Postmaster at West End. The imprest held by the sub-Postmaster at Freeport is with the Postmaster of the Bahamas as is that of the District Postmaster at West End. The sub-Post Office at Freeport handles all transactions as are handled in the District Post Office at West End, including Money Orders and Post Office Savings Bank accounts. Traffic is most, if not all, of these Post Offices has continued to increase and in West End and Freeport, two to three Clerks are required to meet the increasing demands of the growing communities.

The following is a statement of the financial transactions of the District Post Office for the year (this does not include similar transactions at the Freeport sup-post office): –
REVENUE.

Post Office Savings Bank Deposits	…………………..	£1790. 2. 10.
Sale of Telegraph & Domestic Money Orders	…………………..	24917. 8. 8.
Sale of U.K. & Jamaican Money Orders	…………………..	308. –. 1.
Sale of U.S. & Canadian Money Orders	…………………..	1917. 10. 10.
Sale of Postage Stamps	…………………..	3003. –. –.
Parcel Post Duties collected	…………………..	1861. –. 7.
Short Paid Postage collected	…………………..	3. 19. 1.
	Total Revenue ….	£33801. 1. 6.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS.
At the three telegraph stations in this District located at West End, Freeport and Sweetings Cay considerable technical difficulties have been experienced throughout the year. The radio station at West End does a considerable amount of business which is steadily increasing. However, the service provided leaves a lot to be desired and from time to time it is necessary to have technicians flown in from Nassau to repair and improve equipment which does not appear to be adequate for the distance between here and Nassau. Conversely, the service between here and the U.S.A. seems fairly reasonable depending on weather conditions. I feel the Government should be made aware of the fact that, by virtue of the large number of tourists visiting here, there are proportionately more occasions for emergency calls which are of extreme importance to the persons concerned and that on many occasions, communication has been impossible. The Freeport service seems to be much better than that at West End for foreign calls and those to Nassau. The local telephone service operates spasmodically and then not very satisfactorily. This is partly caused by the frequent car accidents at which time either one or more of the telephone poles which are adjacent to the main road are damaged and the wires broken.

The total telegraph revenue for the Year 1962 at West End only, was £3217. 8. 10. and overseas revenue was £5235. 16. 2. The local telephone revenue for the year was £89. 2. 6. making a total, for West End, of £8542. 7. 6.

Under Head 31, Items 89 to 96, which provides for the general upkeep of the District under five separate Boards of Work, and the maintenance of the Grand Bahama Main Road, the sum of £6,500 was allocated for the upkeep and maintenance of roads, wells, burial grounds and buildings. Included in this amount was the collection and disposal of garbage and the maintenance of a garbage truck at West End.
Further expenditure was made under Item 145 for Oil Navigation Lights in the sum of £250.
Under Head 33, Public Works, Non-Recurrent, Out Islands and the Out Island and General Improvement Act the sum of £7149 was granted, but of this total the sum of £650 to erect a wall around the Cemetery at West End, was not spent.
Works carried out by these funds included Rewiring Government buildings West End, rewiring Commissioner’s Residence, making a playing field for school, McLean’s Town, erecting wall around the Cemeteries at Hunter’s and Pinder’s Point, complete Lodge Hall Smith’s Point, repair road to Free Town, install electricity to Teacher’s Cottage, West End, repairs to Jail, survey back road West End, install 100 P.O. Boxes, construct warehouse McLean’s Town, repairs to School House at Pelican Point, repair [inwriting ?] tank, McLean’s Town, complete road from Big Pelican Point to settlement, reconstruct front road McLean’s Town.

Generally speaking, peace and good order were reasonably maintained throughout the District during the year. There were no major disturbances but there is a disturbing increase in the number of burglaries especially in the Freeport area. 477 cases were heard including 14 sent to Supreme Court. The following shows the number and nature of the various offences dealt with and how they were disposed of: Reported and heard were:

304 were fined, or given alternate prison terms, 10 cautioned, 99 imprisoned, 8 dismissed, 14 sent to the Supreme Court, 12 bound over.
204 civil cases were heard during the year. No cases were dealt with or disposed of by the Justice of the Peace.

POLICE.
Three members on the Nassau Constabulary were stationed at West End and 18 at Freeport. During the week of the General Election in November reinforcements were sent from Nassau and were stationed at the various polling stations in the District. I am happy to report that there was no reported disturbances of any kind during the election period. There are two first grade and two second grade local Constables in the District. The former stationed at West End and Eight Mile Rock, and the latter at Pelican Point and High Rock. Under the leadership of the Deputy Superintendant stationed at Freeport, the police have rendered a very fine and efficient service during the year. A special mention should be made of the District Constables who receive no salary but give invaluable assistance to the regular police in the maintenance of peace and good order.

The following men have been appointed as District Constables for the year 1962, in the settlements under which their names appear:

PRISONS.
The three-cell prison at West End is in good condition from a security point of view, but the cells are extremely small and in any event, is now totally inadequate to cope with the alarming increase in the number of convicted prisoners. I have made application for a separate prison at Freeport and I understand this has been reviewed favorably and that firm plans in this connection will be made in the near future. At present all prisoners have to be transported from all over the Island to West End which is at one extremity of the Island. The unfortunate situation that exists is that due to the lack of accommodations, the Magistrate cannot sentence the persons to prison, although they may well deserve imprisonment.
There are two-cell-lockups at Eight-Mile Rock and Freeport but these are used only for overnight purposes. No prison terms are served in either of them. During the year 99 persons were committed to the West End prison.

Under the General Assembly, the Election Act of 1959, with its many amendments, the General Election was held which for the first time gave women the right to vote. The organization and preparation in connection with this completely disrupted the administrative duties of the Commissioner. A great contribution to this, is the long distances that have to be traveled between the settlements. Despite this, I am pleased to report that the mechanics of the election operated quite smoothly. The Boat Registration Act of 1961 was implemented with the

cooperation of the Board of Pilotage. There was a certain amount of antipathy from the Boat Masters who have hitherto operated without licenses. This was to be expected but I am confident that there will be an acceptance of the enforcement of this Act from now on.

There is no direct form of taxation here, except for Departure Tax levied on passengers from the Colony. I would suggest to the Government that serious consideration should be given to introducing the Real Property Tax Act which could be used to very good purpose for maintenance of the roads.

PAUPERS
Pauper rations were issued by Government via Relieving Officer of the Princess Margaret Hospital. The rations consisted of grits, flour, sugar and canned milk. Some cheese and milk were also supplied by the Bahamas Branch of the British Red Cross. These rations were distributed to approximately 65 paupers throughout the District. It is difficult to keep an accurate record of the number of paupers due to the constant flow of transients from other Islands.

RELIGION
The majority of the Island’s population are Baptists which accounts for approximately 50% of the people. The Anglican Church accounts for about 30%; Roman Catholics, Methodists, Brethren, Church of God, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses and a few other unidentified religions make up the remaining 20%.

COMMISSIONER’S VISITS

When I took over the Administration Office District in August the arrears of current work was monumental. As a result of this, coupled with the preparation for the General Election I made only one tour of the District before the end of the year. The position was aggravated by the removal of my Assistant, Mr. Turnquest, who was transferred temporarily to Bimini. Regular visits were maintained to Freeport on Tuesday and Thursday weekly. It is hoped that an Assistant will soon be posted here to alleviate what has become an impossible situation. At that time regular visits will be maintained to all of the settlements in this District.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
Prosperity is very evident in this District. The commercial and industrial development of Freeport progressed steadily throughout the year. When the Cement Plant commences construction work will be

provided for any Grand Bahamian who wishes to do so. The Jack Tar Hotel at West End has commenced an extension to an already large hotel; the only one of its kind in the Out Islands. The Marina is also being extensively added to with provisions for boats up to 15 ft. draft. It would appear that the additional facilities coupled with a concentrated Publicity Program has attracted more tourists than ever to this luxurious hotel. The hotel provides continuous employment for nearly 600 persons and has a payroll of over $55,000 per month.
There is an alarming increase in the number of motor vehicles coming on the Island. The increase in personnel at the Missile Base, the influx of investment at Freeport and the upward trend of prosperity are all contributing factors to this increase. The foreign employees at the proposed Cement Plant will require approximately an additional 100 cars to be licensed. If adequate control of the situation is to be maintained in respect to the police, the maintenance of the roads and the provision of some suitable site for unusable cars, then I urge Government to give these matters its urgent attention.
I cannot close this report without drawing attention to the totally inadequate Administration Building at West End which cannot adequately cope with the increased demands of the public. An indication of the steadily increasing business transacted through this office is that the grand total in the accounts for this year is in the region of a half-million pounds. I trust that Government will see fit to review the situation and provide accommodations in relation to the volume of business.