FUTURE OF WEST INDIES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8339, 28 January 1913, Page 10

FUTURE OF WEST INDIES

AN OCEANIC DOMINION. From time to time the future destiny of the British West Indian colonies has been discusssd in the “Standard of Empire," and it has been clearly stated on oeveral occasions that the present status of the islands cannot continue for ever. A well-reasoned reference to the future political development of the islands was made in the editorial columns of a recent issue of the Jamaica “Times." Its significance is added to when it is remembered that Jamaica, for some time past, has appeared to dissociate itself to some extent from the other West Indian islands, and was not included in the reciprocal trade agreement recently negotiated between Canada and several of the other colonies.

The writer of the article in question remarks that what is required at present is “to bring the question down among the rank and file of the people, to inspire them with a living interest in it, and iio store their minds with information."

Alter asserting that the present condition of the British West Indies is merely a temporary stage in their development, tho writer says; “Beyond it* there are generally described three paths into the future. No. 1 is annexation to the United States, a proposal which is disloyal in its very essence to our King and Empire, and which would do grievous wrong ultimately to the large majority of black and coloured people in these islands. No. 2 is to weld these islands in a province to be annexed to Canada, or to annex them separately. That is a very different proposal, and does not involve disloyalty. No. 3 is to federate the British AVest Indies and make them a distinct province or dominion related directly to the centre of the Empire, and passing through careful gradations to self-government within Empire. This is the proposal that, in our opinion, promises assured permanent prosperity, and the most generally satisfactory condition for tho AVest Indies as a whole, and for their diverse elements of population as a whole."

It is important to have men thinking out the administrative details of federation, bat, says the writer, “we must not lose sight of the fact that one of tho foundations of successful federation is knowledge distributed through all the Islands of the conditions existing in tho others. . . . The British AVest Indies need to know more about each other. Then they will be in a position to sympathise more with each other, and then to act more together." “The idea of annexation te Canada is much less objectionable than union with tho United States, but both Canada and the West Indies will ultimately like each other better if they are content to do all the business they can together, but not to commergo politically. The present connection of each island (as a separate entity) with -Britain direct is manifestly only a stage in development towards something else. It is inevitable that the affairs of a single island, small in area, and, by comparison, scantily peopled, should impinge but weakly upon the attention of the Mother Country. AVhen all the islands aro combined, organised into one entity, speaking with one voice, a voice that represents at least 2,000,000 people, they will naturally command an attention they could not otherwise obtain. We in tho British West Indies have the opportunity of knitting ourselves into something unique in our Empire and unique iu any IJninilre. Wo will be a province not despicable in size, by no means contemptible in numbers, 1 in which the world will bo presented with the sight of white, black, and brown men all woven into true unity, made a homogeneous whole by common idea® and equal laws."