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THaS GMtADA W jkTf -R
Volume 6 iak
For The week Ending Deo i 6th 978
6th Yee..of.gp bliatto.-a- .497a1h Lacge
producead Printed by Alister & CyStnih a Hughes
P -O. box.: 5, astagea e Aboeat.. We4tindeas
The Les Developed Countries: (1G ) o f,t Os~ ban Go mnnit
(CARICOR) expected to get benefit the industrtialliaton parosess
prheq oconrensace in Gfrenada on Ltho)
I dent think people took the tiee to lo l lo see what is neeeasary
tdkahieve industrialisation", Dr King said, "inauatriallaslon taka;
a .ery long time to. coue' about, and am view is that a lot More'dtta-
atruate .work has. to be done in order to promote the -
indua prodeas in te LDGa." .
Dr King *iwa in Grenada on'the first leg of a familiarisation tour of
S . r. :r 4w i
the Windward Islandi He arrived in the and on saturday (9th
and, in the course of hiavisit, held disou one with Prime Min iter
Gairy, Minister of Rinance George Hoaten, hae Permavent .Beaetarei.
in the ilinistries of Trade and. Health,, and with the OhbmbaWJ JW
Commerce. ... -
Talking to the Press on the subject of industrialization in tVe LOCs
Dr King said he did not want to make excuses about the slow
development of industriea in the smaller islands, but he pointed
that b co CARICOM and the Caribbean Investment Corporation (Gl
oame'to gxistenoe, the world economy has been working against-their
uooess..*
"Bo soon as CIC established", he said, "than the world economic *
crisis a8 It is unfair to blame CARICOM and CIC for th '
probt thinly would have had, even more it ely, if
(continued)
THE GRHADA NLWSLzTTLH Week Ending 16.12.78
Dr King denied that this guarantee of markets to the LDCB iJ
'ar "old promise" which has not been kept. "Thls is not an
old promise", the Secrothky General said, "the CARICOM Treaty say
that, as soon as it is possible, these arrangements will be made.
(continued)
ad not had these Institutiones.
Giving an example, Dr thing said that when CIC was established,
it was expected confidently that capital from the More Developed
Counties would have been combined with capital in CIC to
fitfnce establishment of industries in the LDC. "But", he
said, "once the world economic crisis started, the capital from
the private sector in the MDCs practically dried up. They
just could not afford to invest even in their awn countries,
ar less invest in expansion industries in the LDCs"
Self-Sufficient
hc Secretary General felt, however, that the LDCO can play a
part in supplying the demand for goods within the region. He
knew there arc some areas in agrtalture in which MDCs are trying
o make themselves self-sufficient,' but he did not think that any
f the miOs had the objective of making itself self-sufficient
in terms of industry, and he believed the LDCs could supply some
of the regional demand for manufactured goods.
"If an LDC did not have CAtICOM", he said, "the most it could
expect would be its own local market or the market of the East
Caribbean Common Market (ECCM). What CARICOM is dQ4ng is
i arranging for the LDCs to have access to more than that, and
What should be asked is, to what extent are w able to provide
these additional markets for them ?"
)r King said the CARICIOM treaty provides for a regional-wide
Industrial programming scheme, but, though it is a target set
for the regional movement, this scheme has not yet come into
existence. "It is anticipated that, when this scheme comes
into effect", ho said, "certain LDC industrial goods will be
guaranteed markets in the IDCs. This has not happened yet,
ut the opportunities are certainly there for them to get into
these markets."
page 2
THE GR4ADA NEWSihTTER Week Ending 16012.78 .P-age
That is ndt'i promise but an undertaking that, as soon as you can
make arrangements for it to happen, yoUttll make it happen."
problem
Dr King thought that was part of the problem tvth CARICGO. Just
because the people who framd the Treaty said this is pomet~ we
would like to do, this does not mean that, the next year or t a
after the Treaty is signed, it will happen. "As other integration
groupings have found", he said, "these things tdke an extremely long
time. The regional industrialisation programinng- scheme has no
time limit in terms of when it should be implemented, and none of the
CARICOM countries, has shown that it is particularly interested In
implementing the scheme at the present time."
Dr King, who celebrated his 45tt birthday in Grenada on December 10th
is Barbadian born and holds a doctorate in Managerial EconomI'cs from
Columbia University in New York. Prior to November 1st,'when he
took up the appointment of CARICOM Secretary General, he was, for
four years., Director of the Industry Division of the Caribbean
Development Bank. Before that, he was, for six years, Manager of
the Barbados Development Corporation.
Dr King, wo was accompanied by the Acting Chief of Information and
Public Relations, Mr Victor Hinkson, left Grenada on Tuesday (12th)
for St.Vincent. Following discussions with Premier Milton Cato,
Government officials and the Private Sector3 he will move on to
St.Lucia and Dominica, returning from that island to Guyana via
Barbados and Trinidad.
(824 words)
AARBLAYS eie STRIKE /
Barclays Bank employees struck on Friday (15th) and picketed the.
Bank's Head Office in St.Georges. Some two dozen people took part
in the strike and picketing which lasted the whole day until tle Bank.
closed to business.
This action'was in support of the workers' demand to have Barclays
recognize the Bank & General Workers Union (BGWU).as their bargaining
agent. On November 27th, the Labour Commissioner conducted a poll!
Sat Barlays. Head Office, which poll showed that oyer 78% (78.575j) of
(Continud)
! GRANAWDA NEWSLhTTR Week Ending 16.12.78 EMIa A
the employees belong to BGWU. On the next day, a similar
poll at the Grenville Branch disclosed that 1006 of those
employed there belonged to BGWU.
There is no Grenada law to force an employer to give recognition
when the Labour Commissioner's poll shows a majority of workers
belong to the union, and Barclays did not grant recognition after
the polls were concluded. In protest, the workers staged a
sick-out on December 6th but, even though considerable customer
congestion was caused, this did not move the Bank to grant
recognition.
Unsatisfactory
On Tuesday (12th), Mr Edwin Pollard, Barclays' Regional Staff
Manager, held discussions with Mr Vincent Noel, President of
BGWU. Following these discussions, Mr Pollard was. not
available for comment, but Mr Nqel described the meeting as
"unsatisfactory". The BGWU President said Mr Pollard had
told him he was not satisfied that the Union represented a
majority of the workers, and he asked to see a list of names
of Barclays' employees who are BGWU members.
"The Labour Commissioner's poll should be enough proof for
Barclays that we represent a majority of the workers", Mr Noel
said, "and'I refused to submit such a list. Besides, we
already have evidence of victimization of workers since we began
our demands for recognition. Putting a list of Union members
in the Bank's hands is just giving them further opportunity to
victimise."
There are two different versions of the circumstances behind the
strike and picketing on the 15th. According to Mr Noel,
when the discussions with Mr Pollard were concluded, he was told
there is nothing further to discuss and that the situation remained
unchanged. Mr Noel said that, what he called "thia attitude of
the Bank", convinced the workers that further action was necessary
and this is why they stayed away from work and picketed the Aank'a
Head Office.
'On the other hand, Mr P R DaviearEvans, Barclays' Grenada Kanager,.
(continued)
MTh NhEADB NEWSL&TThER week Ending 16.*12.78 page 5 i
told NEW8LTTT 2jEyeterday (15th),he was surprised at the action his
employees had taken. "Negotiations are still going on with the
Union on the matter of recognition", he aaid. Mr Daviea-Evana
said he hoped to be able to make a statement next week.
I
Concern
In a release issued today (16th), iMr Herbert Blaize, Political Leader
of the Grenada National Party (GNP), expressed concern over "the
apparent breakdown of the machinery which has been established to
settle industrial disputes in the country."
"Whenever the interests of the public and those of any particular
management and of their employees are in severe conflict", Mr Blaize
said, "it must be the duty of the Ministry of Labour to bring the
parties together for an equitable solution."
The GNP Political Leader said the long drawn out impasse between
Barclays and BGWU represents an "obviously unhappy and potentially
explosive situation" which needs to be brought to an early conclusion
Mr Blaize called, on the Minister of Labour to cause immediate steps
to be taken for settlement of this outstanding issue.
S(586 words)
SUGAR FACTORY AVOIDS "POLITICAL REPlhRCUSaIOXS" v
The Grenada Sugar Factory Ltd has agreed to make an ex gratia
payment of EOC62,509.00 to cane farmers on the recommendation of the
Company's auditors and in order to avoid "political repercussions".
This information was given.to NEWSLATTER today (16th) by Mr D M B
Cromwell, Managing Director of the Company. Mr Cromwell said
cane farmers will now get a "bonus" of EC$9.31 per ton of cane
delivered to the Pactory, instead of EC$3.77 per ton originally
proposed.
According to an agreement between the Grenada Sugar Factory Ltd and
the Cane Farmera Association, the Company buys canes from the
farmers at ECG40 per ton and the profits of the Company are divided
in such a way as to give a "bonus" to the cane farmer.
That division is that shareholders of the Company get 10% of the
(continued)
overhead Expenditure
Income Tax.@ 50%
Shareholders 10%
Cane Farmers (60% of
$70,892
Company retains
337,436
792,899
157,537
78,768 Net Profit EC$78,769
7,877
42,525
28,367
EC$78,769
With 11,283 tons of cane delivered by cane farmers to the
Factory, the "bonus" payable was EC03.77 per ton, but this proved
to be totally unacceptable to the cane farmers. For the
1.976/77 crop, they had received 0EC8.63 per ton and, at a meeting
with Prime Minister Geiry on November 20th, they voiced their
dissatisfaction .through the Cane Farmers Association.
Shabbily Treated
At that meeting, according to a report in the Government owned
"West Indian" newspaper, Mr Gairy "lamented the fact. that they
(the Cane farmers) had been so shabbily treated by the management
iof the Grenada Sugar Factory", and he said Government would do
all in its power to ensure that the cane farmers "participate
fully in the management and operations of the factory."
In an interview with NEWSLhTThR on November 21st, Mr Cromwell
said that, with reference to the cane farmers complaints, it had
to be understood that the circumstances in which the "bonus" is
paid this year are different from the circumstances last year.
He said the profit sharing agreement came into operation the day
before the crop started in 1977 and profits were affected by only
four months of overhead expenses. The profits in 1978 cqpried
twelve months of overhead expenses.
On November 25th, a representative of the Company's auditors,
Bessrs Peat, Marwick, mitchell & Co, came to Grenada and held
Discussions with the Permanent secretary in the Ministry of
(continued)
J T
Th GRINTADA NENSLhTTER Week Ending 16412.78 ge.6.
net profits after tax. The cane farmers then get 60% of the
remainder and the Company retains the balance. On the basis
of the 1977/78 crop, the division worked out as follows
Trading Income
Distillery EC$152,736
Factory 184,700
THE GQRNADA NEWSLLTTiR Wek adding 166.12.79 gge 7
Finance, Mr LaeB ato.aW4Bson Jr. Mr CromwelL said that, after
these discussions, the auditors had recommended to the Company's
Directors that an ex gratis payment of EC$62,509.00 be paid to the
cane farmers in addition to the EC$42,525 due them under, the profit
sharing agreement.
"We had to accept that there must have been justification for this
recommendation", Mr Cromwell told NEWILTTE~IR, "and, in order to avoid
political repercussions, we have agreed. This now makes the
amount payable to cane farmers EC$9.35 per ton, and we started
payment on December 7th".
From November 21st, the"day after the Prime Minister's meeting with
the cane-farmers, police have been'stationed in the yard of the
Grenada Sugar Factory Ltd. Mr Gronwell told NEWSLeTTiR todayy
(16th) that they have been there every day until today,; "I have
no idea why they have been stationed there", he said, "and they do
absolutely nothing. Out of pity for their boredom, I am thinking
of getting them a draught-board for Christmas."
S(622 words)
LIAT ACQUIRES ANOTHER AIRCRAFT
List (1974) Ltd has added another aircraft to its fleet, and this
plane touched.down at Pearls Airport, Grenada, for the first time on
Wednesday (13th).
In an exclusive interview with NEWSLTTIE on that day, Mr Curil !
Searles, List's Grenada Manager, said the plane is an Avro 48 seater,
the same as the planes already operated by the airline. The new
aircraft carries, the registration VP-LAZ, and its acquisition brings
List's fleet up to six.
List's Winter schedule came into effect on December 10th, and
Mr Searles said, in comparison with last year, provision has been made
for an overall 17%7 increase in passenger capacity. NEWSLbaTTER was
told that, in. addition, Liat is mounting a series of sections and
charters during the Christmas season to meet strong market demAnd.
j"In connection with our overall expansion of capacity", Mr bearloe
(continued)
THE GRENADA NHWSLMTTER Week Ending 1,6 12.78e 8
said, "it is interesting to note that thdhtA"?1bd44 a
significant expansion in the group travel business and that we
are capitalising on this. Between now and April, LIAT has
sold approximately 10,000 seats to group travel passengers in
the Eastern Caribbean."
Regular all-cargo services are to be operated by the new aircraft
initially, with weekly flights between Barbados and Grenada, each
flight with a capacity of 11,000 lbs. Similar weekly flights
are to be operated from Barbados to St.Vincent.
Mr Searles said the airline hopes to develop all-cargo charters
which will form the basis for expansion of scheduled all-cargo
services. "On these services", he said, "we expect to begable
to offer incentive freight, rates to high volume shippers
concentrating on fresh fruits and vegetables, and goods
manufactured in the CARICOM region,"
(274 words)
FIRE IN GRENVILLE J
The Hardware Department of Messrs iL Ramdhanny & Sons was
destroyed by fire yesterday (15th). Located in the heart of
the shopping centre of Grenville, the island's second town,
(on the east coast near to the airport) the building and stock
were completely burned out and loss is estimated in hundreds of
thousands, of dollars (EC'.
The fire was first aeon shortly after noon when the business was
closed for lunch. No fire appliance is stationed in Grenville
so the tender at nearby Pearls Airport was summoned. However,
this piece of equipment did not arrive until nearly an hour later
as it was on stand-by for planes then using the airport. By
that time, it was too late to save the building and efforts had
to be concentrated on preventing a spread of the fire.
The greatest risks were the wooden Randhanny Lumber Yard shed
separated from the burning building by some 25 feet of open
yard, and the gasoline service station at the front of the
building. On the other side of the burning building from the
(continued)
THE GRAIADA NEWS 1TTiR Week Ending 16.12.78 "- Se S
Lumber Yard, and only six or eight feet away, Is Barclays Bank, but
1
4W.
fire is 'Ut yet known.
(313 word)
JNEC TO MOUNT TRADh MISSION NEXT YEAR /
The Jamaica National Export Corporation (JNEC) is tq mount a two-day
trade mission to.Grenada next year. This was disclosed to
representatives of the Grenada Chamber of Commerce by Miss Denise P
Evelyn, Trade Commissioner attached to the Jamaica High Commission in
Trinidad.
Miss Evelyn was on a familiarization tour of Grenada during which she
looked into ways of improving trading between Grenada and Jamaica, and
to this end, she held discussions with representatives of the Chamber
of Commerce on December 7th.
iss Evelyn was accompanied by Mrs Leslie-Ann Dos Ramos, Commercial
officer of the Jamaican High Commission in Trinidad, and two JNEC
representatives, Mrs Georgia E ThomisL Technical Services Officer and
SKarl A Simpson, Trade Development :Officer.
n the course of the discussions, Mrs Thomas told the Chamber that the
oasibility existed that Grenada businessmen could be trained by
NEC.
he delegation returned to Trinidadon friday 8th. 1
(151 words)
this is a concrete building and it suffered only minor damage.
When the airport tender arrived, the Lumber Yard shed was. already
alight in several places, but this was soon extinguished. Less
easily controlled was the risk of explosion of the service station
storage tank which contained thousands of gallons of gasoline. At
one time, there was an ominous hissing from the gasoline service
pump, no doubt as a result of the intense heat to which the storage
tank was subjected. The fire was, brought under control in about
two hours.
Ramdhanny's Hardware Department was housed in a two-story building
and. the fiire wfias seen first on thea top *fon T he cralue of .he
THE _GRNADA NiAWSL2TTR -'Week ]Eding 16.12.78 ae t
PALaER-HAWAS HEADlS-I A
A former Minister of State in the Grenada Government has been
appointed Executive Director of the Caribbean Tourism
Association (CTA). She is Mrs Audrey Palmer-H.awks and she .
succeeds Mr Peter Morgan who resigned earlier this year.
Guyana born Mrs Palmer-Hawks resided in Grenada for many years
gndy at one time, held the post.of Minister of State for
Tourism in Prime Minister Gairy's Government. In 1975, she
became CTA's Director of public Relations. NEWSLETTfR is
advised that she is the first native-born Westindian to be
appointed CTA Executive Director.
(94 word)
GRENADA AT ShCA CONFRA&CCa J
Grenada was represented at a conference of the Economic System
of Latin America (SELA) held in La Paz, Bolivia, on November
27th. The conference discussed cooperation in Tourism among
Latin American countries, and was attended by delegates from
most countries of the region.
Among matters on the agenda were the need for marketing studies,
training for personnel in the industry and funding for
development of tourism projects. Air transportation and its
problems were also given attention.
Mr Everette Woodroffe, Chairman of the Grenada Toirist Board
and Mrs Gertrude Protain, Executive Secretary of the Board,
comprised Grenada's delegation. Mrs Everette Woodroffe
accompanied the delegation as an observer
(106 words.)
caIEF' aco COMMilISa6bOlR REPORTS J
The Finance Campaign launched in August 1977 by the then
Governor General, Sir Leo de Gale, now stands. at EC*99,908.80
This was disclosed by Chief Scout Commissioner Leslie Pierre
as he reported to the Scout Council on December 8th.
ar Pierre said this amount was made up of EC$14,768.80 in cash,
(continued)
TOE BGRkNADA flWbLETiT -. Week. Ending 16.12.78 page 11
EG$12,240.00 in Covenants over the next four years, and gifts
amounting to EC$72,900.00. The gifts are a sailing dinghy,
"Mirror" class, a 16mm movie projector and a house.
"The boat is proving to be a great boon to Sea Scouting", Mr Pierre
said, "the movie projector is already being used for fund raising,
and one flat of the house is, for the present, being used as a
source of revenue from rental."
Mr Pierre said that, over the last year, the Scout Movement in
Grenada has experienced a growth from 609 all ranks to 756, an
increase of 23.15%. "In a five year development plan, prepared a
year ago, I budgeted for a minimum of 750 or a maximum of 1000 at
the en of September this year, and it will be seen that the minimum
figure was achieved. My .targets for the end of 1982 are a
minimum of 2000 and a maximum of 2500."
A(216 words.)
CRUISE R CALLS
During the week ending December 9th, 7 cruise liners carrying 3,932
passengers called at Grenada. They were :-
December 4th "Pair Sea" 411 PasSengers
"Fair Wind" 903 do,
5th "Veendam" 624 do.
6th "world Renaissance" 411 do.
i "Flavia" 310 do.
7th "Jupiter" 320 do.
8th "Sagafjord" 476 do.
BANANIP HIPMENTS
The S S "Geestcrest'! sailed on December 12th with 19,734 boxes of
bananas weighing 622,580 lbs. There were 1,341 boxes of rejected
fruit. The Grenada Banana Cooperative Society (GBCS) paid
producers ECO 14 per pound on the weight of fruit received at the
boxing plants, but this weight is not yet available.
Also not yet available is the price paid by Geest Industries Ltd to
GBCS on this shipment, and the boxing plant weight on the shipment
(continued)
TME. GRAADA NEWSLETTeR -' Week Ending 16.12.78.
of Geestland on December 3rd.
On the shipment by "Geestland" on December 3rd, Geest paid GBCS
EC0 30.050 per pound, and on the shipment by "Geeststar" on
November 27th, ECB 30.262 per pound.
The total weight of bananas shipped in 1978, to date, is
30,964,137 Iba.
BANA BOM
BANANA BAROMETER
Total Pounds
Shipped to ...
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
.1977
31,965,783
29,564,608
26,133,837
23,926,239
21,902,725
19,028,328
16,434,752
13,633,491
10,292,476
8,156,305
5,720,989
2,564,180
Total Dollars (EC)
Earned to ...
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
j
1977
8,503,421
7,891,650
6,874,142
6,21,9,691
5,590,339
4,722,874
3,983,182
3,171,067
2.233,740
1,680,370
1,125,411
507,027
1.978
29,80, 398
27,88i,052
25,60~ 992
23,814,791.
21,275,037
18,748,730
15,369,158
12,532,604
9,576,104
6,769,839
3,711,002
1978
8,967.3*
8,382,371
7,640,980
7,036.196
6,180,346
5,349,667
4,257,377
3,395,955
2,530,502
1,773,422
961,909
up .81%
Up 6.68%
Up 7.01
i Up 8.72%
Up 7.20
Up 14.08%
Up 12.7350
Up. 21.76%
Up .7.40%
Up 18.3357
Vu 44.72%
SUp 43.6aji
Up 22.85%o
Up 25.86%,
Up 30.85J6
Up 34.317
up 34.26%
Up 52.03%
Up 50.59
up 57.559
Up 57.57%
UP 89.72%
I
-1-
THE GR4NADA NEhSLATTR Week Ending 16.12.78 Page3
NEWJMI'CTIR PUEBL CATIOd INFORMATION
This Christmas Issue is the last publication of NEWaSLTTAR before the
end of the year as the producers and printers will be out of the
island until early January. It is planned, however, to bring out
an issue for Sunday December 31st.
That end-of-year issue will carry a resume' of news during the last
two weeks of December. That issue will also have the eaual
Supplement carrying the chronological list of major events of the
year.
Because of our absence from the island and the volume of work
involved in preparation of the Supplement, it is unlikely that the
end of .Yar issue will be ready for publication before mid-January.
The first issue of NEWSLiTThR for 1979 will probably be for the week
ending January 20th.
The publishers and printers of NEWSLETTeR take this opportunity to
wish subscribers and readers a Christmas filled with the Joy of the
true meaning of this Season. And, may your New Year be crowned
with a full measure of Peace and Love.
All er Hughes
D december 1978
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