THROUGH THE 20TH CENTURY WITH THE GLEANER - The Lord Moyne Commission (Part 7)

C. Roy Reynolds

AS WAS almost inevitable for the period, the late Norman Washington Manley made his appearance before the commission. And the fireworks which attended this appearance was reported enthusiastically in The Gleaner of November 15, 1938 under the headline: 'Legislative Council inept!' and following are the leading paragraphs of that story:

"Mr. N.W. Manley, K.C., told the commission sitting at Constant Spring Hotel yesterday, many thoughtful things borne of his own capacity to observe and an-alyse conditions and aff-airs, but nothing was recei-ved by the packed room with more ap-proval than when he decla-red, answering two questions, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon: degeneracy and gross corruption of our quasi-democratic institution is a major evil".

"Whilst the above quotation was not among the most helpful things Mr. Manley drew to the attention of the commission, it was sufficiently exciting to cause the near ejectment of the gathering which cheered so positively that Lord Moyne made an appeal for order."

According to the story Mr. Manley based his position mostly on the reality that the elected members of the council had no power and could only indulge in destructive criticism.

The Gleaner story continued: "It was no one-man evidence that was given yesterday. Mr. Manley was head of a deputation from Jamaica Welfare Limited and looking at the line-up Lord Moyne and Sir Walter Citrine and other members of the commission, Mr. Manley with such eminent intellectuals as Mr. Lewis Ashenheim, Dr. McCulloch, Mr. H.P. Jacobs and others, one got the impression that Britain's brain trust was meeting Jamaica's brain trust."

Our other national hero of the period was very much in evidence as shown by a photograph of W.A. Bustamante holding discussions with Lady Moyne, her son and solicitor Ross Livingston, and also the Hon. Murtogh Guinness.

Manley contended before the commission that with proper cultivation the land settlement system could equal in yield the estate system.

After a century, the estate system had left the worker in a helpless position, proof that for the great mass of workers the system had failed. Members of the commission questioned Mr. Manley about aspects of the proposal he had presented calling for a two million pounds land settlement programme. He told them that only the shock that it would have caused that prevented him from presenting a scheme costing twice as much. He was of the view that only such a scheme embodying stepped-up agricultural training, extension and housing development could bring a glimmer of hope for the future.

Other areas covered by his evidence included land holdings fragmentation, health and sanitation, and education. He suggested as well that Jamaican farm products should be protected from imports. Earlier in the hearings Island Treasurer Hodges in his presentation, had expressed scepticism about the developing trade union movement and the effect it could have on the employment situation.

Manley left no doubt that he thought trade unionism was much preferred over arbitration bodies.

Addressing the cost of building, the Manley-led group told the commission that concrete blocks, clay tiles and other indigenous materials could be used to lower the cost of imported building materials.

The need to improve education, particularly in agriculture was stressed, land, through land settlement, for small farmers; constant monitoring of wages and prices, and a lowering of the rates charged tenant farmers were areas that were examined at length during the session with Mr. Manley and his group.

According to The Gleaner Mr. Manley's evidence occupied all but about half-an-hour of the day's proceedings, including an in-camera period at the end of the public forum.

The newspaper said that it was standing room only as Manley and his group appeared before the commission and "it was a remarkable demonstration of the leadership of Mr. Manley not only by the size of the attendance, but by the variety of classes represented. It was the first packed house that the commission had witnessed!"

As if to prove its contention The Gleaner listed the names of the full commission and some of the public attendance. Among them: Sir Robert Furness, Mr. Alexander Bustamante, Mr. Ross Livingston, Frank E. Lyons, F.W. Fraser, Leslie Mordecai, Mr and Mrs. H.G. Gauntlett, H. DaCosta, Mr and Mrs. Braham Judah, Mrs. Foster Sutton, Hon. and Mrs. S.R. Cargill, Mrs. H.V. Alexander, R.G. Bowen, Dr. Muriel Manley, Mrs. Ludlow Moody, Mr. Dudley MacMillan, Rev. Walter O'Meally, Rev. Ethelred Brown, Dr. Rushie Grey and a number of others apparently society names. The representatives of the masses were presumably too numerous to even attempt to list.

C. Roy Reynolds is a freelance journalist.

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