The Jamaica Banana Producers Association revolutionised the banana industry. The Jamaica Banana Producers Steamship Company's new refrigerated banana-cargo vessel Jamaica Producer at Hanover Street wharf as she arrived on her maiden voyage from England in 1962. The 5,700-ton ship made the trip from Birckenhead, England, in eleven days. In charge of the ship was Captain T.A. Kidd.
ENTREPRENEURIAL ADVANTAGE
March 31, 1908: The Collector General's Department reported that 834 or 13.2 per cent of all retail trade licences were held by Chinese nationals, while East Indians had 444 or 7.1 per cent and Syrians 88 or 1.4 per cent. At that time there were only 2,111 Chinese in Jamaica, and they constituted only 0.3 per cent of the population.
AGRICULTURE BOON
April 1, 1929: The Jamaica Banana Producers Association came into being with 6,145 members and a capital of £173.12/- divided into 41,664 shares of one penny each.
PIONEER DIES
April 2, 1957: Charles Johnston died at his home on Osbourne Road, Kencot, St. Andrew. He was a pioneer in the formation of the co-operative movement in the banana industry. He was managing director of the Jamaica Banana Producers Association, director of the Jamaica Fruit and Shipping company, director of Adolph Levy and Brothers, and a director of Kingston Wharves. He was born in Lucea, Hanover in 1871, received his early education at elementary school after which he entered the banana industry as a junior clerk.
INDUSTRIAL HIJACKING
April 3, 1981: Workers at the Gem Cutters Jewellers' workshop at Bravo Street in St. Ann's Bay captured the premises and detained the owner, Sam Smith, because he owed them redundancy payments.
ENTERPRISE PLAN
April 4, 1935: Abrahams, Henriques and Joy, electrical engineers, presented a proposal to the Hanover Parochial Board to provide the town of Lucea with electricity.
FARM WORK START
April 5, 1943: The U.S. State Department and Department of Agriculture signed an agreement with the Government of Jamaica to provide for the employment of up to 10,000 Jamaican agricultural workers in the USA to relieve farm labour shortages in critical areas. Young male American workers have left farms to join the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force in the fight with England against Germany, Italy and Japan.
TRADE JEALOUSY
April 6, 1936: Twenty eight bakers complained to the Government about the "Underhand alien, and unfair monopoly practices which were being carried out by Chinese bakers, and called for legislative action to prevent this business which was once in the hands of native Jamaicans being taken over by the Chinese. They complained that they substitute coconut meal for flour, and "they even inter-marry and inter-breed with Jamaicans so that their children would become Jamaican-born British subjects".
- Compiled by Hartley Neita
