Dear Editor,
Like thousands of readers and contributors I am compelled to repay the debt I owe to David De Caires. I am caught in reflections on our relationship from the time he was battling with the government of the day and was required to import material (I think was from Trinidad) on which to print Stabroek News. That experience left me hesitant about my future career. I also got to know his close friend, Miles Fitzpatrick, who conducted his legal practice from an office in Kingston while colleague practitioners were all based in Croal and High Streets neighbourhood of the Law Courts.
I had left Queens’ College in 1950, the year of the first publication of our magazine – QC Lictor wherein I was awarded the first prize for the best short story. In the same year the British Council (we were a colony of course) offered me the opportunity to undertake regular Book Reviews on radio on Sundays ( I think it was Radio VP3BG). I could keep the books.
I had no clue at the time that in 1952 the highly regarded writer, Arthur J. Seymour, having been appointed Chief Information Officer of a newly established Government Information Services (GIS), would visit the office of this Class II Clerk, based in the first Ministry of Communications and Works, to offer me the position of Information Officer (Radio). I accepted and became a Broadcasting Officer who operated at then Radio Demerara. My initial duty was to present a weekly programme titled “Rural Notebook”, the content of which was to be information transmitted by Information Officers assigned to report respective Village Communities, to which the five/six of them were assigned – Berbice, Demerara, Essequibo. I also organised a backup programme titled “Poems I Like”, to which invitees would present their own poems and/or of others of their choice.
I recall that David, Miles and I, along with Rashleigh Jackson, Lloyd Best and others, would meet at the New World Group at Rashleigh’s home. By that time I was assigned to Blairmont Estate, from which I would travel to participate in Sunday meetings. I had to return to Blairmont on time for work next morning by the only taxi available as early as 3 o’clock in the morning.
Earlier, I won a cadetship from Booker Sugar Estates (BSE), who arranged my training at the London School of Economics to qualify for an appointment as a Personnel Officer in the sugar industry. BSE was then controlled by Sir Jock Campbell, who was a declared Socialist and whose family had initially owned Port Mourant Estate. It was during one of his biennial visits that Sir Jock interacted with our Cheddi Jagan. They developed a most productive relationship out of which emerged the village Cane Farming component within the sugar industry. I was made responsible for implementing the legal act that was conceived, thus coordinating Cane Farming Cooperative Societies, from Skeldon through to Uitvlugt Estates. Enmore and LBI already had Buxton and Plaisance villagers supplying canes to their respective factories. Following the institution of the National Cane Farming Committee (NCFC) Act, BSE appointed Cane Farming Officers as appropriate.
By deliberate arrangement, Wales Estate managed the largest of the operations, which accepted canes from 57 workers and families selected to live at Belle Vue, where a Community Welfare facility was established and maintained with related programmes, including sports. I was assigned by BSE to coordinate and report on both Agriculture and Community Welfare activities – all these from the Head Office in Georgetown.
Cane Farming Cooperative Societies thrived at Skeldon, Albion/Port Mourant, Wales, and Uitvlugt. Rose Hall Estate was exceptionally served by two private cane farmers. Blairmont was never involved. The current situation is that until recently, only Uitvlugt remained operational. In fact, when that estate’s factory malfunctioned a few years ago, it was the supervising Vice President Jagdeo that had to be reminded about the implications of the NCFC Act for cane farmers who still supply cane to that estate. The estate still (mal) functions in the depressed state of productivity in which the industry now operates. Like Stabroek News, sugar remains in my DNA at 95.