1919. \ 215 



RE-ORGANIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT AND 

 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



On October 25, 1918, His Excellency the Governor laid before the 

 Legislative Council proposals for the re-organization of the Department 

 and Board of Agriculture of the Colony. These proposals, which had 

 already received tlio general approval of the Secretary of State for the 

 Colonies, were adopted by the Council and an Ordinance to give effect 

 to them was subsequently passed. The despatch of the Governor to 

 the Secretary of State, forming part of Council Paper No. 112 of 1918, 

 gives a concise summary of the existing organization and the broad 

 lines of future development, and is reproduced below together with 

 the Ordinance which by Proclamation 59 of 1919 came into effect on 

 January 1, 1920. 



Despatch from the Governor to the Secretary of State 



for the Colonies. 



Trinidad,— No. 398. 



Government House, 



November 1, 1917. 

 Sir, 



With reference to paragraph 4 of my despatch No. 232 of June 26, 

 1917, I have the honour to state that I have been examining into the 

 question of the organization of the Department of Agriculture, and 

 although I do not propose to make important changes until the new 

 Director has been appointed, I submit for your consideration the follow- 

 ing suggestions for the re-organization of the Department and Board. 



2. The present position is not altogether satisfactory. Personal 

 considerations to which it is not now necessary to refer were in a large 

 measure responsible for the creation of a Department and a Board of 

 Agriculture independent of one another and with more or less competing 

 activities. Apart from the friction that such an arrangement almost 

 inevitably created it has also tended to a diffusion of effort which has 

 prevented full value from being obtained from the considerable sum 

 that is expended annually in the colony for the advancement of 

 Agriculture. 



It is therefore highly desirable that the Department and Board 

 should be brought into closer relationship than they are at present and 

 that their organization should be simplified. Before submitting recom- 

 mendations to effect these objects I shall first describe the present 

 organisation of the Department and Board of Agricultm-e, and refer 

 briefly to the other establishments in the Colony connected with the 

 agricultural and stock breeding industries. 



DEPARTxMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



3. The establishment of a Department of Agriculture was approved 

 by a Resolution of the Legislative Council of i6th March, 1908, (vide 

 Council Paper No. 120 of 190rfj. The scheme for the estabhshment of 



