Interior Communications for British Guiana. 13 



inertia of the people of British Guiana. Much has been written and little 

 done regarding the remedying of the situation. A famous Irish 

 leader once said in Parliament, " It cannot be denied that we Irishmen 

 are far more critical than creative," and since I am of Irish blood I 

 must doubly guard against unconsciously becoming one of the army of 

 critics, of poor old " B. G." It is therefore my intention to confine 

 myself to " what we can do now," no matter what faults, mistakes or mis- 

 taken ideas have prevailed in the past, or who was to blame for them. 

 Let us not spend time crying over spilled milk. On the other hand, let 

 us be careful not to waste any of our all too short lives in merely dream- 

 ing of the future. No fairy godmother is coming here with a magic wand, 

 no matter whether Imperial Preference prevails or not, and the only way 

 British Guiana may look to attain the position she deserves in the world 

 of commerce is by the aggressiveness of her people. 



A most amusing position was taken by a respected colonist, who 

 between drinks at one of our cherished " swizzle " parties, alternately 

 deplored the lack of development and what he chose to term the general 

 sleepiness of the colony, and the untiring energy of a number of new 

 arrivals with whom his business brought him in contact ; young men who 

 had come here to accomplish certain work and intended to accomplish it. 

 These young men were always " bothering about something," and our 

 worthy friend, although a successful man of business, failed to perceive 

 that this "always bothering" spirit is the very germ of progress, the 

 lack of which he was deploring. 



The object of this article, however, is not to criticise the people of 

 the colony, but rather to place on record the opinions and impressions I 

 have formed relative to steps that are practicable under existing circum- 

 stances for the encouragement, by means of improved transportation 

 facilities, of Interior development, and as a preparation for the inevitable 

 world industrial re-adjustment that must take place in the near future. 



The enormous rapidity with which development has taken place in 

 Canada and the United States following the opening up of lines of com- 

 munication through virgin country, and the fact that the influences at 

 work in this regard must of necessity now go further afield, coupled with the 

 advantage possessed by British Guiana in the matter of stable Government, 

 make it patent that the development of the Interior and the tapping of 

 the colony's resources, now securely looked away from the world, is a 

 condition less remote than is generally believed. 



For any who believe British Guiana will remain forever practically 

 immune from the influences that have so changed and developed the 

 world of industry within the last two decades there is without doubt an 

 awakening in store. The influence for development and expansion in the 

 shape of world capital will make itself felt no matter what local opinions 

 there may be with respect to outside investment. Such prejudices and 

 opinions as those that have been voiced locally upon occasion may be 



