The West Indies : Their Common Interest and Imperial Aim. 343 



West Indian quarantine used to be, and he quite realised the difficulties 

 that were experienced when they went along a string of islands and 

 found different quarantine regulations at each one. (Hear, hear.) Well, 

 they had now a common quarantine law and they now hoped very soon 

 to have the West Indian Court of Appeal, and here he desired to inter- 

 polate the statement that he did not think they would be able to do 

 much with Jamaica or Bahamas until they had done something to unify 

 in other directions. The institution of a Court of Appeal for the eastern 

 islands and British Guiana seemed to him to be a very easy matter and 

 they had hopes for the Conference to meet this year. They knew that 

 Barbados and British Guiana were agreed on the point and they hoped 

 to convert Trinidad. They could let the Trinidad Judges be ex-officio 

 Judges in British Guiana and the Judges in British Guiana be ex-officio 

 Judges in Trinidad, so that when there was a Court of Appeal formed 

 both could take part. (Hear, hear.) He was sure it must be a most 

 unpleasant thing for a Judge to sit as one of the Judges of appeal upon 

 his own judgment, and he could not think anyone could be surprised if a 

 Court of Appeal stuck to that judgment Even if only British Guiana 

 and Trinidad joined together they would always be able to have enough 

 Judges to form a strong Court of Appeal in each colony, and every addi- 

 tional colony that joined would strengthen that Court. (Hear, hear.) 



Mutual Commercial Understanding. 



He also thought it would be quite easy to come to an understanding 

 in regard to the laws regulating Customs matters. On that subject, he 

 also hoped, and it had been proposed by Trinidad, that a common Ordin- 

 ance for the various colonies might be agreed upon so that the people 

 living in one colony would know exactly what the Customs law was in 

 another colony. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Davson had mentioned how it might 

 be possible to have Free Trade in products in the West Indies and 

 British Guiana. He thought that was a most sensible proposal and he 

 could imagine nothing that would help on the other matters better than 

 having a mutual commercial understanding and Free Trade between the 

 islands. He thought Free Trade in imported goods might be managed. 

 He was sure that the Comptroller of Customs, Mr. Reid, could draw up 

 an Ordinance or Regulations under which goods imported, say. into 

 Trinidad could be exported to British Guiana, the duty paid being- 

 refunded, and this would be a convenience to commercial gentlemen. 

 (Hear, hear.) There was another point that had occurred to him. They 

 had four race meetings here and he thought there were too many. But it 

 would seem that they wanted a common racing law in view of a recent case 

 which took up so much time in the Supreme Court ; but that was going- 

 somewhat outside their business that evening. Then again they could 

 have a common Penal Code for all the colonies, for there was no doubt that 

 there should be the same criminal law throughout. (Hear, hear.) Here 

 in British Guiana they had not got a Penal Code at all and the sooner 

 they had one the better. (Hear, hear.) In agricultural legislation surely 

 they wanted a common law for the West Indies \\\\<\ British Guiana 



