T VINCENT
General
The island of St Vincent itself has an area of 133 square miles but with the it Vincent Grenadines, of which Bequia is the
The largest, the total area of the State is 150 square miles. estimated population in 1974 was 91,000. Kingstown, the capital, has a population of about 24,000. During the 17th and 18th
It centurées both France and England laid claim to the island. was finally ceded to the British by the Treaty of Versailles in 1783.
St Vincent is volcanic in origin with a ridge of mountains running the length of the island, rising in the north to a 4,000 ft high volcano. Usually dormant, Loufriere threatened to erupt early in 1972 and the Royal Navy rendered valuable assistance.
Political
Et Vincent has been an Associated. tate since 1969. At the last general election in Lecember 1974 the opposition t Vincent
The Labour Farty (SVLP) led by fir Milton Cato won 10 seats. Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) led by r Ebenezer Joshua, which had split before the election won 2 seats (ir and irs Joshua). Mr J F Mitchell, the Fremier in the previous Assembly, stood as an independent and was also elected. Mr Mitchell has since formed a new party, the New Democratic Party.
The inclusion by Mr Cato of fir Joshua in his Cabinet after the 1974 election led to a dispute over the post of Leader of the Opposition, Mr Mitchell claiming to be the rightful contender and the Governor maintaining that since neither he nor Mrs Joshua commanded the support of the other no appointment could be made. In due course an amendment to the constitution was passed amid some controversy and the Covernor appointed Firs Joshua to the post. Mr Joshua has now left Mr Cato's Cabinet as a result of his opposition to the Fremier's recent decision to seek full independence for t Vincent. The British Government have agreed in principle to convene a constitutional conference. Liscussions about its timing are taking place wath all three parties in at Vincent.
Economic
The economy of t Vincent is overwhelmingly agricultural. Like the other Windward Islands it depends heavily on the export