CO537-6046 — Page 168

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advice?

(It may be recalled that the Report of the

West India Royal Commission in 1943 reɑmended making

a start in the more backward areas by setting up local Comumion councils with merely advisory powers, but they never

sug ested that this should aply to such Cities as

Kingston or Fort of Spain or ridgetown)

(b) A system under which groups of members of the Leg,

Co, apointed for advisory purposes were gradually given

executive functions and converted into executive bodies

would give rise to many difficulties. An executive

b dy minust have offices, staff, financial res urces

and ao on rust start with a reasonable "corpus" of

Λ

functions.

(a) The position of the advisory body vis-a-vis the

Governor's Executive Council would be a delicate Latter,

The great bulk of the administrative matters on which

an Advisory Committee would wish to express an opinion

would be below "Governor-in-Executive Council" level and would

be matters for the eads of Depart.ents, but the ad vi ce

would presumably on a matter of form have to be given to

the Govenor.

(a) An elected advisory body wields power without

LeeL

responsibility more particularly if its advice is

published (and it is difficult to forbid publication)

and is in essence propaganda. It can for example put

hevy pressure on the Government to spend money with ut

incurring the odium of raising the money by rates

or otherwise.

/ 8. There