CO537-6046 — Page 201

*

Morning Session

on the 13th December

-10-

Item 3 of Agenda: Sir Maurice Holmes (recently Chairman of

the Commission on the Unification of the Public Services in

the British West Indies) and Sir Hubert Rance (recently

Chairman of the Standing Closer Association Committee -

see S.T.C. (49)3- and Governor designate of Trinidad).

16. Sir Hubert Rance spoke of the recommendations for

Federation X in the West Indies recently put forward in the

report of his Committee and referred briefly to the main

features of the federal constitution proposed which, it was

suggested, should be bicameral, with defence and foreign

relations and certain other subjects reserved to His Majesty's

Government. It was also suggested that His Majesty's

Government should make a block grant for a period of 10

years of a sum equivalent to the total of the subsidies

at present issued by way of grant aid averaged over the five

years immediately preceding federation. (This report has

been submitted confidentially to the Secretary of State and

to the local Legislatures and it is expected that it will be published early in the New Year),

•

/17.

X Note The background to the establishment of the

Standing Closer Association Committee and the

proposals for federation are given in a paper

prepared by the Central Office of Information and

entitled "Towards a Federation of the West Indies".

This paper is circulated for information herewith

as S.T.C. (49) 20.-A.M.P.