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2. I shall be glad if you will express to the Council my appreciation of their prompt and generous action in this matter.

3. The necessary instructions are being given to the Crown Agents.

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(No.

45.)

I have, &c.,

ALFRED LYTTELTON.

No. 113.

BAHAMAS.

ACTING GOVERNOR CHURCHILL to MR. LYTTELTON.

(Received June 28, 1904.)

SIR.

Government House, Nassau, June 8, 1904. In reply to your despatch, No. 4, of the 4th February,* I have the honour to inform you that Sir Gilbert Carter took steps to lay the matter therein dealt with before the Legislature, and suggested that a contribution of £50 a year should be made by this Colony, for five years, to the fund for the investigation of malaria and the training of medical officers in the treatment and prevention of tropical diseases.

2. I regret to have to report that a Bill for effecting the object as laid down in Sir G. Carter's message, though introduced with a favourable report from a majority of the Selec, Committee to whom the Governor's message had been referred, was thrown out on the motion for second reading.

3. The Attorney-General has furnished me with a report explanatory of the course followed by the Assembly in rejecting the Bill, which 1 have the honour to transmit, together with the other papers annexed thereto, as follows:-

Attorney-General's Minute of 2nd June, 1904, with enclosures, viz. :-

A. Copy of Governor Carter's Message to the Assembly, dated 21st March,

1904.

B. Report of the Select Committee of the Assembly.

C. Bul presented to the House by the Select Committee to accompany their

report.

I have, &c.,

SCHEDULE.

J. S. CHURCHILL,

Administrator.

Attorney-General's Minute of 2nd June, with three enclosures, viz :-

A. Copy of Governor Carter's Message to Assembly of 21st March, 1904. B. Report of Select Committee of Assembly.

C. Bill presented to the House by Select Committee to accompany their

report.

Enclosure in No. 113.

HONOURABLE ACTING COLONIAL Secretary,

June 2, 1904.

I REGRET to have to report that the House of Assembly has declined to accede to the suggestion of the Secretary of State that the Colony should grant a contribu- tion to the proposed Imperial Fund for the study of tropical diseases.

2. The course of events in the matter has been as follows:-

3. A message was sent to the House by His Excellency the Governor recom- mending that a contribution of £50 per annum should be granted by the Colony for a period of five years. This message was, in the usual course, referred to a Select Committee of five members. Three of these members presented a majority report in favour of the proposal, while the remaining two presented a minority report against it. The majority presented with their report a Bill embodying the proposal, which was read a first time without opposition. The Message, reports and Bill referred to in this paragraph are attached hereto, and marked A. B. and C. respectively.

No. 12.

C

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4. On the second reading the Bill was rejected by the House. The arguments addressed to the House in favour of the proposal emphasized its Imperial and patriotic character, and drew attention to the considerable number of natives of this Colony now serving in the West African Colonies. It was also pointed out that though the greater part of this Colony is outside of the tropics, some islands of the group are certainly afflicted with malaria, and the Colony is always liable to an invasion of tropical diseases from neighbouring countries. The principal argu- ments against the Bill were, that the Colony ought not to be considered either a West Indian or a tropical colony; that geographically speaking it ought to be ranked with Bermuda, as belonging to the North American group, and that it would injure its reputation as a health resort to take any action implying that it must be classified with Colonies in which tropical diseases are prevalent; it was also urged that no contribution had been accorded to the fund by either Bermuda or Barbados (a point on which the members of the Executive in the House were unable to give any information), and that examples of contributions from Colonies without representa- tive institutions were not to the point, as such Colonies had not the free control of their own finances. Stress was also laid on the refusal of Jamaica to contribute to the fund in the manner proposed.

5. I think that if Bermuda and Barbados contribute to the fund it is by no means improbable that in the subsequent session this Colony will follow their example.

ANTON BERTRAM,

Attorney-General.

(Bahamas. No. 12.)

(A.)

MESSAGE from His Excellency the Governor to the Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly.

The Governor desires to transmit to the Honourable House of Assembly u circular despatch (with enclosure relating to the subject matter contained therein) from Mr. Secretary Chamberlain, the then Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated May 28th, last year, summarising the steps which have been taken under his initia- tive to deal with sanitary questions, more especially in connection with the investiga- tion of malaria and the training of medical officers in the treatment and prevention of tropical diseases.

It will be observed that certain Colonies were asked to subscribe to a fund for meeting necessary expenses in connexion with the investigation, and it is now hoped that a common fund might be established out of which the objects referred to might he subsidized.

Mr. Chamberlain states that in case there should be a "general desire on the part of the Crown Colonies and Protectorates to give moderate donations or subscrip- tions in aid of medical and sanitary training and research," he proposed to appoint a Board to advise the Secretary of State as to how the moneys received can at any time be best allotted, such Board to consist of the Medical Adviser of the Colonial Office, a representative of the Royal Society, some leading London physician, one or more representatives of the Crown Colonies, and one or more members of the Colonial Office."

The present Secretary of State in reference to the work of his predecessor, remarks: "I share the views held by my predecessor as to the desirability of follow- ing up the good work which has already been begun in the direction of combating the diseases which are prevalent in tropical Colonies, but at the same time I am very desirous that any funds contributed by those Colonies should be freely given on the ground that the objects for which contributions are asked, are recognised as being beyond question beneficial and worthy of support."

The object of the Governor in bringing this matter forward is to ascertain whether the Bahamas would be prepared to subscribe to this laudable object and, if so, he would suggest that the sum of £50 a year for a period of five years would be a suitable contribution in view of the circumstances of the Colony.

G. T. CARTER,

Government House, Nassau,

March 21, 1904.

Governor.

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