TNAG-0289-FCO40-325-Departmental-briefs-on-Hong-Kong-1971 — Page 183

that phosphate deposits on Ocean Island, which provide the principal source of revenue for the colony are expected to be exhausted within the next 7 or 8 years. The tiny and remote island communities of Pitcairn and Tristan da Cunha are clearly non-viable in their present'

form.

4. Problems of a different nature face the territories in the West

Indies. Some of these smaller territories, in the shadow of the wealth of the United States, are subject to influences and ideas from the North American continent that would severely tax the political and economic resources of substantially larger communities. Although the prosperity brought to some of these islands through the development and growth of the tourist industry is welcome, it has not always proved to be an unmixed blessing. Such development has in some cases brought attendant. problems in sharply raising the cost of living to the disadvantage of the indigenous inhabitants, or creating acute shortages of labour and the

necessity to employ immigrant labour.

5. Against this background, the eighteen remaining British dependent territories for brief basic details on each see background notes attached scattered around the globe cannot be regarded as presenting a single problem susceptible of solution by a single panacea. The dependent territories present 18 separate situations.

each therefore require and receive individual consideration.

The problems of

2.