TNAG-0831-FCO40-1039-Commonwealth-Parliamentary-Association-(CPA)-annual-conferen-1979 — Page 95

ST KITTS-NEVIS-ANGUILLA

General

1.

The island of St Kitts is about 23 miles long and has an area of

68 square miles.

It is of volcanic origin and very mountainous, the highest

point being 3,800 feet above sea level. The capital, Basseterre, is

situated on the southern seaboard at the base of a large fertile valley.

The island of Nevis is separated from St Kitts by a narrow strait about two

miles wide. It is also volcanic and has similar characteristics to

St Kitts. The only town is Charlestown.

Anguilla lies some 65 miles

north-west of St Kitts. It is a flat coralline island covered with low

shrub, about 16 miles long and 4 miles wide at its extreme. The islands

are occasionally subject to hurricanes. The estimated population is

51,000, of whom 13,000 live in Nevis and 6,000 in Anguilla.

2. St Kitts and Nevis were discovered by Columbus in 1493.

Sir Thomas Warner founded the first British colony in the West Indies on

St Kitts in 1623. Control of the islands was disputed between the French

and the British during the 17th and 18th centuries. The Treaty of

Versailles in 1783 finally passed St Kitts and Nevis to Britain. Anguilla,

although frequently attacked by the French was continuously held by

Britain. The union of St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla into a single presidency

was established in 1882.

Political

3. St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla has been an Associated State since 1967. The

Labour Party has been in power for more than 20 years, supported strongly

by the sugar cane workers. In his platform in the December 1975 elections,

Premier Bradshaw asked the electorate to give the Government a mandate to

seek independence, to vote "No" to secession for Nevis and "Yes" to

nationalisation of sugar. The Labour Party won all seven seats in St Kitts

with increased majorities, while the Nevis Reform Party, which favoured

secession and was opposed to independence under Mr Bradshaw's administra-

tion, won the two seats in Nevis comfortably with 76% of the votes cast.

The People's Action Movement fared badly, polling 20% of the votes cast

compared with 36% in 1971. On Mr Bradshaw's death in 1978 his deputy,

Paul Southwell, became Premier; Mr Southwell died in May 1979 and was

succeeded by Mr Lee Moore.

14.

Anguilla