Labour Legislation in the West Indies The Royal Commission on
the West Indies opened its public sessions in Jamaica on November 4th ; last week the Manchester Guardian reprinted from the Daily Gleaner of Jamaica an exceptionally interesting verbatim report of an examination of the Colonial Secretary and Assistant Colonial Secretary by Sir Walter Citrine. Sir Walter concen- trated, on labour legislation. In reply to questions he was informed that instructions from London ordering the establishment of minimtun wage machinery had been ignored. Factory inspection is non-existent, and .there is no protection against " general distress " in industry. The great bulk of the island's population is excluded from the operation of the Workmen's Compensation Law. Instructions were received from London to encourage trade union organisation. In framing the Trade Union Law, modelled on British legislation of 1919, the Attorney-General struck out the clause permitting _picketing ; and the provision in the British Act of 1906 which protected trade unions against the crippling effect of the Taff- Vale decision was omitted. It is not surprising that attempts, under such conditions, to create genuine trade union organisations should lead to violent conflicts. * * * *.
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