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French Government in the JJ^est Indies 495 1884, representative institutions were introduced into Jamaica and Mauritius restricted the electorate by a high property qualification ; so that for instance in Mauritius out of a population of 400,000 in- habitants there are only 3,000 voters. In Jamaica, Lord Derby accorded to the elective members of the colonial council the con- trol over the finances of the island. We cannot here trace the his- tory of the last fifteen years, but the most recent developments are so interesting that they deserve notice in connection with the ex- perience in the French Antilles. On account of financial difficulties into which the colony had fallen, a royal commission was appointed to investigate the situation and make suggestions. The outcome was the report by Sir David Barbour' in which he criticizes the Jamaican financial management and especially the habit of borrowing for the construction of public works not directly productive. He also records " a serious defect in system in so far as regards the re- lations between the Colonial Office, the governor of the colony, and the elected members " which he considers " inseparable from any at- tempt to combine in a working compromise the conflicting systems of crown government and representative government." He believes that the constitution of Jamaica has aggravated the present financial difficulties, that it leads to much friction and loss of time without a satisfactory result. The colonial legislature is also criticized for re- fusing to vote the salary of a necessary official and because the un- official members pressed for an increase in the educational credit. In his letter of instruction - to the governor, Mr. Chamberlain takes up these objections and enforces them from his own experience, as when he says that he favors retrenchment in the expenditure for education, which has not, he thinks, produced results commensurate with the outlay. He then instructs the governor to appoint the full number of official members and to retain them so as to place the elected members in a permanent minority in the council. He bases his action on the principle that " where financial assistance is given a colony by the imperial government, the latter must have control over the finances." Of course, the Jamaicans most vehe- mently protest against this suppression of the powers of their repre- sentatives. The mayor and council of Kingston in a petition to the Queen, submitted that " to reduce the educational vote will work a vast amount of harm for which no prosperity in other directions can compensate." ^ But as financial and industrial relations are upper- most in the mind of the Secretary for the Colonies, it is very un- ' Parliamentary Blue Books, C. — 9412, July, 1899. 2 Aug. 22, 1899, Parlianientary Blue Books, Cd. 125, April, 1900, p. 6. ^Il>id.,f. 32.