‘that, with the removal of the irritant, we shall in
fact see greater inter-Presidential—or rather inter-
Colonial—co-operation in the future than has
always been the case in the past. The four
Presidential Governments are, for example, now
being invited to express their views on voluntary
co-operation in order to secure an improved air
service for the smaller islands in our area. Fisher-
ies development is proceeding most successfully in
Antigua, is in progress in the British Virgin
Islands, is about to start in St. Kitts-Nevis- Anguilla,
und is planned in Montserrat; there is much that
the Presidential Governments can do to help one
another in the exploitation of their fisheries, and
indeed Antigua has already provided help and
advice to the others.

I hope that examples such as this will pave
the way to a new spirit of co-operation between the
four units—co-operation which is not artificial and
forced through a Federal Government, but co-
Operation which stems from a voluntary recognition
of common problems and of a desire to help ones
neighbours.

That brings me to my last point. [I have no
doubt in my mind that the de-federation of the
Colony of the Leeward Islands is the right policy —
and indeed the only policy which can be pursued.
But I have slight uneasiness in one _ practical
respect. There is no doubt that Antigua and
St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla can stand on their own
legs without help—or interference—call it what you
wil—from outside. But the smaller Presidencies,
simply because of their small size and small
populations, may not find it so easy. And so I
should like to take this opportunity of asking the
Governments, of the two larger territories to
remember both now and in the future the needs of
the two smaller Governments; and I should like
them to continue to help in the future, as they have
done in the past, by making available technical
advice and staff even when it may be temporarily
inconvenient to themselves.

As I come to the end of my final address to
the General Legislative Council—and to the end of
the final address which will ever be given by a
President to this Council—I should like to pay
tribute to those who have gone before as members
of this Honourable Council over the past eighty-
five years. Although we are responsible for bring-
ing this Council to an end, I am sure that we
would not wish anyone to think that the work of
those who went before us was in vain. 1956 is
different from 1871, and calls for different policies;
but the past work of this Council will live on in the
statute books of the four new Colonies.

I should like to express my personal apprecia-
tion to the present Council for the help and
guidance which it has given to me for the past
five years.

I should like to draw the attention of Honour-
able Members to the complicated and arduous work
performed by the official members in order to bring
about the introduction of the Ministerial system,
and de-federation. As one who has had nothing to
do with the detailed planning, I feel that I alone
am in a position to inform Honourable Members
that. these two constitutional changes have involved
detailed work of incredible complexity—all of
which was done while I was on leave in England.
And I am sure that you would wish to join with
me in expressing appreciation to the Honourable
the Colonial Secretary, the Honourable the Attorney
General, the Superintendent of the Printing Office,
and all those officers who have toiled to eliminate
the Federal Estimates and to make appropriate
provision in the Presidential Tistimates with effect
from the Ist July this year.

And finally I should like to send through you
my personal and warmest good wishes to the
people of the Leeward Islands on this historic
occasion. I wish them success and prosperity in
the future, and I hope that they will derive the
fullest measure of benefit from the constitutional
changes of 1956.

ANTIGUA.
Printed at the Government Printing Office, Leeward Islands, by E. M, BLACKMAN,
Government Printer—By Authority.

1956.

[Prue 5 cents.)