WEST INDIES - LANDS IN TRANSITION

e [Music] [Applause] Christopher Columbus seeking a new sea route to India cited a small island on the morning of October group later to be known as the West Indies Columbus had within a few years Spain Portugal England France and to a lesser degree Holland were engaged in a bitter contest for the political and economic control of these new lands a struggle that was to last for nearly 300 years Spain used her great advantage of being first in the Caribbean area to lay claim to the major islands and the adjacent Mainland she then built Mighty fortresses to protect her possessions Under The Guns of these forts Rich shipments of gold and silver from the mines of Peru Mexico and Colombia were loaded on gallions for the long long sea Voyage to Spain England a powerful rival of Spain for this trade and wealth also founded colonies in the West Indies in Jamaica England established a stronghold at Fort Charles from which her ships could operate against the convoys and settlements of Spain after three centuries of colonial rule most of the West Indies broke away from their mother countries except for Cuba and Puerto Rico Spain lost all of her new world possessions the Spanish-American War gave Cuba its freedom and made Puerto Rico a dependency of the United States Haiti the principal French colony in the Caribbean won its independence in 184 only England retained intact her original West Indian possessions largest of which are Jamaica and and Trinidad these Palm fringed beaches that once witnessed The Landings of explorers adventurers and Pirates now welcome peaceful citizens who come to enjoy the warm tropical climate and a seab breeze that moves across the Blue Water it is this warm climate combined with the rich Earth that makes these islands ideal for the large scale production of sugar cane principal agricultural crop of this region during the colon Untold thousands of negroes were brought to the islands from Africa to labor in the cane fields and in the Mills today's inhabitants of the West Indies are largely the descendant of these African people and they face the problems that three centuries of neglect and exploitation created educational programs plus social and economic reforms are helping the new generation to meet the challenge of living in the complex world of the 20th century under the plantation system of the colonial period great fortunes were made and the owners built magnificent homes symbols of their wealth and power like the system that created them many of the homes have crumbled into ruin decaying monuments of a grim and turbulent past that is being replaced by new ideas new forces and new standards Haiti shares the island of Hispanola with its neighbor the Dominican Republic Haiti is the only french-speaking Republic in the Americas Porto Prince is the capital and principal City and retains much of the atmosphere of an old French Colonial Town women sauntered to the market bearing loads on their heads as their ancestors did in the times of Kristoff the black king of Haiti as in times past donkeys are a familiar site along cobbled streets Haiti is an underdeveloped country where the towns are crowded with people who live in neighborhoods like this the Waterfront at Porto Prince is busy with small sailing vessels that ply up and down the coast bringing produce to Market many of the rural districts of Haiti are without roads and Coastal Villages must be reached by sea this boat has brought a load of sweet potatoes for sale at the market buses that travel the main roads leading from the interior of the islands are filled with passengers who are bringing their produce to Market to sell or trade for necessities bananas are a staple food among the ha and tons of them are piled at the market these are a large melee banana called plans and are usually cooked with rice fish or meat unrefined salt produced by evaporating sea water in flat basins above the tide is heaped in bulk like this for sale to the town's people every day is Market Day at the waterfront with people buying and selling everything from food stuffs to Old tin cans and strips of brightly colored cloth there are many kinds of stores in Porto Prince but for the peasants of Haiti this is their great open a supermarket for these people a new cooking pot is a luxury and the Very necessities of existence are selected with the care that in more fortunate lands is given to the purchase of a new dress or an automobile although Haiti is a mountainous country sugar has always been the main stay of its economy Ox carts piled high with cane are a common site along roads leading to the Mills men still perform by hand All Phases of the harvesting operations these workers are transferring small bundles of cane from Ox carts to the railroad cars that will take them to the mill Cil which is used in making bags rough twine and rope is Haiti's second most important export crop most plantations have their own Mills where the leaves are crushed and the fibrous matter is separated from the pulpy Leaf after crushing the leaves are passed into troughs filled with running water where the pulpy green substance is washed away when thoroughly clean the fibers are strung out on wires under the hot sun to dry the sun bleach cisil is then bailed and shipped to PTO Prince for the overseas Market tourism is a rapidly growing source of income throughout the Caribbean area and visitors arrive daily at PTO Prince by cruise ship and by plane more so than in any other country of the West Indies the production of handcrafts is an important industry many small factories in Porto Prince produce handcarved dishes salad trays and ornamental figures of Rich Island mahogany the dollars spent by tourists contribute to the Haitian economy and Aid in the difficult struggle toward a better standard of living south of Cuba and west of Haiti is the island of Jamaica its capital is Kingston the sun helmeted traffic policeman is a familiar site in all British tropical colonies as in Haiti the great majority of the population had its origin in Africa and today Jamaica faces similar problems of Social and economic adjustment the variety store with its modern and inexpensive merchandise is a symbol to them of the changes that are occurring and the better life they enjoy in recent years the Abundant supply of labor has brought many small Industries to Jamaica new factories under construction on the outskirts of Kingston will add to the income The Colony normally receives from sugar boite and tropical fruit Puerto Rico was one of the first Islands to be colonized by the Spaniards it was named for the fine Harbor at the entrance of which they established the town of San Juan in 15009 the Grim Fortress of eloro at the harbor entrance was built to repel attacks from Spain's Rivals today San Juan is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the West Indies a friendly City with nearly 3/4 of a million inhabitants San Juan is the oldest city under the American flag the ancient part of the town still have a strong flavor of colonial times iron grilled balconies steep little byways and streets so narrow that the creeping motor traffic seems like an intrusion From Another World passages through the ancient city walls open onto cobbled streets lined with pastel colored houses doorways offer glimpses of sunlit patios that were in use when most of America was still a wilderness even the custom house built in recent years retains the charm of early Spanish architecture the flags of the United States and Puerto Rico fly side by side evidence that the Puerto Ricans are proud of their citizenship in the American Commonwealth Puerto Rico is a vitally important meeting place of the Latin and North American cultures its relations with the United States are watched with Keen interest by our Spanish-speaking Neighbors the tourist hotels offer facilities equal to those found anywhere and the fine beaches attract an increasing number of visitors from the mainland handsome shopping centers serve the newer Suburban developments familiar chain store names indicate that the people of Puerto Rico although basically Spanish in their language and culture are today and to an increasing degree Americans as well a combination of political stability and wise administrative leadership has raised living standards in Puerto Rico far above those of its neighbors economic conditions have made it possible for many of its citizens to buy suburban homes in the large privately financed developments this is another kind of suburb in San Juan for although Puerto Rico has changed rapidly for the better in recent years much remains to be done as in all the larger islands of the West Indies the everpresent Spectre of poverty still presents grave problems the government has built a number of large housing projects like this one for as little as $3 per month poor families from the slum areas can move into these buildings and live in sanitary surroundings the Puerto Rican government also provides a program of long-term loans free plans and free use of expensive tools this makes it possible for many families to build their modest homes on a doit yourself plan this poor Widow and family aided by friends will soon have a home when it's finished they will furnish labor for another family this effort will help these people take a long step forward on the road to a better standard of living throughout all the West Indies one of the problems is that of the subsistence farmer he earns a meager livelihood from a small plot of land and finds it difficult to improve his way of living bananas and other tropical fruits vegetables and tobacco are grown on these interior Hill Farms here too the government is helping the people build better homes cement blocks are used for houses such as these that can be built by their owners for as little as $300 easy long-term loans encourage ownership until recent years sugar was King in Puerto Rico as it was on the other West Indian islands and a million and A4 tons are exported annually today however through the success of a remarkable program known as operation bootstrap sugar has fallen to second place in Puerto Rico's expanding economy under this program 600 manufacturing plants have been built and many more are under construction operation bootstrap is entirely Puerto Rican in design and control through a 10-year tax exemption agreement American and foreign manufacturers of widely varied products such as rubber Goods paper bags electric insulators and cement have been encouraged to open plants in San Juan and other urban communities among all people education is the key to progress in San Juan and other larger centers Elementary and secondary schools are upto-date in both facilities and curriculum patterned after the school system in the United States Puerto Rico's Pride however is its fine University with a full-time faculty of nearly 1,200 and an enrollment of 18,000 students eight faculties are contained in its three main campuses one of which houses the principal nuclear science laboratory in the Spanish-speaking World here young Puerto Ricans of every class are preparing for their careers in adult life from Frank Gusman and Amelia irisari are students in social science Jose Ramon Gomez a student in Natural Sciences plans a career in medicine and Carlos Vasquez is majoring in education so he may become a teacher Maribel Perez and Jorge Munos are classmates in General Studies and are typical of the thousands of students at the University the enthusiasm and hard work of these students of varying racial Origins and Creeds indicates a willingness to work together to build a better Nation for themselves and their people [Music]