The Bermuda Recorder

              » ookingft drinking rh ttwlfttmatfe fatt—f s*mtmt fr vtt li hi pi 1 a r rt f fl i f & 6393x3 -- jbulruiiq y i^tcuruci - mjpltmm saikca * ■ hr purvis ltd b agents purvis ltd published bi weekly price 6d wednesdays 1 saturdays uk rof volume xxxm hamilton bermuda saturday april 6 1957 no 69 richards warned not to press for reversal of jim crow policy week brief brooklyn couple here on 43rd wedding anniversary trip house told there's mounting the in resentment over denial of human rights in the colony from jlonclon comes a ve port of a certain coloured bermudian schoolmaster who was interviewed mi a tele vision programme featuring bermuda during the big tw talks the teaeher was asked whether there was coloui prejudice in bermuda lo f hotels and restaurants the just married couples who command a special atten tion while visiting these honey moon islands have had to take a back seat to mr and mrs charles harris of brooklyn x.y who are here on a 43rd wedding anniversary trip mr e t richards forcibly enunciated the evils of the hotel keepers protection act of 1930 in a forty minute speech in the house yesterday as he made the first step in a move to outlaw racial discrimination in hotels and restaurants in ber muda he proposed changes in the act which would make it an offence punishable by heavy fine or imprisonment for any one contravening the anti-bias law assembly defers decision on move to outlaw racial segregation in public places after three hour debate yesterday b w^^mma^£m ' w the couple arrived on marcii 17 by the liner queen of ber muda and are the houseguests of mr and mrs william steede of st john's road pembroke they will be here until april 10 he replied well up to ill ii point could you becom member of club 1 never^_net mid ice was the proposed changes are contained in a message he has asked the house to send to the governor because it was the result of the act which was passed in 1930 that coloured people whether bermudian or foreigners as well as jews were excluded from the hotels debate opened in the house of assembly yesterday on mr e t richards proposed message to the governor which seeks to outlaw the practice of racial discrimination in bermuda j^-'s aud restaurants through having changes made iu the utel keepers protection act of 1030 the answer could you if yc i tried the announcer wanted to know i don't suppose so was the teacher's answer our t correspondent says as a ber mudian i was never more dis gusted by so cheap an exhibi tion of dishonesty and evasio i in all my life privilege which is outmoded the operation of the act put a burden on sixty per cent of the people of the colony be cause of their colour the primary purpose of his mes sage was to remove that injury and lo establish a right mr and mrs harris were married on • marcli 18 1914 they have two sons and three lovely grandchildren mr harris recently retired from government service which he entered 43 years ago tomor row he has another anniver sary to celebrate — it will be his birthday xo decision was reached after three hour debate and the n_ianer was laid over until monday for further con sideration mr richards opening speech lasted 40 minutes and at its conclusion he was congratulated from ali sides of the house on its bril liance and eloquence the debate extra ehairs were put out aud visitors were standing in lae aisle occa sionally there were outburs.s of laughter and cries of hear hear as various speakers & ♦ section 2 and 3 of the act said in substance that a hotel keeper can refuse to admit or register any person who seeks to be a gust at the hotel at which he is the keeper that gave him the complete right of exclusion it was significant that the right existed before the act came into existence because if it had not the act would not have been put on the statu'.e books an american honeymoon couple were the lucky winners scored points of the car raffled at ihe big f fair sponsored by the commir teen of 25 last week the win ners were lir and mra vincent roness of brooklyn the visitors appear to be an ideal couple and are very friendly they have met many berniudiass who have enter tained them in their homes mr harris is a keen fisherman and lias indulged freely in the sport during his stay the first assemblyman to a speak after mr richards opening speech which is re mr e t richards m.c.p most of the white members who spoke agreed that he had cited a problem which was real and with which they sympathised however they thought he was making too radical a move for a solution by asking for a complete rj^lersal of the present jim crow policy they suggested he should move gradually and and cautiously that the mes sa?e should not be sent to the governor and that mr richards would be well ad vised to move for a joint select committee of the house nijd legislative council to study the issue during the summer months so as to find an acceptable compromise ported separately was up ernest vesey chairman of the finance committee he spoke about how early bermudians had built the hotels aujl lost their entire investments be cause there was not suflicient business to keep them going under the act a hotel was defined as any inn tavern public house or place trading for profit by way of accom modation for the public for refreshment or lodging and the keeper was the manager or assistant manager of such a place under this definition mr richards went on the various hole-in-the-wall res taurants could shelter and use it as an instrument of racial discrimination throughout the country y v '■' iws ' jo_v ■''■'"' v frra ___-_____! who encountered an occa sional humiliation and then was a willingness on their side to bring about a solution lie did not think that anybody enjoyed seeing people humili ated n.y » # * herman james landy's !_> day spree from hamilton jail was ended on wednesday when two detectives spotted him brazenly walking along angle street with two of his friends the escaped convict who had liminary college mathematics and english literature * * * outside capital had be m used to develop the business to what it is at present but more was needed aud he doubted it could be got if they cannot control their busi ness care should be taken uot to make changes that would affect the volume of business as time went on the situation complained about would disappear wheu the hotels see that they can in crease their business by accept ing those they now refuse they will not stop for race creed or colour mr vesey not a question of profit over 100 members of vari ous friendly societies in the colony braved last sunday's bad weather to attend the an nual bermuda nursing asso ciation service at the cathe dral the governor sir john woodall and lady woodall attended together with tha ■ laughter marion the sermon was preached by bishop anthony williams secretary of the association which is controlled by the friendly so cieties is mr henry conyers however he did not think mr richards was ou safe ground when he indicated that the problem was on of human rights it was a problem about which something should be done but not on the exer discarded his prison clothes for a well tailored suit told the authorities he had been the guest of friends during his break from the 7-year term fa • was serving for car theft highway robbery and attempt ing to wound two policemen landy who is 3 was caugsh by sgt milton murray marsh and constable hubert sim mons he was about to enter a house when recaptured eise of any ethics or human conduct neither was mr richards on safe ground when he sought to deny business organizations the right to do the tvpe of business they see fit whatever were the condi tions that brought about that act in 1930 exclusion on grounds of race was inexcus able throughout the world in the deliberative assemblies and in the courts of justice the emphasis was being laid on the sacredness of the human personality and on respect for human dignity ' dean odum due here seen here is the rev edward white olive branch mr h j tucker leading spokesman among the white members told mr richards point blank that if he per sisted in proceeding as planned he will be defeated he must know that mr tucker said , suggesting that he should accept the olive branch which had been ex pended and consider the issue in committee he should be lieve that 1 we are interested in correcting this situation just as far as it can be corrected ta winding up yesterday's ate mr richards did not indicate whether he would accept the olive branch or not he merely said that ou monday he will answer some of the arguments which oppon ents to his message had raised mr tucker said the hotel keepers act was an extra ordinarily useful one . . which had aided the development of the trade which was not worth some 25 to 30 million dollars annually neither was it a question of profit or pounds shillings and pence as mr richards had said nor was it a matter of human rights but it was a question of whether bermuda could survive if anything goes * # * j odum jr dean of turner theological seminary atlan ta ga who will speak at a series of special services at bethel a.m.e church shelly bay beginning april 28 the dean is a brother of rev l s odum former pastor of allen temple somerset a p2.123.000 contract for construction o f airmen's quarters at kindley field was awarded this week to the five boro construction company of new york the quarters to be built will be four three storey buildings accommodat ing 200 men at three to a room last month a t 1 ■•. million con tract was awarded to a florida firm to construct permanent buildings and a 2 million one is pending for work on the north-south runway at the went on ord road school he felt that in the mean time a concession could be made for officials visiting here no matter what their race was they should be accepted and taken care of in the hotels sports held in any country the act would be an invasion of human rights it is a negation in it self of human dignity and perpetuated a system of racial the annual athletic sports meet of tlie ord road school was held on thursday april 4 at the school field it would be folly mr h.t watlington chair man of the board of educa tion thought it would be folly to thrown away the colony's main industry he said the proposal mr richards made would only sweep away one facet of the problem and leave others he could not support it as it stood because i do not see it working he declared champion house again this year many parents and friends were present to witness the thrilling events under a sunny sky ,_.. . * i t l_a . mr martin wilson well known civic leader of war wick presented the cups he told the boys and girls that he felt at home with them as he too was an old paget glebe boy mr wilson impressed on the boys the necessity of becoming leaders aud told the girls that they could help in this by keeping high standards personal and social wrong the issue did not warrant cheap sneers about pounds shillings and pence mr tucker went on because it was a question of housing and a standard of living which if lowered could bring about real misery base champion girl was jeanette franks with eight points while the title of champion boy proved a unique feature as four boys gladwin edness eugene nusum howard tucker and rory butterfield each had a total of six points the green house was the miss shirley boles and miss carol smith of brooklyn n.y are vacationing in bermuda as gueests at the imperial hotel » • • an attempt to start college level cultural classes in bev muda will be made this sum mer when it is hoped that a take a course in musical his least 30 music students will take a course in musical his tory and theory to be given iu connection with the normal queen's college s u m m e r courses which have been given primarily for teachers during the past four years other courses to be given are prc leaving for new york this week after a short stay in bermuda as a guest at the imperial hotel was miss hazel clarke of barbados mr h j tucker said he and his colleagues were impressed with the difficulties of those however mr w leroy tucker however a strong supporter of the member-in charge indicated quite clearly where he stood on the olive branch he said that richards message involved a matter of principle and principle is something that cannot be com promised he saw no sense in placing the matter in the hands of a select committee so that it can be lost down through the years mr donald smith thought mr richards had touched on a mild and trivial phase of a big problem - he wondered why he selected the hotels and guest houses when there were such other more irksome problems facing the coloured people like the restricted franchise — which was de signed particularly against coloured people there was the system of taxation de signed so that a small minori ty could escape the burden which was placed on a ma jority made up of the coloured race and also there was the question of segregation in the schools transportation workers to worship at mt zion mr and mrs cyril brang man of ely's harbour somer set celebrated their 20th wed ding anniversary on sunday successful church conference at st paul a.m.e bus drivers and members of the mechanical staff at the public transportation ter minal will worship at mt zion a.m.e church south ampton west tomorrow morn ing the men are turning out en masse at the church in view of the impending departure to the united states of rev frank a lapsley the pastor who is being transferred to a new charge he is one of the employees at the terminal the day is actually mission ary day at the church but tlie ladies will give way to the men for the morning service at which time mr walter williams will deliver the mes sage in the afternoon a forum will be held and the speakers will be mrs frances hall and mrs corabelle bean miss helena williams will speak iu the evening last mr and mrs ivan stovell of kyber pass warwick cele brated their 25th wedding anniversary last sunday * * * not do something about racial discrimination here he would be forced to see that some thing was done from the out on thursday night more than 350 members of st paul a.m.e church met the pastor in a church conference to formulate plans for the church conference year the personalities to be invited to speak in bermuda at st paul will be mrs eleanor roosevelt widow of the late president roosevelt the pastor of st paul rev t w foster formerly of vernon temple expressed appreciation for the large attendance st paul must become a church that mrs winifred lambert anderson of atlantic city n.j is visiting relatives and friends in bermuda she is the houseguest of her sister in-law mrs dorothy robinson of pembroke west the probiem has been going on for 30 years and is not one which has been precipitated t ay it has ' already been w&er consideration a long time so why send it to a com mittee to study during the sum mer when most of the members will be abroad on holidays mr tucker asked he said he thought that brains like mr h j tucker and mr ernest vesey could have come up with a better suggestion than that • side mr hilton hill bias i i what he called the complete inflexibility of tlie policy of the white hotel keepers not one hotel or restaurant would accept a negro guest no mat ter who he yas or how hungry he may be hotels and par ticularly resort hotels had to be careful of type of atmos phere that prevailed but if a law was necessary to pro tect them from an undesirable white person because of their misbehaviour or criminal acts or who may be leperous must after the devotionals the pastor spoke about the im portance of a solid spiritual foundation among the many plans was a complete canvass and registration of all claim ing membership at st paul members present registered approval of such a canvass of the more than 700 members of st paul mr smith said that many whites wanted to alleviate the racial situation here but it was unfortunate that mr richards had picked ou an issue which affects our bread and butter cares paying a short visit to mr and mrs hilton green of ewing street hamilton this week was miss iris husbands of boston mass miss hus bands is a bacteriologist at norford county hospital having obtained her m.a de gree at the university of ver mont she is at the head of her department tomorrow is passion sun day the pastor will preach at both services and holy communion will be celebrated on wednesday the regular midweek service will be con ducted with music rendered by the gospel choir each wednesday night a robed choir will sing mr russell pearman re called his remarks in the house sometime ago to the effect - that if the government did a married couples club was organized with the theme a family that prays to gether stays together among public gallery packed the public gallery was packed to capacity throughout continued on page 10 air4famm why not try these t ; ; o tarn |