Persistent problems: Sea transport in the union, 1889-1939

Dr Rita Pemberton

One of the first attempts of the administration of the united colony which demonstrated some consciousness of the importance of the issue of connectivity for the united colony, to deal with sea-related issues, was stimulated by a need to draw Tobago into the round-the-colony journey to New York.

It was the brainchild of then Governor Sir William Robinson, who in his response to the dwindling performance of the island’s agricultural sector, sought to establish a fruit trade between Trinidad and the United States. Farmers were encouraged to cultivate fruit, especially citrus and bananas, which would be collected at the production points to facilitate the trade.

A round-the-island coastal steamer service was organised to pick up the items of fruit for export. This service which was contracted to Turnbull Stewart and Company at the rate of £5,000 per annum for seven years, was conducted with two ships.

At union in 1889, Tobago was included in the itinerary of the steamers and, as a result, was bestowed with a fortnightly service.

Unfortunately, the fruit trade was not a successful venture. There were myriads of problems, not the least of which was the handling of the fruit by inexperienced farmers during both the pre and post-harvest stages. The fruit, which was not properly packaged for the journey, arrived in New York with bounces and bruises, some in an under-ripe and others in an overripe state, and was not attractive for marketing.

The trade effort flopped and the contract to Turnbull was withdrawn. However, Tobago was included in the steamship service to the east and north coast of Trinidad, which was started at the beginning of 1889, and included Tobago in October of that year.

After two failed attempts to provide the service through contracted arrangements and the incessant vociferous chorus of protest that emanated from traffickers from Tobago who complained about damage to their cargo and the unsuitability of the ships for the service, complaints from planters and merchants about the trading arrangements which were fickle and costly and the population of Tobago which suffered depredations because of the unreliability of the service which resulted in increased costs of items which became in short supply.

In addition, in the 1925 elections James Biggart who was elected to represent Tobago on the Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago, became the loudest advocate for the provision of a better service to Tobago. He forcefully advocated for the provision of a better service to the people of Tobago and highlighted the difficulties he encountered in his attempts to attend meetings of the council to represent his people.

The effort was extremely costly causing him much personal expense of finances and time and he became the loudest advocate for a radical improvement of the sea communications between Trinidad and Tobago. His appeals did not fall on totally deaf ears for the government of the colony which was faced with the spiralling costs of the existing service which became more expensive, less efficient and evocative of increasingly stinging criticism, decided to develop a shipping service that was conducted through the Harbour Master’s office.

On May 15, 1927, a sea communication committee was established under the direction of the Director of Public Works, M A Murphy with a mandate of this committee to determine how a satisfactory service which met the needs of both islands could be developed without the weaknesses of the previous arrangements and the spiralling costs to the government.

The problems which were highlighted at the committee level were: the increased costs of the previous efforts, the length of time taken to conduct the round-the-island journey which was influenced by the number of stops the ships were required to make, the frequent delays sometimes up to 24 hours that, were encountered on the journey.

In a contribution which reflected a total lack of sensitivity to the situation which faced the people of Tobago particularly, those in the Windward part of the island, the ship’s captain suggested removing the stops at Plymouth, Milford, Bloody Bay, Pembroke and Hillsborough. The problem in these areas was not related to a shortage of cargo to be collected for export to Trinidad, but a lack of jetties to allow the ships to come closer to the port area.

Before the committee submitted its recommendations, by letter to the Secretary of State, Tobago planters and merchants requested an inquiry into the state of isolation to which Tobago had been placed, the severe business losses they encountered, delayed mail which hampered effective communication and the difficulties of travelling from Tobago to Trinidad to conduct everyday business.

The committee dismissed the need for another inquiry and proceeded with its findings. It ascertained that what, in the past was being attempted by one ship, would be more efficiently done by the two ships which it recommended and that the service to and from Tobago should be operated through the auspices of government services rather than through contracted operators.

Government acquired two vessels, the Trinidad and the Tobago which offered a nine-hour journey from Port of Spain to Tobago and an eight-hour journey from Tobago to Port of Spain. The service, which commenced at night from both islands, occurred three times per week and included round-the-island trips which started from Roxborough and then went to the remaining bays on the windward and leeward coasts to pick up passengers and cargo.

Although this was considered an improvement in the service, the complaints continued because the necessary facilities had not been provided. Stevedores, who physically offloaded the cargo had to wade through the water to the small boats which would convey the items to the port. Depending on the tide, items would often get wet which was disastrous for goods such as flour, rice and dry peas.

The stevedores were also required to assist female passengers to climb down the rope ladders and carry them across the intervening water to enter the small boats which could be a demanding task depending on the size of the women and the tide.

The changed arrangement brought revenue to the government which then offered special weekend fares to stimulate holiday travel and increase government revenue. In addition, holiday trips to Tobago were advertised as well as trips to Guyana, Barbados and Grenada. These trips interrupted the schedule causing complaints from irate traders whose cargo was not transported causing them to incur losses to facilitate the tourism drive.

Another committee, the Nichol Committee was appointed in 1938 to determine whether the existing service met the needs of the population. The Nichol Report was formulated concerning the development needs of the island which were injected into the final report.

It stated that transport and economic development were interrelated and recommended that the economic development of Tobago rested on strengthening the agricultural sector with increased staff, diversification of agriculture, and an improvement in its system of roads and internal transport.

It recommended that the round-the-island service be maintained until roads were developed and that better accommodation should be provided for animals awaiting transport on the wharves. In addition, to foster tourism development, it recommended the implementation of a faster passenger service for domestic and tourist travel. Just when matters appeared to be hopeful, war broke out, the report was shelved, and the problems remained unresolved as attention became focussed on wartime emergencies.