The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-01-14

ship Of Sir George Somers, a BIRTHS
admiral. en- route to the recently Dor
colony at jamestown, Virginia, spran
leak in a storm and had to b
grounded in the islands The consit
cradle party disembarked and re
NAMED nine months, during whic
time they built two pinnaces In thes
they reached Virginia safely an
spread pleasant reports Of their ten
porary home.
Taken by tho English.
The result was, first, that the Vii
ginia colony obtained title to the Is
lands to serve as a sort Of mid-Atlanti,
hog ranch; and second, that a smaller
group Of Adventures bought the title
and obtained a charter. The documen
created the Company of the City Of
London for the Plantacon of the Som.
er Islands," The effort to name the is
lands after the old admiral who caused
them to be settled failed, however, and
garbled spelling Of the name of the
| original discoverer has remained.
In the beginning Bermuda was hot
! colony but company-controlled set
Element. The shares were held not
| necessarily by the settlers, and only
shareholders had voice in govern
mental affairs. The development from
this starting point presents picture
that Is said to represent faithfully in
miniature the ups and downs of the
Engllsh-speaking peoples in their striy-
ings toward self-government.
One-Quarter Of the land was original
ly set aside as common company land,
the income from which was to defray
company expenses. any surplus to be
divided among the shareholders. The
remainder was divided into eight parts,
or tribes" consisting Of fifty plots or
shares. Representation in the assem-
bly, which was provided for was to be
by shareholders elected by sharehold-
ers
The original governmental arrange
ments made possible the ruthless
crushing Of individual rights. Offend
ers were executed for petty thefts and
for speaking in opposition to the gov
ernor's policies. Finally an arbitrary
governor failed to permit meeting
of the assembly for a decade from
1874 to 1854. Action was then brought
in the British courts, the company
was ousted from possession, and a
crown colony was set up. The assem-
bly, which sits today, however, is still
made up as at first of four represen-
tatives from each tribe" and four
from the common land. About the only
difference is that voting privileges now
rest on income rather than share own
ership. The property-owning class has
been exceedingly careful in creating
az burdens, with the result that the |
8ermudans are today one of the mos. |
lightly taxed peoples in the world.
Houses of Coral Rock.
Not only are Bermudans fortunate !
n the taxes assessed against them;
hey are also favored In the matter of
heap habitations. Materials with
which to build homes may be said TO
ave been thrown In by Nature with
he site. few feet under ground at
lmost any point in the isles Is a
upply of soft coral rock which may
e sawed out In the form Of building
locks with an ordinary saw. When
easoned for while the blocks harder
nd are ready to be used in building
he great majority of Bermuda houses
re constructed from these white
locks. Since the roof of every house
lust become the family waterworks
ainwater, the roofs are usually white
ashed and kept scrupulously clean.
Bermuda prosperity hinges largely
q America, for 1t is to the west that
lie islands face in economic matters
ither than to the mother country
AS a prosperous leisure
ass has grown up In America inter
;ted In seeking milder climate dur
6 the winter months, Bermuda has
evitably drawn more and more of
5 members. 1t Is estimated that In
cent years the tourist population of
e island has more than equaled the
sident population. Hundreds Of
ousands of dollars have in this way
lien into the Golfers Of Bermudans
all walks Of life.
1t was in 1910 that a wise governor
gan the development of the real
ealth of the islands, their ability to I
Use early vegetables for the Ameri- S
n market. The islands soon es r
blished a reputation for their onions =
d potatoes and demonstrated that =
,st other fresh vegetables could be
oduced probably. Another impor :
ut Industry was built up In the grow. Z
; Of lilies.