Annual report on the Gambia / Colonial Office.

Date:
[1949]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the Gambia / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Local Government in Bathurst is in the hands of the Bathurst Town Council, established under the Local Government (Bathurst) Ordin¬ ance, 1946, which consists of the Colony Commissioner as ex-officio chairman, four nominated members, and three elected members from each of the five wards. The Council has not yet taken over the full responsibilities provided for it in the Ordinance, and its activities extend chiefly to the lighting and cleaning of streets, the ntaintenance of buildings, markets and drains and the care of open spaces. Its revenue includes rate assessed on the annual value of premises and duties on palm wine entering the town. The Kombo Rural Authority was set up at the beginning of 1947 under the Kombo St. Mary Division Ordinance, 1946. It consists of the Colony Commissioner, two nominated official members and a variable number, at present twenty-one, of members nominated for the most part from the headmen of the villages of the district. The authority at present concerns itself chiefly with the maintenance of streets and markets, for which purpose it collects rates, market fees and trade licences. The Protectorate Ordinance, 1935, consolidated and amended the law relating to the Protectorate. The appointment of a Senior Com¬ missioner in October, 1943, was the prelude to a number of changes in the Protectorate Administration, which consists of four Divisions with a resident population of 246,886, administered by Commissioners. These are known as the Western, Central, MacCarthy Island and Upper River Divisions, with their Headquarters at Brikama, Mansa Konko, Georgetown and Basse. Each Division consists of a number of districts under a head chief whose appointment is approved by the Governor by Proclamation. There are 35 such districts of various sizes, ranging from 305 to eight square miles and with populations between 27,000 and 800 persons. These districts may be divided into sub-districts under sub-chiefs but none are in existence at present. Each district possesses a Native Authority and a native tribunal. The Native Authority is declared by the Governor for any specified area and may be any chief or other native or any native council or group of natives. The district head was previously the Native Authority but a change was made in all the districts during 1945 when the district head became the president and the village heads, with their advisers-in-council, were appointed members of the Authority. The Native Authority has powers to make orders and rules to be obeyed by natives within the district, and is expected to maintain order and good government in the area over which its authority extends. The Native Authority Ordinance, 1933, confers these powers. Mention has been made in Part II, Chapter 9, of the native tribunal
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