1939: Bermuda

A British colony, consisting of 360 small islands of which 20 are inhabited, is situated in the north Atlantic, 32° 15' N. Lat. and 64° 51' W. long., 677 miles southeast of New York. Its total area is 19.3 sq. mi., and its civil population numbered 30,951 inhabitants by the 1937 census. Bermuda is the chief naval base of the British navy in the Atlantic. The capital is Hamilton. The tourist trade is the principal source of revenue. Food supplies are imported mostly from the United States and Canada, and virtually all exports go to Canada. The chief products of the islands are green vegetables, potatoes, onions, lily bulbs, cut flowers, arrowroot, and bananas.

The islands are administered by a governor, appointed by the crown, and assisted by an executive council of 7 members. Because the prohibition on the use of automobiles affected also the governor, Sir Reginald J. T. Hilyard resigned on April 6, 1939, and was succeeded as governor, Sept. 30, by General Denis J. C. Bernard. The total governmental revenue from January to June 1939 was £176,715, a decrease of £18,632 from 1938 revenue for the same period. The expenditures amounted to £185,369, a decrease of £12,417.

The events of the year 1939 centered principally on measures for the defense of the islands and on issues arising from the European War. On Aug. 24, the governor was given the power to rule by decree, and on Aug. 29, the British Emergency Defense Act was extended to Bermuda with a number of exceptions. Among the defense regulations, the Government prohibited the transfer or mortgage of any ship registered in the islands. On Sept. 3, at the outbreak of war in Europe, the Government imposed censorship on incoming and outgoing cable and wireless messages and on letters passing through the island post offices, and put the islands on a war basis. On Sept. 11, the Assembly passed a bill which legalized the use of motor vehicles by the Governor for the duration of the war. On the same day, the governor received the power to grant woman suffrage, for which the women of Bermuda had fought for many years.