The concentration and centralization of capital in…
1888 CE to 1899 CE
It also signaled the eclipse of the old settler elite.
By about 1890, most commerce in British Honduras is in the hands of a clique of Scottish and German merchants, most of them newcomers.
This clique encourages consumption of imported goods and thus furthers British Honduras's dependence on Britain.
The European minority exercises great influence in the colony's politics, partly because it is guaranteed representation on the wholly appointed Legislative Council.
The manager of the Belize Estate and Produce Company, for example, is automatically a member of the council, while members of the emerging Creole elite are excluded from holding seats on the council.
The Creoles request in 1890 that some seats on the council be opened to election (as had occurred in Canada and New Zealand) in the hope of winning seats, but the Legislative Council refuses.
In 1892 the governor appoints several Creole members, but whites remain the majority.
In the 1920s, the Colonial Office will support agitation for an elective council as long as the governor has reserve powers to allow him to push through any measures he considered essential without the council's assent, but the council will reject these provisos, and the issue of restoring elections will be postponed.
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Middle America
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