The major news in the 21 Nov. 1973 Cayman Compass was the front-page story headlined ‘Government Seeking Solution To Fuel And Financial Crises’. The article noted that the “financial shock which has been described as ‘critical’ and the current fuel crisis have simultaneously hit Cayman”. This was right in the middle of what was to become known as the 1973-74 stock market crash. The recent drop of 28 points on Wall Street “resulted in a number of cancellations from North American tourists”, the story noted. That, plus a “very serious” fuel position – Cayman Airways was down to its last 5,500 gallons of jet fuel and operating on a “day-to-day basis” – led to the government looking for answers to the crisis.
The editorial in this issue described a very different crisis – that of the urgent need to enact legislation to protect Cayman’s black coral. It referred to a recent case of tourists, staying at a hotel on West Bay Road, who were seen with “several bags of black coral which they were taking off the island”. And, apparently, when they were told their action would be detrimental to Cayman, “their reaction was not only callous but offensive”.
The sports section also dealt with this issue, with Lennie Hew, in his ‘Sports Views’ column, noting how “a few conscienceless and greedy minded visitors” have taken black coral “by the roots from the sea-bed”. Hew recounted how he saw a tourist on a CAL flight with a package “measuring about 5 feet resting on the floor from window to aisle”, who, when asked, told him it was black coral.
Finally, in the Entertainment section, the ‘Talk of the Town’ was the cocktail party hosted by the Humane Society at which guests learned about the success of the organisation. The article also noted that the main aim of the society was to ultimately build an animal shelter.
Related Videos
