The front page of the 6 Feb. 1975 edition of The Caymanian Compass carried a story on the Caribbean Utilities Company planning a $750,000 expansion of its facilities, which included a new 2,275-kilowatt generator costing $450,000. CUC managing director Robert Odear, at the annual shareholders meeting, said that there were no increases in the cost of electricity, except on the basis of the price of oil, despite the increased cost of labour and other commodities. Since the company started operations nine years earlier, the price of diesel had risen from 13 cents per gallon to 52 cents.
A photo of a horse being led down the ramp of a plane arriving from Jamaica also made the front page. The new arrival, along with two other horses and two ponies, were headed to the new Cheval Ranch riding school at Newlands. Also on that flight were a bull and a calf for John Bothwell.
Cayman Airways had to cancel two flights due to poor load factors and low fuel supply. In the story, also on page one, CAL manager Norman Bodden said that the few passengers who had booked those flights were put on other flights. Bodden said that since 6 Jan., the load factor had been very poor, but according to airline bookings, there should be a slight improvement in the weeks ahead.
Included in the newspaper’s editorial was a section on the economy, in which it noted that the year ahead was uncertain, most notably because of the collapse of Interbank. Unemployment – before “unheard of” – was “creeping in” and the building boom seemed to be stopping completely. Tourism also did not look as promising as the previous year. With less money projected to come into Cayman, the editorial said the only thing residents could do to ensure 1975 was not as dismal as projected, was to support the local economy as much as possible.
Related Videos
