, 1866-07-27
From tie 81. Thomas Times, J~ly 21)
A VOICE FROM ST. JOHNS, d. W.,
ADDRESSED TO THE
Colonial Council Of St. Thomas and
St. Johns.

The situation Of this Colony is alarm
ing enough to rouse the attention of every
man, who pretends 10 a concern In It's
public welfare. Reasons enough for one,
whose worldly interests are linked to the
destiny of that Island and consequently
must suffer from lis i'll success, 10 strive
to contribute his humble share 10 spread
amongst those, who WELD the decisive
power, at any rate in regard to some fun
damental questions, more correct notions
on its real position, and at the same time
to urge speedy remedies for It's amelIora-
ton instead of allowing to accelerate It's
certain ruin by measures, which OF late
have been in contemplation and would,
if carried out, not only put at once a stop
to the Sugar cultivation, but no doubt
like most Windward Islands prove the
utter ruin of this Colony. | refer to the
contemplated abolition Of yearly contracts
between employers and laborers, and of
the passport system, the latter so essen
tial 10 enable the employers to have some
control over the laborers in the tuIiIment
of their yearly engagements.
Although the administration of this
island is linked together with that of ST.
Thomas, it should not be lost sight Of,
that the interests and resources OF these
two Islands are quite at variance the one
is purely agricultural, whilst the other
is chiefly commercial, and what ordinances
or administrative measures would prove
beneficial 10 the interest of the one,
AS long as II remains 1 ff.u1nf, 'f tia htfU
spirit as well as the letter Of the laws
must be guided and directed by the mo-
raj and intellectual Of those, for whom
they were framed, | cannot see, that with
anything like reason objections can be
raised to the lahorers being obliged to en-
gage themselves for the distinct space of
time, in which the rotation Of the %cultiya-
ton Of an estate completes itself. 1t
would be impossible to establish a crop,
or TO take it off, as long as the laborer
should at any time be allowed to absent
himself from his work, to refuse the kind
Of work, which he is ordered to execute,
or to choose that, which he likes best.
Several serious and momentous points are
attached to these annual contracts. No
planter could undertake to build and to
keep the laborers houses in repair (ac-
cording to s 9 of Prov. Act Of Goth jan
uary 1849), to provide for the superannu-
ated and the children (917) as also medi-
cal attendance and furnish medicines, as
hitherto has been lone on the Estates SO
long as he could not for a fixed period
calculate upon a certain number of la
b%orers; moreover the obligation of an
nually repairing the public roads, the ex-
tent Of which is allotted in proportion to
the number of laborers residing on the
adjoining Estate, could not be imposed
upon him; the schoolhouses would soon
stand empty; we would no longer, what
ever pains the indefatigabIe Moravian
Brethren might take, be able to effect and
guarantee the regular attendance of the
children. In the good days it may amuse
the laborer, at least for a while, to lead a
vagrant idle life, and at the highest to do
as little and as light work, as would suf-
fee to keep him, to use acommon phrase,
from hand to mouth, but when the evil
days, when sickness, hunger, drought and