, 1867-02-01

pCUplO 10 ClCCbCu II AifOuy Woyo'
The 2nd member for Christiansted's town
(Pontavice) and the End member for Christian
sted's country district (Ratclife) expressed the
same views as those of the 1St member for
Christiansted's country district.
The End member for Frederiksted'S country
district (Knight) asked, if an amendment as
the present one could be brought orwar !
He considered the proposal extremely DANCE
rouS, as it actually had no other aim in view
than task work in a new form.
The Governor replied to the question of the
2nd member for Frederiksted's country district,
that he did not consider the Introduction OF
the amendment in order. A Provisional Law
had been laid before the Council for its report,
and its two paragraphs concerned, partly the
extent of the provision-grounds to be allowed
the laborers, partly their attendance in sick
ness but the amendment concerned an object
not in any way whatever connected with the
contents of the Law, viz, the payment for
Saturday labor. According to his views of the
matter the Council was only to render its re-
port as to recommending the provisional Law
for sanction either in the form of a law or an
ordinance but it could not be considered in
order to propose the adoption of other objects
not in connection with its contents. But
the prOposers were at liberty to bring in a
draft of an ordinance concerning the alteration
recommended in the amendment. COnfOrmably
with his reservation at thu close of the LIST
discussion with respect TO the question started
as to the legality of the proceedings proposed
by the Committee, that the paragraphs Of the
Provisional Law be adopted in the form of an
ordinance and not as a law, His EXcellency
referred to the Committee report to the Upper
house of the Diet in the Provisional Law of the
18th September 1857 (see proceedings of the
Imperial diet, 9th session, Appendix B. column
1871 f. f.), where it is expressly pointed out,
that a provisional law can be brought in either
for report or adoption,-the former in case the
law has been repealed or its operation ceased
before it's introduction, the latter in case the
law requires the confirmation of the legislative
Assembly. If even the Colonial Law contain
ed such a provision as that of the Fundamental
Law of the mothercountry: that "proviSional
laws always ought to be laid before the follow
ing sitting of the Diet, there could be no OBJ
|iectiOns that the contents of a Provisional Law
issued in the Colonies, after having been
adopted by the Colonial Council as an Ordi-
nance, is sanctioned as such by His Majesty
contemporaneoQsly with the repeal of the pro-
visional Law, and that this thereafter be only
laid before the Diet for information. But the
4th 5 of the Colonial-Law does not contain the
provision about Unconditional introduction of
provisional laws T0f inc OOlOHleS before lH6
Diet, but prescribeS expressly such introduce
ton only, eff the case requires to be decided
by law There is the more reason to lay a
stress upon this, because the framing differs
from that prescribed in the former Colonial
Law of goth March 1852 5 4, as we'll as from
the draft of the 9th 5 of the new Colonial Law,
as it was adopted by the Colonial Council and
it must be supposed, that it is just the inten-
ton of the Law, that the introduction before
the Imperial Diet ought only to take place
when the case actually demands decision by
Law, viz, on account that the object itself
cannot be decided by an Ordinance, or because
the Colonial Council will not adopt it,-but
otherwise that the emanation of an ordinance
ought to be preferred.
The 1st member for Frederiksted's town
(Sarauw) could not conceive it out of order to
propose an additional paragraph to the provi-
sional Law. This tended to introduce altera-
tions in the Labor-Act, the additional paragraph
also. The arguments of His Excellency the
Governor derived from the fundamental law for
the mOthercOuntry he would not submit to a