, 1869-07-30
PROCEEDINGS OF
THE
Colonial Council
FOR ST. CROIX.

Conclusion of the meeting of 10th June).
2, The 2nd discussion of the proposal for an
additional money-bilI to the Budget for the
financial year I669-70, Item d. 7, for in
creasing the additional pay to the non-com-
missioned officers and ~privates.
The following amendment had been proposed
by the Governor:
1.-The Council gives its consent, that the Gov
eminent temporarily for a term of 4 months
fixes the maximum price of butter in the can
teens at 423 cts. y ID and compenSateS the
puryeyors from the Colonial Treasury for the
difference between the price and that which
they would charge agreeable to their contracts;
the End discussion on the case to be therefore
postponed for 4 months, provided the Govern
ment does not find it necessary to desire it
furthered sooner"
The Governor stated, that since the LIST dis
cusSion in the Council on the 2nd inst, the mat
ter had been reconSidered, and the result was
embodied in the amendment proposed involving
a temporary measure to alleviate the effects of
the high price of the article in question in the
military c~anteens. AS shown by him during
the first discussion, measures had Immediately
been adopted for the reduction of the price of
butter from so to As cts. until the matter could
be decided in the Colonial Council, which meas
ure as a matter of course, had to be done with
reservation Of the puryeyorS' right to claim re-
Enumeration for the loss arising thereby. 1t has
subsequently, been under consideration, if it
would not be generally more expedient and at
same time more economical for the Colonial
Treasury, to perpetuate this temporary arrange
ment and even to go a little further in that di-
r~eCtiOn, rather than increase the additional pay
to the men. From information obtained from
the purveyors it has been seen, that in the garri-
Con in Cbri,+;oru+o1 4baro bo1 boo, co1l in tho
canteen during the last year about 2l5 1b. of
butter pr. man (sick-days excluded); but in
Frederikseed and Kingshill about 33 lb. of butter
pr. man. The first mentioned quantity gives
only about 1.a8 L9ds pr. mar daily, the latter
about $50 Lods pr. man daily. 1t is considered
desirable, that a man could be able for 2 cts. to
procure himself u Lod of butter for breakfast
and the like quantity at the same price for sup
per, and this can be obtained when the price of
butter in the c~anteens be further reduced to
423 cts. ~ tb. Allowing that each man after
such a reduction in the price will consume 3
Lods pr. day, this would give 6,426 ID. for the
68,547 yearly meal days requisite for the entire
prescribed force. If however the price of butter
in the retail shops should continue so high, that
the purveyOrsa according to their contracts might
have demanded the prices in the %canteenS fixed
at SO cts. ~ tb, their loss by selling it at APR
cts. ~ ID. would be about $780,, to be indemni-
fed for by monthly payments from the Colonial
Treasury. Thus the amount would be much
loss than the proposed additional pay, and the
intention to procure the mems the article in
question at a somewhat reasonable price, would
be more surely attained than hitherto, as they
have, for instance, during a part of the present
year had to buy butter at the rate of AS cts.
" ID. of butter. There was this objection, how
ever, that the sale of butter in the c%anteens
might increase to a very considerable extent,
owing to the prices of the article in the retail
shops: but here it must be remarked, that it is