, 1869-05-07
OF
THE
Colonial Council
FOR ST. CROIX.

VI UUCIJ lClCIlCu W Ii ICdSOAo .Ob0UOu Wy CAO
LIST member for Frederiksted's town (Sarauw)
in the last meeting respecting the unreasonable
ness of now postponing the adoption of the
Draft, which reasons he considered clear and
convincing and also to the remarks by the
same member concerning the mode of proceed
ing that ought to be adopted to obtain retrench-
ments in the expenditure, in which remarks he
for his part quite agreed; he would consequently
vote for the adoption Of the Budget.
The 4th member for Christiansted's town
(McWilliam) considered it Inconsistent to vote
against the Budget after the Grants had been
adopted. He had been a member of the COM
mission and had closely considered all the pro-
posals made, and had had the opportunity of
convincing himself, that they could only be eff
fected gradually and by ordinances, but not
through the Budget. He would yield to no
member in the Council in bis desire for retrench-
ments, but it should. be done constituti0nally
and through the regular course of legislation.
The 4th member for Frederiksted's country
district (Latimer) offered his reasons for having
voted against the most Of The Money-Bills, and
intending likewise to vote against the Budget.
Agriculture is the principal branch of industry
in the Island, but it had evidently refrigerated
so much for a series of years, that the planters
could no longer bear the burthen besides pay
ing their taxes they had to support the invalids
on their estates and keep the roads in repair,
and many other things.
The 2nd member for Frederiksted's country
district (Knight) stated, that if even the Budget
showed a smaller figure than the foregoing ones,
he could not acknowledge any actual reduction
50 long as the taxes had not been reduced.
From the commencement he had proposed the
appointment of a Committee, which had been
refused by the Council, and he would now OBJ
iect to the hurried discussion of the matter and
vote against the whole Budget.
The Ist member for Frederiksted's town
(Sarauw) would draw the attention of the last
honorable Speaker to the facts, that in the last
year there had been an actual reduction in the
taxes by the new Ordinance concerning Court
fees whereby the amount of the revenue, &C
cording to the Governors statement, had been
reduced, as far as his memory goes, between
$4,000 and $4,000. Why more considerable
retrenchments nave not been effected, was not
solely owing to the Government, but also Oh
that of the Council itself, the majority of which,
as far as he remembers at the advice of the
honorable End member for Frederiksted's coun-
try district (Knight), had twice refused to en-
terrain the proposal made by the End member
for Christiansted's town (Holstein) and himself
for a retrenchment in the Military expenditure,
to which majority the Governor had adhered.
The 4th member for Christiansteds country
district (McWilliam) repeated, that ne considered
it unconstitutional to vote against the whole
Budget. The reduction in the taxes must be
obtained in another manner than through the
Budget.
AS no other member demanded the word, the
amendment was put to the vote and was adj
opted with IL votes against 2.
The Vice-Chairman then put the Budget
with the notifications showing a total amount
of revenue $751;, 430 and a total amount Of ex-
1penditure $179, sos to the vote, and it was ad-