, 1870-12-09

Colonial Council for ST. Thomas and st, Johns
it has been adopted in the Introductory remarks
to be added after the last words.
eff any Sea-PasS-fees be paid in the inter
val between the adoption by the Colonial
Council of this ordinance and His Majesty's
sanction of the same, such fees shall be re-
funded"
As the ordinance according to the 9Th s, as it
has been adopted by the Colonial Council for
St. Thomas and st. Johns, is not to be put in
force before 2 months after having received
royal sanction, it has probably been overlooked,
that the limit of the time ought to have been
fixed between the period of its adoption by the
Colonial Council and being put in force as we
understand the proceedings, it would seem that
the Colonial Council under the discussion has
also started from the Supposition, that vessels
belonging to the Danish Westindia Islands pre-
vious to the ordinance coming into force are
to be charged with duty on its coming into ope-
ration. That this has not been the intention
the Introductory motives especially, among
other items, 60 to show.
The Committee does not find other reasons
sufficient to recommend such an addition to the
5 as that stated above.
ad l. As the wording of this ) does not ex-
clude miSconstruction, we would, for distinct
ness, sake and without altering the meaning,
propose its being worded thus.
"On all Vessels, Boats and other Crafts
that are acquired from places beyond the
Danlsh-W eStindia Islands for the purpose of
being placed in the merchant-trade under
Danish flag as belonging in the Danish Wes-
linda Islands, whether they be new or old,
and even if they be originally built" &ca.
The draft proposes the Import Duty fixed at
2 pct. of the value, whereby it was expected to
be made equal to the Import Duty on vessels
IN the Mother country, and due regard has also
been had to, that this amount would be about a
medium between the usual duty in st. Thomas,
1t pct. and the lowest rate of duty in St. Croix
5pCt. At the End discussion of the draft in
the Colonial Council for st. Thomas and St.
Johns the Council has, however. adopted to fix
the duty at the usual amount there II PCT. on
the value, and in order to obtain uniformity, we
would recommend the Import Duty fixed at II
pct, as otherwise it is to be supposed, that ali
vessels would require to be entered on the
Ships-Register of that Island where the duty is
lowest.
The conclusion of the motives to this draft
go to state, that S II of the Law of 4 july
1868, concerning Customs and Ships Dues has
not been embodied in the draft, on account of
not being applicable in the Colonies, where To-
cal circumstances make it impossible that a
vessel .having stranded there can be put in
trade again. As the Committee cannot admit
the correctness of this argument, while the
want of an enactment as the one contained in
the ! cited would give rise to, that the amount
of the duty on a stranded vessel sold at auc-
ton cannot be calculated, we would recon-
mend that the following s be substituted in
stead of the present 6.
"In case duty is to be charged on a stranded
vessel, and in case the vessel is sold separately
at public auction not in connection with the
cargo, the duty shall be calcnlatad according to