, 1873-03-19
COMMLTTEE-REP0BT
ON
THE DRAFT OF COLONIAL LAW FOR
THE DANISH W|ESTINDIA ISLANDS.
dated 1911 NoremJer 1872.

The Committee is-in conformity with wat
in the Motives to the Draft Of the Col nial Law
is represented as being the desire of the Home
Goyernment,-of the opinion that there can at
present be no question Of introducing any other
fundamental principle for the administration OF
these Islands than the one laid low in the
Colonial Law of 9th November 1863, with
which the Community has through a series Of
years become pretty familiar; and shall there
fore not deem it necessary to premise any eN-
position of the whole future organisation en-
bodied in the Draft but may, before proceed
ingto consider Some ofthe proposed enactmentS,
oonfne itself to a few remarks on one partlcu-
lar point.
1t may be considered as being generally adj
United, that although tho Colonial Law gives
the citizens of these Islands a more extended
access to control and to partake in the Admin
i%stration, than had been the case under the
former system,-stil this has been so very
little evident in daily life, or, perhaps, been so
very little realized, that most persons will no
doubt be of tha opinion, that the prerogatiVe
was easier available in the time of the former
Bureher Councils and of the Old Colonial COun.
Gil. During the discussions on the Draft of the
Colonial Law of 1868 great stress was laid on
the municipal functions which the Colonial
Councils were to exercise; but those functions
have in practice been thrown into the shade by
the legislative functions of the Council, without,
however, these latter gaining in vigour. Partly
on account of the considerable lumber of Mem
bers comprising the Colonial Councils, partly
on account of the rare meetings and likely also
partly in consequence of The extremely detailed
Supervision which the Superior Authority has
bestowed on the said Councils, they have been
but very little adapted to treat, much less to
take the initiative in municipal affairs; but it
will not have escaped notice that communal
questions, which very naturally would mostly
engage the interest ofthe citizens, just because
those questions stand in the closest connection
with the material well-being of the Community,
have had to stand back for political questions;
but neither as a political corporation has the
Colonial Council had a very thriving existence,
no doubt also to q certain extent owing to the
unfreQuent meetings, that are scattered over
the whole year, so that any case, if it even in
tho ooIunonoomont created some interest, lost
it, before it was brought to an end.
Hence, it has for several years and already
since shortly after the Colonial Law came in
force, been a matter of consideration if those
inconvenience could not, without much distur-
bance in the once established state of things, be
remedied by forming out of the Council a
body, to be specially charged with the man
agement of municipal affairs, properly speaking,
while the participation in the Legislation could
rest with the Council IN pJeno, that Body being
then organised in a manner more suitable to the
purpose and the Committee therefore thinks
that it deserves to be appreciated that a
proposal to that effect, as far as st. CrOix is con-
oerned. has been embodied in the Draft ) 361