, 1874-12-16

now seem impossible According to the
Governors own showing, the continuation
of the present system will be the ruin of
the island.
His Excellency did not give the figures
on which he based this opinion, but they
ought by this time to be well-knowpn.
Governor Birch made that point clear
enough, and according to Governor BiIle's
calculations we must have an average
crop of 1l,40O hhds. to bear our present
expenditure, but the average for many
years has been only 5000 hhds, which
makes all the difference in the world.
Guided by these we'll known facts, this
paper has insisted upon reductions 10 the
public expenditure, together with such
improvements in the agricultural and
manufacturing relations as we considered
urgent and feasible, whether we'll or i'll
received by those in q position to carry
them out, in order that there might be,
if not reduction of taxation, at least q
small surplus for q reserve fund TO save
the island from total ruin without begging)
during those protracted visitations Of
drought to which we are accustomed, and
which, as experience shows, become seVerer
the more the land gets exhausted.
But of course the Government is not.
to be blamed for not making greater re-
d~uctiOns in those departments, where they
can be made, than the people want, and
here we come to the chief point in that
respect, the Military Ordinance, now in.
Committee. 1t is a matter of astonish-
ment, to US at least, that this measure, in
volving, as the Governor assured the
Council, a saving Of some $4,000 per an
mum, should meet as much opposition as
it has in a Council which, like ourselves,
has been constantly crying for reductions,
and which, like ourselves, will not cut
down salaries, and cannot effect any SEN
sible reduction in the other departments.
It is not much more than 9 years ago that
there was a strong party in the Council
which, for the sake of saving, would have
abolished the Military altogether, strength
ened the Police both as to numerical
strength and organization, and formed o
Volunteer Militia. Now the same Council
seems to 60 in an entirely opposite direc-
ton, although the reasons for saving are
certainly not less now than then. Do
then opinions literally change with
tue WedIH6I III SO3 LH0US dCCOEuIuS 10
the rule formed from the past, that we
have 2 good years and 3 bad ones, we
shall have 4 such changes in q decade,
which is not very promising for any
administration.
His Excellency, the Governor, reviewed
all the different branches of the adminis-
t~ration, and found very little to reduce
in them. In this we fully agree, when
it is proved that the protection Of life
and property in this island cannot be
procured for less than the combined cost
of the present Military and Police. There
was, however, one point he did not touch
upon, viz that Ofthe Superior Authority
of this island, the ve&ed question Of
President or Secretary, which; by the
way, is not very important from the
point of view of saving.
In winding up, we would say that, as
we can not get our own Bill such as
propounded in this paper-a strong we'll
organized police force with one Inspector
for the whole island, and a saving of some
800, OOO&nor the plan with q man-of-wsr
steamer here, like the "Diana" or "FylIa,"
carrying the mails daily between the
islands. and having a mifitary-police force