, 1874-11-28

get it. So then, the question of those pitfalls
is after all of not such very great import
In every change it is certainly good and pre-
ferable, when not quite sure OF the result, to
commence on a small scale before proceeding
further; bat 10 this present case there are 2
circumstances which must not be lost sight of,
viz: firstly that it has hitherto proved to be
impossible to get Improvements on such asmatl
scale aad next that we have not sufficient
time to wait till va shIl have made q trial.
He would very willingly join the hopes of the
honorable Member for good years, but We
have no certainty of them, an1 a prudent mlu
will al ways do better to prepare not for good,
but for bad times. That is precisely what we
would be doing when introducing Central Fac
tories. Even if We get 8 good years, it, would
b. 50 much the more beneficial to the Islaad,
with Factories than without whereas if we get
bad years, and have no Factories, he did not
believe that We would bo at liberty to entertain
any reasonable hopes of being able to continue,
The hoaourable Member said wo have had
8 bad years and still Wa are 10 existence but
here he would beg to state, That we hal had
a good year previously although but little of
the proceeds of that years crop was left 10 the
hands of The manufacturer here, sill what was
left had assisted in meeting the following 8
years; and it ought not to be forg 1tten that the
Government had literally assisted thu Island
in these years. If Factories were to, be intro
duced or o smaller scale, q guarantee could
not be proposed, as this is done ia order
to encourage the introduction of Factories in
such a manner as to benefit The community at
large it is only this consideration hat could
justify the guarantee and this could never be
admitted when tue matter has only been fur
thered on d small scale. 1t will have been ne
ticed from the Draft, that only in the event of
a clpital Of one million dollars existing will there
be any question OF a guarantee. By this it is
not said, that we will succeed in getting Fac
tories established for that sum perhaps the
parties at home may find it imp )ssible to start
on the whole at once, or may perhaps come 20
the same idea as that advocated by the hooour-
able Member, VIZ to mmeuce with one E3-
Enlistment, so that any mistakes in the first
might be rectii ID in tn, later establishments
But under this supp osition tho gI~aranteo will
not before they are all in full work
Ing condition.
LIST Member for Frederiksted's Country Dis
trict Femjng) would beg to observe, that as
far as he remembered, the ST. Croix Avis in
which a translation was given Of the Article
from the "Dagblad," mentioned Mr.. Wulf
and in that article it is plainly stated that our
planters are ignorant and that the cultivation il
bad, therefore the Island is going to ruin
whereas the fact is we have tried everything to
improve the cultivation, and it il at present in
a very promising state. If we had guano
here, and could reckon on god weather, then
we would be further too.
The G0UernOr did not believe that even in
the " Avis" Mr.. Wulf is mentioned in that
connection he could say that Mr.. Wulf's re-
port was rather favourable for the cultivation
of the Island, as far as it treated at all
on that. But he could not see that this
personal question had any connection whatever
with this matter, and it ought therefore not
to be drawn into the discussions, 50 much the
less as the article certainly was not intended
to do harm, The fact is that, as already stat.
ed, there is not outside of St. Oroix sufficient
knowledge of the Island to admit Of confidence,
o. to create interest; and if it be evident that
the object Of the man who tries to diffuse soma
knOwledg3 of the place is to promote what we
want, it b3cJm3s a matter of minor import If
he in soma points be in error. At the sams
Tina he must say he was sorry to hear On3 Of
our prominent planters, nam 9ly the honorable
lst Member for Fr3deriksted's Oountry Dis
triot, declare that cultivation hers does not
stand ia nael Of imprJvem ant how such al
opinion could b. advanced, and what can be-
adduced in proof or defedca of it, he could not
understand. Everything in this world is sus-
c~aptible of improvement. Happily. he believ-
al Eh,H iii. - -x,-II 49, ~ Il -