, 1874-07-01

explained that it had nov been put on the. Bud
get, in order to bring it in under the general
stock and funds of the Colonial Treasury.
There may, however, be eventualities that
could render it advisable for the Administra-
ton and the Council that the amount be not
a~malgamated with the general property of the
Treasury, without however being applied as a
special fund for a special purpose. We have
already by q kind Of fiction applied two por-
tons of the amount as if it were a separate
fund, although in reality it is a portion of the
Colonial Treasury's means in the same way as
all other funds aceruing to the same. At the
presentmoment, however, we require the amount
for meeting the bureau advances other un-
foreseen purposes might arise hereafter requir-
ing the application thereof also. But his at
tention had been drawn to, and he
could not overlook that if we were to act quite
consistently with the principle here main
tanned, we would have to add into the gen.
eral funds also the surplus in the Treasury
from the one year to the other, which, however,
is never mentioned in the yearly Budgets.
Therefore, although he had not altered his
views as to the legality of the question, he had
come to the conclusion to alter the proceeding
he had followed, and would now from pruden-
tial considerations give his consent to the
amount of subsidy, as we'll as the instalment
and interest thereon being omitted. In refe-
renee to what the Committee states IN the Re-
port that he had admitted that 1874 were to be
deducted as entered by an oversight, he would
observe that he had merely said that among
the outstanding claims enumerated in the re-
marks to this item of the Budget was by an
oversight named one which had been paid up
but not that the sum itself was erroneous the
amount invested and the interest thereon are
.a1o,lotoJ opJ oD+ornd onrroat1v
The Wai2man would not, since the Presi-
dent had withdrawn the Item in question from
the Budget, open any discussion on the ques-
ton Of the Councils competency in thisrespect.
He felt sure however that, were the question to
be decided, the Council would have found a
proper and legal form, under which it could
have opposed or protested against the enter
ing of the item on the Budget.
The 1st Member for Frederiksted (Sarau1O)
would also to-day confne himself to deserving
the Councils right in this respect.
No one further requested the word.
The Chairman communicated that the Bud.
get after being now rectifed according to the
votes passed on the Money Bills, and the with
drawal of Item c.. 4. and CO on the Revenue
side, shews a total revenue of S149,8 55 and a
total expenditure of $f74,540. On the Re-
venue side, $l74,688, was deducted $23,633;
Ou ZIG GApChN1NulC oldO p1 fO]OOtS was UC~
Quoted $1613.6l, viz $1,000 sub 9. 4, (sala-
nv to the Treasurer) $613. 81 sub d., but added
$500 for pension to former Postmaster Test
mann, consequently a final reduction of
S1313.61. There will then be a deficiency
of $24,685. SO. AS Bureau advances for April
and May, $4,000, were granted by a money
bill under the Budget and not by an Extra or
Additional Money Bill, the amount would have
to appear on the budget, and he proposed en-
tering it outside the line of the totaI-sum in
the final document.
The discussions on the Budget were then
closed.
The Chairman had finally to observe that
the Committees Report contains two proposals
connected with but still having no influence
on the Budget, which the Committee submits
to the Councils resolution, namely, chat the
Council should forward a memorial to the
Government asking it to lay before the Council
as soon as possible Drafts to remodel, or
reorganize and simplify all branches of the
Administration and then, in connection there
with, a Draft Of Ordinance TO amend the late
Military Ordinance. The final despatch of the
Budget did of course not depend on those two
points, therefore the treatment of the Budget
had been concluded irrespective Of them and
as those two questions might lead to some
discussion in the Council, he intended to confer
with the Committee on the best way of bring