, 1874-04-22
THE "AVIS."
C~HRTSTTANSTED, ST. CROIX,
WEDNESDAY, 22ND APRIL 1874.

We publish to-day the Official Report
of the Proceedings of the Colonial Coun-
Gil in the meeting on Monday the 18th
inst which contains the first discussion of
the most important of all communal docu-
ments, the Budget, that is, the papers ex-
hibiting in how far the Executive has
been able to solve the most difficult of all
difficult questions in dry years, the ques-
ton ct how to make both ends meet in
the public household. We all know
something of the difficulties connected
with Budgets, if of no other, at least of
our domestic ones, They present at
times insuperable difficulties to pater ia
miIias. How many of US have escaped
irksome and annoying budget discussions,
with our better halves, perhaps, or with
somebody whom we have taken, or who
has been forced, into our C0uncii? There
is too often no manner of means of avOiding
the difficulty itself involved in a deficiency.
The discussions may be avoided, if our
domestic relations happen to partake in a
higher degree of the autocraric and abSo-
Lutte type than of the delibarative and CON
stitutional. This latter principle once ad-
mitted, there must be discussion but
that need not, of course, be angry, al
though it may, at times, be serious enough.
AS it is in our little domestic parliament,
so 1t IS lii the more august communal re-
presentation, the Colonial Council. The
discussionson Monday week by tnat honor
able body on the Budget or Financial
Law for 1874-75 were of a very serious
nature, as will be seen by a reference to the
Proceedings in this and following issue, but
there was not, at this stage of the matter,
the tlrst discussion, any anger or bitterness.
All the speakers seemed too much impress
Sed with the solemnity of the occasion to
make even the slightest attempt at a GER
tain display of oratory sometimes observa-
BILE, or a certain wishy washy going round
the main question, which we take to be the
one OF finding out a way Of arranging our
house In such a manner that we can live
IN 1t, IN other words, of fixing our public
expenditure at q figure not above the pro-
duclng and revenue giving capacity of
the island. In saying this much, how
ever, OF the promising aspect Of the dis
customs, we do not pretend to prognOsti-
cate, from what was said or done at this
meeting, that any certain and definite line
of policy will henceforth be predominant
IN that honorable assembly. 1t may be
that the whole may end in the customary
smoke-like productions ia the shape of lit
tie "plckings" here and there, a kind of
economy too much like that of the lawyer
who, to save ink, put no dots over his
Is. But, at the same time that it would
be premature to judge Of what will be
done, it augurs well for the future, that
all those who spoke seemed to be tho
roughly convinced of the necessity Of do
ing something more radical in the direc-
ton OF reducing the expenditure, which
was admitted to be beyond our means.
The Vice Governor did not indeed direct
~ admit so much, but neither did he at
tempt to contradict it. He is known to
be IN favour of continuing taxation at the
present figure, which can of course be
done at the same time the expenditure is
curtailed. If this be his opinion, we
should be pretty much inclined to join
him, but only in part. The experience of