, 1874-11-25

Military Expenses could be reduced. This
item has several times been under consideration,
lastly in 1870 and the Government has always
gone beyond the proposals made in this respect
in the Council or elsewhere. His own con-
sideratious have now led to the result, that
the Military Expense is the only item where
retrenchmeuts may b Introduced at onco Wi h
out rendering the military force less effective
than at present he would say, that as it is
proposed in the Draft now before the Council,
a reduction Of expenscs may be obtained and
still the force be more effective than now. As
said before, he was willin1 to take under con-
sideration and eventually TO adopt any feasible
suggestion to reduce the administration expen-
SEES; bnt on the other hand, it is necessary in
that respect to keep up two considerations: 1stly
that the Administration be not weakened in suon
manner that it becomes impossible to carry
on the administrator with tho same order
and security as at present the other, that 1t
could never be advisable to effect retrenohments
bv cutting off the ply to such on extent that we
NAV soon arrive at the point where the officials
can not live d~ecently, and where we must be
satisfied with officials of lower standing 10 abili-
tv for, both these ways lead to bad admins
%tration. He did not intend to say that there
are no cases VIII re- retrenohments could be etec'-
ed and the fact is that although the Government
has not by che legislative regulations been
bound to do it, still Government has, when
temporary appoint onts have been made, al
WAYS fixed the salary at q lower rate than stI'
pulated. Aud when reductions in this way can,
aecording to his best conviction, not be other
wise than triAipg, it is not necessary for that
nurnose to open a general discussion on a sp3-
cial law, and h3 would then also say, that that
would only b. loading to a discussion which at
present would not be in proper time, viewing
the present state Of the aft 'irs of tho Island.
These general remarks he would conclude with
the observation that whatever the Government
can do, he hoped to have done wi hin long;
but it will chiefly depend on how the question
of Central Factories be fr&ily ettlad, whether"
he will be able to propose an alteration Of the
taxation in the way he had alluded to-
In LAYING before the Council a Dtaf. Of 0 H.
nance to reduce the Military Fore, he would
saw he had framed tho p,oposal entirely Of his
own initiative, although he was fully aware
that the question had been ralsed before he
had done so because he considered it impos8i-
bic to Law before the Council proposals. Oremodel
and at the same time to reduce the 0dmlnlstra-
ton expenses in any other way to any extent
worth mentioning. This is no secret told now
for the first time for even if he had not mon
toned it here before, still from the very COM
menoement after his arrival here, he had stated
openly that he could not find where considera-
bic retrenchments could be made. Therefore
also he could so much the more say that he was
not bound by the promises which might have
been given by his predecessors, and he would
not think it just to advance reproachos here in
the Council against the Government for not
keeping such promises, after the e,ueidatioss
now given, proving that the Government has
always hitherto proposed retrenchmeuts to an
extent even beyond what had been expected
during the discussions. AS regards this pro-
sent Draft, he was aware that different views
can be entertained as to how the Military
Force might best be regulated. lie would,
however, beg firstly to state that this Draft would
not make the force less effective, but the contra
~. At present the number of men is divided
in 3 different stations, and hence tho number
each place, or at least in two of the three, IS so
small that the force there is not only not efici-
ent, but in many circumstances OF incOnsidera-
bic utility whereas if the number be reduced to
100 men, and they be collected in one place,
say Christiansted, the consequence will BE- that
when now we may reckon on up to so, we may
in future reckon on up to IS men. 1t is evident
that in this manner it will be possible to have
the men better disciplined and drilled than
hitherto, which is a point of great Importance.
If ever we should come to the sad necessity of
having to use the men, we would then find them