, 1875-03-10
j. A. STAKEMANN.
S. w. VAN BRAKLE.

S. w. VAN BRAKLE.
The Council consented unanimously with 70
votes that the matter should come on, although
the Letter had not been on the Councils table
for the prescribed time.
On the proposition of the Chairman a tele-
gram was sent to His Excellency Governor
Gardo presenting the Councils greetings and
its appreciation of being placed in Geographic
communication with St. Thomas and thereby
with the whole world.
The President introduced the matter: He
felt sure the Council would side with the view
and would appreciate the interest which the
Government had taken in this whole matter.
1t would be remembered that the original con-
ceSSlon was granted~tO certain parties in Co.
penhagen and London, and that one of the
conditions stipulated, that they should without
expense to the colony establish telegraphio
communication between these two Islands.
But if that condition had been carried out, it
would have been attended with a permanent
expense for the Island for keeping up the me-
oessary personnel for attending to the work
at the station. This had, however, been
altered, and the matter materially facilitated
by the change in the original grant, which wao
then transferred first to the Central American
Telegraph Company, and by this to the West
Iuuldu anu L dudul@ 4GIGRIdDu Company
The object is to establish a second line
between the Westindies and the rest of the
world, for which purpose it was found most
advantageous that st. Croix should be employed
as a central station by combining 3 cables with
St. Thomas, Porto Rico and Trinidad. As a
consequence, the business here will be done
without ex pense to the Island, as the same staff
of employees attending to the general business
of the company will also attend to the local bust
ness. On the other hand, the facilities accord
ed to the Company are in comparison trihing,
aDd he doubted not that the Council would
readily give its consent thereto. 1t will be.
noticed from the Presidency's letter that a
reservation has been made concerning rent of
such apartments in the house at the Barrack,
which may not be used for telegraphic purposes !;
he thought, however, it would be any thing but
dignified in the Community to claim or insist ON
such rent. Some of the apartments in the
house in question will be used for lodging for
the officials, and it would be rather narrow
minded If for that reason rent were to be exact
ed, SO much the more as it is doubtful whether
the building could be otherwise used with adj
vantage by the community.
The Chairman would make a remark
before the discussions proceed further. He did
not intend to make the least objections to the
PIlFAOSOo PlOuiloOO GuO COMPANY as tHGy dIO
very NAL in themselves, compared with what
we obtain by telegraphio communication 1t
was next quite in order that the consent to the
use of a piece of land, and of the necessary
house room should be granted merely by q res.
%olutiOn of the Council but 1t was not formal
nor in accordance with previous practice to
grant exemption from import duty on mate
rails and apparatuses-for the exemption from
personal taxation, there was no immediate use
as we had now no personal taxation-by such
q resolution ofthe Council instead of through an
Ordinance. Such exemptions have in previous
similar instances been granted by Ordinance F.;
very recently this has been the case with the ex-
emption from duty accorded the Central Facto-
ries, and, moreover, it has beer expressly stipu-
lated in Article 3 of the Concession that the pri-
vileges are to be obtained by legislative Autho-
rity, and that appears also to have been the
original intention of the Government when
saying GAS these facilities, especially the ex-
emption from import duty, will involve only
comparatively small sums, the Government has
considered it sufficient that the consent Of the