, 1875-10-16

"a
position of affairs and to consider before it
is too late whether it is not in their w
clear and perhaps pressing interest to
prevent by the means in their power the
collapse of an undertaking which is looked
upon by a great majority of competent
parties as the only means of salvation OF
the country.
People, and particularly those who OBJ
iect to join the Credit Association from
fear of making themselves responsible for
others less favourably circumstanced than
themselves, are perhaps not sufficiently
conscious of the fact that there already
exists a solidarity, by which even the
most independent owner is, as far as re-
CARDS 0ny landed property IN the island
bound up with the rest, and from which
it is not in his power to tree himself even
by selling out. Nothing would be more
deceptive and i~llusory for a proprietor
whose Estate is so favourably circumstance
ed, that even in unfavourable seasons aud
with low prices it will pay, and who
besides is personally free from debt, than
to suppose, that although others less IA
vourably situated may be ruined, he will
be safe.
In the first instance let him look to the
question Of taxation. II people would
take the trouble of making themselves
acquainted with the universally acknow-
lodged principles of just taxation and with
the existing rate of taxes in other coun-
tries, they would learn that the
island is not worse but perhaps
better off than most other countries.
The only just cause of complaint
il the unfair distribution of the burden,
by which the rich pay too little in pro-
portion to the poorer.
The island, as we all know, depends
entirely upon the products Of the cone (not
as seems sometimes to have been imagined,
upon Mr.. A, Mr.. B, and Mr.. G, as proprie-
tors). All what is spent and consumed IN
: the island, with trifing exceptions, such
as vegetables fruit, cattle and Sheep
and even they would lose their. value with
the cessation of the cane cuItIvatlon-ls
drawn from that one source. Ofthe public
reyenus q great part is drawn direct trom
taxation on the land in cane cultivation
and from export-duty of the remainder
the greater part arises from the import
duty, which is fed indirectly, like oil else,
from the cane...
Now there is a certain amount OF expen-
diture which must be provided for from
our w resources. The Mother Country
gets nothing from the island but there
must be q Government with its Offices /;
there must be Law Courts and Police
not to speak of q Military Force there
must be prisons and officers to guard them ;
there must be a public Treasury; there
must be officials to collect the Revenues.
either from Customs or otherwise there
must be some provisions for schools, pau
pers etc, and where are the means to coms
from, if the source from where it is drawn,
is seriously reduced. AS things are now,
the public Revenues give in good years
a surplus, in middling years they cover
the expenses, and in bad years we have a
deficiency. In case ofga decisive and
permanent change, from other causes than
only the accidental one of dry weather,
in case {. i. of a serious diminutlon in the
annual production of sugar, molasses and
rum, by one estate after the other being
turned out, the quantity of the articles, from
which the public Revenues are drawn, be-
comes less, and insufficient for the expen-
diture. The question then is: What Isto
be done? 1t is very easy to say Reduce
the expenditure, apd to a certain extent
this would have tepe done, but there are
many. items Of expenditure, which cannot