, 1875-03-10

a Draft Of Ordinance to that effect" If how.
ever the Government and the Company will be
content with this informal consent, there might
be no great objection on the part of the Ooun-
oil but he had thought it his duty to call at
tentIon to the fact, and make this reservation
With regard to the formality.
1st Member for Frederiksted TSd~auw7
would have made some remarks on the
point to which the Chairman had called attention;
they had now become superHuous he would
only observe that there could never by a reso-
luton of the Council be granted exemption
from future taxation, but it would require an
Ordinance to establish exemption for tho Com
pany and its officials from personal taxes
With regard to the provision in the concession
that the sites and ground required for the uu-
dertaking will be ceded to the grantees, he
would beg to observe that it did not appear
quite clear whether the obligation to secure the
grantees land shall apply to private as well
as public land and he understood, that the
wires partly pass over private land. OF
course, he had no objections to the matter itself,
but wished to call attention to that point.
The President would in regard to the second
point advanced by the honorable Member beg
to say it is a consequence of the manner In
which the concession is worded, that the Gov
eminent is responsible to obtain permission for
the grantees to use the land required for the
purpose in question, private as we'll as public.
If the private land owners were to be unwilling
to give such permission, the Government would
have to cause the necessary land to be expro-
priated but this had not been needful now,
as the only land owner of whom there could be
question has given bis consent, and it must
now be the business of the Company to make
that as secure as they deem fit, for instance by
having such consent recorded in the public
Courts. With reference to the first point,
about the necessity of an Ordinance to secure
the proposed exemptions from duty etc., that
is n matter that must be left to discussion
the opinion that a resolution Of the Council
would be sufficient, originates from the Govern
ment, and to the Government he would submit
the question.
End Member for Frederiksted (Fa5er)
needed scarcely to repeat what Is we'll known
that this whole matter has been we'll received
and well appreciated by the whole community.
But we all know at the same time that the
public is difficult to satisfy, therefore he would
beg now to make an enquiry which is outside
being made repeatedly, namely, does the Gov
ernment intend to take any measures towards
establishing Geographic Communication be-
tween the two towns here. He would beg to
ask, why the provision to that effect, which, as
far as he knew was embodied in the original con-
cession, had been left out in the new Concession.
puCu u COMMUNICATIVE UeCWeGu JIG CWU tUWub
is very desirable and important.
The President in reply to the last enquiry
why the latest concession did not contain the
clause concerning communication between the
two towns would, taking it for granted that it
is corrC ct, as stated by the honorable Member,
that the former concession contained such q
clause, which he, the President, did not at
present remember,-say that he, and most
likely the Government also, is unable to state
the reasons that might have actuated the
Ministry in leaving out the clause in the
present grant. AS regards the other ques-
ton, he was not aware of the Governments
intention in reference to the establishment of
telegraphic communication between the towns;
he would, however, submit the question to the
Chief Government. 1t appeared to him that
the present moment was not convenient to
bring forward a project of the kind, unless it
was in connection with some other arrangement
in the public service; merely for the sake of
private convenience to establish a telegraphlc
line between Christiansted and Frederiksted
would be attended with serious doubts.
In the first place it would cause considerable
outlay for the first establishment, then a perma-
nent expense for the necessary staff, which
would at least consist of 2 clerks each place.
Then again under the present depressed CIR
cumstances of the Island, it would certainly
seem to be very doubtful if it would be right
to enter on such a considerable outlay unless
there we're some great public advantage to be
ao;ood And thoro 10 @ nnunh tho roo.