, 1875-06-30

Alooo9iy . "Ho%nS 10 defray the cash-advances
treated OF III tnls Money Bill, the Presidency
are being repaid this year, an amonn+ ~
$4,000 will not be required before the cows
of next financial year for repayment m The
loan which the Colonial Treasury obtained
from the Statetreasury's Reservefnnd anS ~
regard to the additional sums that MIGHT ha
required for further advances. the Go~varnmont
intends introducing a Draft of Ordinance CON
ferring power for the Government to contract
a loan in behalf of the Colonial Treasury. as was
done by the Ordinance of goth Nav 1874.
Inc FTesaac@t introduced the Bill. Before
entering on The observations he had to make nm
Inc Dill De1ore the Council, he would beg TO
Tectly a passage IN the printed Remarks attach
ed to the Bill. When it is stated that -
rangements for cornmeal and other snnn,;as
have been made with several Merchants baro
by which "hey bind themselves" to snnnlv
those provisions, provided they obtain secnritv
IN the crop, coordinate with the Colonial Trea.
sury' tnlS IS owing to an error in the trsnsla.
ton according to the Danish text it sbonld he
mat arrangements have been entered into with
merchants according to which thew will snnnlv
etc. NO binding arrangement has been made
or could be expected in that respect; Init after
applications were made to merchants, tbov
nave aS8ented to give those supplies on the
condition stated.-With regard to the snb-
stance OF this proposal it would be superauous
10 owen on the urgent necessity on the part
VI t1o ADMINISTRATION TO come to the assistance
VI PlanIefS alSo Tor the coming crop, until such
time when the returns of the new cron oan bo
realized. He only considered II necessary to
draw the Councils attention and that of nlan-
tiers to the difference of our position this wear
and that existing last year. The unfortunate
circumstances which last year rendered pnbEio
assistance unavoidable, are not existing to that
extent now and also in consequence of the
limited resources of the Treasury it is necessary
now 10 CONNIE the assistance to the Lowest az. .
tent possible. We are all aware how circv~,E
stances are now, and that without assistance
thls year a certain number of Estates would
be unable to go on with the cultivation.
On the other hand, it must be apparent to
every one that the position of the island
i'Sel IS oiHerent this year from what it was
last then there was hardly an Estate in
d position 10 carry on cultivation !: planters
who never were known before to have sought
bureau-adVances We're then compelled to seek
such, and the outlay from the Treasury ba.
came' consequently, so large that the means
OF meeting 1t could not be procured in the or.
dlEary manner. There is one consideration
at lne Dottom OF the extraordinary measures
then resorted to, and which perhaps is not sniff.
GENTLY needed or clear to every BODY. name.
ly that the object of the public assistance ia
NOT 10 assist individual planters who are in
dllnculty, but to prevent Estates, let the own
ers be who they will, from going to ruin, as
the Estates form the source from which all
other interests of the Island are SUSTAINED
this Is what renders it a duty on the Govern.
menu TO come TO the rescue with all the means
WlthlE'lfs reach. For several wears, for S or
E at least, with only one execution. IN .
Stfetcn' a system has been going on, under
which a number of planters, ut tines larger.
at other times smaller, have applied for tenn.
pOrary assistance from public means to carry
on Cheif hstates' AS long as such assistance
was not called tor to a larger extent than the
treasury could meet with the means on hand,
along with the ordinary revenues expected.
and as long as the crop expected could be
considered sufficient to cover the advances,
there was no difficulty in meeting the appli-
cations. But after the crops Of 1872 and
1878 which gave each something like 5000
hogsheads, which is far below an average
crop, came 1874 with C. 2, 700 hogsheads. which
was a ruinous crop. This not only made the
disbursements towards assisting planters to
assume a magnitude not hitherto known. but
caused considerable arrears in the repayment
OF the 2 last years advances. At the same
time tne Colonial treasury was crippled by
arrears OF taxes for, under such circumstances.
taxes did not come in to their regular extent
and could not be inforced it was of no use
40 .nnnIu 4hA B. - ~