, 1876-06-21
P R @ CE E D I N G S
OF FHK
GAh0N&Ah &8TNG&h
T0R ST.. &R0fX.

Meeting.
The Members were present with exception
Of 5th Crownmember (Jirs) & lt Member for
Frederiksted (Sarauw) who had reported their
inability to attend.
The minutes of the last meeting were read.
The Council proceeded to the Order of the
Day viz:
End Discussion on Draft of Ordinance en-
powering the Government of the Danish West
india Islands to raise a Loan of 100000 for
Bureau Purposes, etc.
list discussion p....,..)
. The following amendments were proposed.
!. by the Government:
ad. s l. Zone Hundred Thousand Dollars"
10 be- altered TO Zone Hundred and Fifty
Thousand Dollars"
2. by Latimer
THAT the Council authorizes the Government
TO advertise in the st. Croix Avis, and in the
Official Paper 10 st. Thomas, inviting tenders
for 500 punoheons Of fresh and sound Corn
meal, to be delivered as required il West End
or Basin, during the months Of June ana July.
say $50 PunoheOns Of Brandy Wine, and 1850
Puncheons Of the s~o.called Boston or Baltimore
Meal.'
The 2 paragraphs were put under discussion
together.
The Chairman remarked, that Latimer's pro-
posal presented great formal difficulties as an
amendment TO the Draft. The honorable Mem.
Der might, after its contents had been discussed,
perhaps feel disposed to withdraw it..
End Member for Frederiksted's Country Dis.
trict (LatimerJ had from information received
this morning understood that the Government
had already met the chief object aimed at in
bis amendment as far as is in the power Of the
Government, and there was now, if be had
heard rightly, q prospect OF obtaining cheap
meal for bureau-supplies to Estates. Although
he would still have considered it advisable if
the whole tenor of his amendment could be
adopted, still he would under the circumstances
now withdraw it.
The President introduced the Amendments
No. /, which, he said, is owing to an alteration
in the plan hitherto acted upon. Circumstan-
ces In the Island at the time the Draft was
under contemplation were such that it was i'm
possible for the Government to have any
fixed basis to 20 out from. The estimates Of
the crop were made according to The opinions
of most men on whose views in such matters
estimates of the kind are usually based mean
time things or appearances nave charged mate
rally. 1t was originally intended only 10 ad.
vance means from The Colonial Treasury for
money wages for labourers; while, as stated
in the last Meeting, an understanding had
been arrived at with merchants,-as far as it
could be called an understanding as long
as there was no binding obligation, by which
they would furnish planters meal ETC., en- the
same terms as last year, However, difficulties
showed themselves later, he believed, in one
instance at least, chiefly owing to instructions
d. received from New York the arrangement
could not be relied upon, and the only s~atisfac-
tory way remaining in which to settle the mat
ter was that the Administration should take
over the delivery of cornmeal as well as the
furnishing of money-wages for the labourers,
and by a contract with one or more commercial
firms provide the necessary supply of meal, and
p prevent q want of provisions shelving itself in
the Island, at the same time securing that the
article be furnished on such terms as may be
!. most advantageous to the planters and least
then, there is the other difficulty of finding the
money for that purpose the necessity of doing
this had from the very outset made it necessary
to limit the expenditure on the i.em to the low.
est possible minimum. AS explained last
meeting, there was uncertainty if we could
succeed in obtaining the loan from the source
where it would be most advantageous, viz
from the Home Government. The lately arisen
difficulty with the merchants makes it now
necessary to extend the scheme of assistance
further than originally contemplated, and in
stead of 100000, for money wages alone.
an amount of $50, 900 will be required.
When in the Amendment No. l proposing
that the Government be empowered to raise
a loan to that amount, it is still not
quite certain that it will he nossible