, 1876-04-01
P R @ G. B B D [ N GS
or PH Is
G~0h0AEAh G0TNG3I
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lstDlscusslOn on Draft Of Budget for l876-77
with Money-Bills,
Ist Member for Frederiksted (Saraua0)
would also thank His Excellensy for the
financial statements given to. day, be hoped
they would be printed, az they would then be
more fully understood. He would beg to call
attention to q mistake in the amount Of
Quarter Percent Tax posted according to
the Tabular Statement attached. ...... (The
President had omitted calling attention to
the same mistake. The amount of Quarter
Percent Tax will according to the correct aver
age of the 3 past years be 50, 400, instead Of
$4,000; and would be corrected) ........
With this correction the Budget will shsw a
deficiency of upwards of $4,000. AS stated
in the Remarks, the Expenses may be less than
put down, as they to a certain extent are cal
c%ulatory. The Revenue will at all events be
considerably less, and the deficiency will ex-
coed the amount stated. But now, be would
ask, how is this deficiency to be covered Z? He
could not see how the Council could vote this
Budget without knowing and showing the means
to meet the deficit. There could be but 9 ways
in which it could be met either by Increasing
taxation or reducing the expenses but taxa
ton is already SO high that any increase would
be confiscation on the possibility of reductions,
he could not enter now as details cannot be dis.
cussed at this 1st discussion. But he did not
think honorable Members could vote this Bud
get, without either shelving where reductions
could be made or increasing taxation.
The Chairman would repeat what he on
former Budget discussions had had occasion to
observe to the honorable member, that it is OF
the case that details of the Budget could not be
touched on at the lst discussion any Member
may when making general remabs touch on the
several points of the Draft; otherwise there
would In reality be but one discussion on the
Budget.
3rd Member for Christiansted Hanson
would ask the Chairman if S s of the Rules Of
Business is applicable to all cases before the
Counoil.......- The Chairman Yes ......
II that is so, he would beg to ask, if under the
present circumstances il would not be advisable
to postpone the discussions on this Draft of
Budget, in order in the meantime to arrive at
a knowledge Of the results of Governor Garde's
mission to Denmark, as in that way the Gov
eminent and the Council would be placed in a
position to make such alterations as may be
required in the present system of Administra-
ton, and retain whatever may be absolutely
requisite. The Councils Members would at
all events then be able 10 have a clearer view
OF the financial state and financial prospects OF
the Island, than they can have at present. He,
at all events, could not see bis way clear in this
Draft Of Budget.
The Chairman pointed out the impossibility
of the measure suggested by the honorable
Member 1t would be opposed to the Colonial
Law and to the nature of things. The Govern
ment is bound to introduce a Budget in time,
and the Council is bound to expedite it in time.
9Th Crownmember TJars would like the
honorable Member for Frsderiksted TSarauwI
to enter into the details of the Draft, as he had
promised, as he knows now that he will not be
prevented from the Chair. His, the Speakers
opinion is that matters in the Island are as bad
as they can be.
1st Member for Frederiksted SarauaoI had
not promised to enter into details, but he would
vote against Money Bills where he considered
expenditure unnecessary.
End Member for Frederiksted TFa6erl /:
We have now heard from the Chairman, that
the proposal from 3rd Member for Chris
tiansted [Hanson] is impossible. He must
say that the proposal had astonished
him a little; he could not see what
benefit could be derived by the Council post
poning the Budget, and so much the less ought
this Council to postpone it, as we have often
blamed the Government for not bringing in
the Drafts of Budget in due time. We all
know the very melancholy state Of fhinoa Z