, 1876-09-27
THE BRITISH TRADE JOURNAL
ON THE PROSPECTS OF THE
D. w. ISLANDS.

@A va y W " = "a % = OfOh tAb
"The Danish w. l. Islands. their present
Political and Economical POSITIONS" the
Reviewer takes a gloomy view Of things,
be says:-
4" We have been favoured with the above
brochure from MesSrs J. F. 7. Titley & Co.,
of st. Thomas, West Indies, and the chief eff.
feet Of reading it has been to excite In. as
p%ensive sentiments. 1t is practically a Jefe.
miad on the gradual decline in the number Of
European merchants and in tue degree of tbs
commercial prosperity of the Island. We
have a wearisOme tale of complaint against tha
legislative council, against the governor,
against the Danish Government, and against the
world at large, for suffering the lovely, and
a long time prosperous, islands Of st. Thomas
and St. Croix to sink in decay. We can re.
member these Danish possessions in the palmy
days to which the author so touohingly refers,
when money was easily made AMI as freely spent.
In those times St. Thomas was the banking
house and great mart for the West Indies
Cuba, Central, AMI part Of South America.
But very natural causes have brought about the
conditions Of affairs which is the subject of the
authors Iamentation. Merchants with large oapi-
tai, enabling them to hold extensive and varied
stocks, had establishments in st. Thomas. 10
these places moderate purchasers could come
from the other regions referred to-, as the Is
IlLu was HSCdAIy llG6s anu OOL0li Suoll 4uau-
titles of goods, Just as they required them for
Immediate use, and thus save Interest upon
heavy accommodations of merchandise awaiting
sale for a considerable time. Now. however.
the various lines Of steamers from England and
America, plying frequently, convey goods
direct from the sources of production and put
it in the power Of small consumers all over
the islands to import on their own account
from those sources. The large merchant firms
Of St. Thomas have been compelled to beat
a retreat before This change which has passed
over the commercial relations Of the locality.
There are still a good many commission houses
Ia the island. with connections in Europe and
the United States, who are of service to con.
suners in the adjacent West Indies who do not
happen to have any account or credit with
these distant countries. But the inevitable
tendency is that as soon as store keepers can
afford 10 establish a relation with manufacture
ing centres they do so, and St. Thomas continues
to suffer in consequence. Nor, without an
unexpected turn in The tide of events. can any
marked revival be looked for.
Again, the island of st. Thomas Is literally
scourged every few years with tempest and
disease. The cyclone more than once has
destroyed 10 a single visitation 500 ,000E.
worth of properly in the harbour and 60.0O0I.
worth on shore; small pOx and yellow fever
arc uUG ubdCGQSbOulSu W IOIIOH bdCII Obu6E IN
quick succession. "Tbe effects of this decline, "
says the writer, awe find manifested in q pro.
grpssive dimihution Of the wealth of the popu-
latiOp. In the official reports this diminuition
is described as alarming; the price of real
property is sinking steadily and considerably.
and many houses and shops are becoming IN.
tenanted because renters find themselves oblig.
ed to realise and close their business several of
the largest firms are constantly threatening to
withdraw their branch business from the is.
land, and iD the last days (sic) we have heard
that the board of the English Colonial Bank
has resolved to close their office 10 ST. Thomas
(Which has existed since 1887, because the
business of the place has changed to such q
degree that it can no longer support two bank
ing institutions. An increasing scarcity of
employment for the labouring population goes,
as a matter of course, hand in hand With the.
diminuti0n of wealth on the part of the EN-.
ployers." To make matters worse, the soil Of
the island is throughout rocky and unproduc-
tive, and, therefore, no counteractive of this la.
mented decay can be hoped for from agriculture.
The beautiful and contiguous island of St.
Croix, belonging also to Denmark, presents q
future somewhat more hopeful, as sugar can
be cultivated there, but we fear that both of
these possessions are destined to fall into hope.
less o~bscurity in the eyes of Europeans."-Bi1