, 1876-12-16
COMMITTED REPORT

After The discussions on this mstter,-whioh
as the Colonial Council is awsYe, h.vo
rested for g time, have been resumed, the
Committee has, under the pressure of the fnan-
oial state of the Island, had to try to overcome
those weighty objections, which the Majority
Of The Committee had against the removal Of
the military garrison from the western part Of
the Island, and must recommend to the Conn
ell to adopE such a concentration and reduction
of she Military Force, as may, 10 the Commit
tees opinion, be compatible with It's afording q
real guarantee for public order.
The Draft pufporS to invoss the Governor
with authority to effect the concentration and
reduction therein proposed. Ii has, however,
bean under discussion ia the Committee, if in
this point il had not TO 60 further and recon-
mend, that tho Ordinance should definite " re-
gulaso the number Of mon Of which the reduced
force is to c0usjat, so that if the Ordinance
emanRts, the reduction should not be depen-
dent on the Governor. The Committee has,
however, on the whole had pr0ponloraat doubis
as to the advi8abiljty Of altering in that manner
the character Of the Draft, aud does not 90 fur
Their than TO recommend that tho Governor be
empowered to effect the reduction, as will Do
named 10 the following.
/. The Committee il, chem, unanimous in re-
commanding that the Council should consent 10
the withdrawal Of the military station in Fro
derikstsd.
2. Ono Member of tho Committee (H0nson)
likewise recommends, without attaching there
TO any condition, that the Military Station 40
KingshilI be Withdrawn.
The other Members Of the Committee [CouI-
ter, Fleming, Latimer and Rossnstsnd would
also not object 20 the withdrawal Of Kingsbill
as a real military station, but would thereto
connect this proposal; wide amendment No.
that, Professionally for a term Of 5 years, 8
mounted men be kept at the Police Station at
Kingshill to serve as gems d'armes. No one
will dlsappreeiato the very great extent in
which the mounted men at Kingshill have
afforded support to the Police in the Oentordis-
trict, and il ia the eonvistion Of the Majority
that in this extensive District, comprising, as
it doss, the most important estates, and where,
too, the services Of the Police are continually
required Of the most distant places, such sup.
port cannot be dispensed With, neither in the
discharge Of the daily service, uor on extraordi-
nary occasions, such as cases Of fires or disor.
ders, where the bare presence Of a few wall
armed horsemen creates very great respect for
the Police and that that support could least Of
all be diSpenIcd with now, just at a time when
radical changes in our whole labour.systsm are
at hand. Besides, consideration must be taken
to. Fredsriksted, whittier, when there are some
mounted men stationed at Kingshill. assistance
could be speedily despatched whenever ncses-
sary. In limiting its proposal to a number of
8 men, the Majority has, perhaps, gone pretty
low but the Majority, with exception of one
of its Members, who, however, did not wish to
separate himself from the other Members, cop-
siders that number sufficient, and it believes
that che expense in keeping those 8 men detach'