, 1876-01-01
1T Q
PROC E E D IN G S
BF THE
COLONIAL COUNCIL FOR ST. CROlI'
COLONIAL
xTOGGS@ %-
{ Continuation Of meeting Of 2OM Dec5ey. 1871
is PUBLISHED

{ Continuation q meeting o. 3Oh Dec0eF' lofo.I
The Governor said he, Of course, fully shared
Ybe opinion of the honorable Speaker
Rosenstand) as far as concerns the desire to
keen up the Island,-not only the existence of
the Island at large, but also OF the individuals
who carry on the business OF cultivation; and
il is a we'll known fact that the Home Govern
ment have always shewn great Willingness to
assist the Island, whenever the colony has been
obliged to call on the Statetreasury for asSlS-
lance. In old times the Statetreasury invested
proportionately considerable amounts OF capital
in properties here, with the sole view OF encour-
aging cultivation, and 1t IS also we'll known
tbat in MANY cases it proved detrimental. de
oopld not at the moment remember the exact
slm. but there is not much doubt that upwards
of half a Million Dollars have been completely
lost in that way, although the money was in
vested on first priority in Estates. lie had
caused a statement to be made of the results of
the yearly accounts, and would in time forward
some COPIES for distribution. From that 1t Will
he noticed that the Danish Westindia Islands
have not given any revenue to the StatetreaSury,
but rather, they have caused dead loss. AS
the honorable Member mentioned, it was pro-
posed to the Diet in 1870 10 grant a loan from
the Statetreasury to an amount OF S250,OOO, to
be invested in properties here, with the object
TO aid parties in making Improvements in the
sugar manufacture business, in the way each
individual considered most profitable or recon-
mendable. That proposal was rejected by the
Diet, and it appeared that the reason was that
that Body was not willing to support a scheme
which, Judging from past experience, was not
likely to lead to any permanent benett to the
Island, but to a dead loss for the Treasury.
This latter was of course able to stand the loss,
~ 80, ~,orv OooociOuQ DloOtAr9 had raPaiVo6
loans to such an amount that they were unable
20 repay them, and thus in many cases the
loans proved more disadvantageOus to the Dor
rover than to the Statetreasury the Colony,
as such, obtained but very little benefit from
those loans; no Improvements were introduced,
and the money benefited perhaps a few individ-
nails only. Therefore he did not think that it
would be of any use to ask assistance from the
Statetreasury on that condition or in that form.
But he agreed with the honorable Speaker that
if the Central Factory scheme or any other
beneficial reform was secured, so as to re-estab-
lish confidence and general and lasting benefit
to the island, there can be no doubt but that
the Home Government and the Diet would be
found willing to assist, as done in the last years,
in order to preserve what exists, until the time
when the reforms may actually come into opera
ton. But Just here the doubts at present rest; will
those REFORMS COulo1 Ut uOC ! Luz HOHoTdDI6
Speaker said that iG all such cases there will
always be some willing to have reforms, while
Others are so conservatiyely disposed, that they
oppose all sorts of reforms this must necessari.
" be so, it could not be otherwise; but he
would here beg to call to mind the old
French proverb "la no6lesse obhge"j in
applying that to S.. Croix, he would say
those Members of the Community who are
SO situated that they can say our properties
are our own, they have a duty, not only towards
themselves but towards the whole Island, to
support progress, whenever it is likely to serve
the interests not only of the individual, but of
the whole. And this is what he regrets so sin
oerely, that in this case q proposed good reform
has not met with that appreciation or support
on the part of the owners to whom he had just
alluded, which it ought to have had. The
honorable Speaker may be right in saying
that parties are not willing to join a Credit
Association on account of the idea being so
strange to them but then he would call to
mind that the Credit Association was never
proposed by the Government for the thing it.
self. but only as a medium for Central Facto-
ries, as a way in which the Island could secure
the necessary means to participate in Central