, 1877-06-02

2 us 0SCAh9
matter Of grea5 importance TO make clear TO
ourselves and to others what are thu causes Of
This state of things, IF the opinion were to pre-
vail thatit is as cribable to any decay Of the Is
land itself. the result would be to give up all
hopes Of Improvement aud render futile any fur
Their Efforts to struggle against the ditncpIty.
The Only practical way to show that me !sland
itself has not become unable to maintain Its
position, is to prove the true cause OF the de-
ierioration and fortunately the better system
introduced of late years IN measuring the
rainfall affords the means to prove almost ma
dramatically that the Island Is not suffering from
inherent defects, but truly and 10 tact solely
from insufficient rainfall, that is, from a purely
accidental cause. The great Importance he at
taches 10 these measurements will, he hoped, be
an excuse for bis referring again, perhaps IN a
mora stringent form, to the statements OF The
rainfall since 1850 and the corresponding crops,
which he had submitted last year. They
showed that whereas the average annual rain.
fall during The 81 years 1880 to 1870 was
$50 lines and the average annual crops 0,454
hhds. CT sugar, the average rainfall for the 9
wears 1871 to 1876 was only $50 and the
average of the succeeding s crops $500 hhdS.
in this latter calculation the crop OF 1871,
which reached about 1900 bids. was, being
quite exceptional, not Included. Taking $40
as the average value Of a h0gshead OF sugar
with rum and molasSes it IS now about SllOI
the difference between 9,454 and $500 hhd'.
saw 3,l54, gives for 5 years an amount OF
Sl.42C, coo which the Island has received DC.
low what it would have had under normal
circumstances; and this loss is entirely due 10
the accidental circumstance Of the weather
having been injurious beyond all previous
experience. With that return to the usual state
Of the weather, which The nature of things mult
lead us to expect, a corresponding return OF the
island to the former prosperity will follow.
lie had already advertod TO tba reduction OF
the military expenditure, and he would add
that if the Police Station at Kingshill be
abolished, a further saving will be eheo'ed
Finally. be would call attention to the reduo'
zion in the pension list, which has taken place
in the course Of til 9 last years
3rd Crownmember Fa6erl had notiosd'
among NE expenses for building repairs go
item Of So 900 for repairs to the Courthouse AZ
CuriStiansted he would beg His Lxcellency
to explain, if tna ides Of using one Of the other
public buildings as Courthouse has bsen re-
linouished: We all k4ow that the present
Court House has fer many years been in wan'
of repairs, but il waa always understood thas
it was preferable to abandon the building.
The Chairman had never prevented, and
should not prevent honorable Members from
touching On matters Of details during the first
discussion, but it should be done in connection
with general remarks on the Budget and
Money bills, and details not too miuutsly gone
into. Honorable members would use their
own discretion in this respect.
1st Member for Frederiksted SardH0l had
been pleased to see the Bldget-Dratt and tbs
Money-Bll printed this time, instead Of the
customary Indifferent lithOgrapbing but he was
at The same tins sorry to say that the matters
were badly printed. The remarks to the bud
get we're 50 closely printed, that it was almost
impossible to get through With them besides
they are full of m;Sprints AS regardsthe State
meut Of the revenues for the past 3 years attach
edto the Draft, it was in fOrmer years the custom
to give there a Statement of the arrears on
the several items of taxation now. such Ia.
formation is only given for the quarter percent.
tax, which is not a tax on real property, out
only en- Indebtedness as far as secured by l'
terest bearing bonds in real property. hs
would not saw that such statement should be
furnished for all the taxes but 1t 1t were
given for some, for instance immigration lax
for the country and house tax tor the towns, 1t
would be easy to calculate tbs arrears under
the other items it would be useful to know
these arrears. AS regards the Budget itself.
tbs Presidency had showu that there would be
a deficiency cf $50 900 he, the Speaker, sup
posed it would be- nearer $30.00O we have
had such deficiencies before but then We had