, 1881-08-17

NNt @~~s D'SASs
He hoped II ie Honor the President would
lay this matter before His Excellsncy the
Governor.
End Member for Chris'isnsted (Lemmine)
found it a strange thing that when planters
speak CT public affairs, they always look
on things 10 a one-sided way. When
the last honorabla speaker said that no
other part Of the community partakes in
the public burden and Ia the road repairs,
he had certainly overlooked tina. on the
vehicles and horses which use the public
roads, a tax is levied. which mounts
to about $4,000 per annum but then
planters do not pay that tax on their
mules nor on the heavy carts aud wagons,
which are the things that do most injury to
the public roads. On ths uther hand, the
old system for tina road service should
not remain as hitherto formerly it was
necessary 10 have such arrangements and
enactments but 1t is too burthensome
and obnoxious that, to name m instance,
transgrcssions Of the Road Ordinance are
to be dealt with 10 she peculiar manner
named in that Ordinance. He fully
sgreed that it Ia time TO have it abolished,
and to have quite a new system. "a has
been done almost Every where 10 Europe
since 1920. He would then say that the
roads should be repaired at public expense
and a tax imposed on planters and others
ID meet the expense. When the honor.
hlc Spesker would turther;give a certificate
that the roads are now kept in proper and
good order, no (Lemming) could not agree
in that the roads are lately not kept az
clean and good as formerly and he thought
that q great deal in this respect falls on
planters and on those who ere Road officers,
and whose duty il is to see iha. the roads are
always in good order, perhaps something
in that respect falls on the Presidency aud
the Pvlicemasters. 1t cannot be denied,
that the Fpctcry traffic helps to make the
condition of the roads very bad at times
as witness the thick layer Of mud etcs at
some stations close up to the road, But
there are also other impediments on tho
roads, In the shape OF pretty large rocks,
cocua-nut branches and she!ls, and the like,
which are almost always on the roads to
such e degree that it is a wonder that
vehicles do not ONE to Injury.
&uu MPNlnCC IOt OUIiSlIUIbteu COUNTY
District CConherl was surprised to hear
lst Member foI Christiansted (Lemmlng)
stating that he LGoulterl had said that no
one else contributes to tic public %burthens;
he, the Speaker. had only referred to the
repairs OF the public roads and not to
taxes in general /; but then it must also be
remembered THAI planters pay taxes too
and also on their carriages and horses,
after having given their own services and
those OF their stock and implements
gratuitously Tor road repairs and, again
the public taxes accrOc to the general
Treasury; tho horse aud carriage tax too /;
but the treasury spends nothing on the
roads.
3rd Member for Christiansted [Lemming)
said when speaking OF the horse and
carriage.taY, he had only done 80 IN order
to shew that those in the community
who enjoy the benefit Of the public roads
do pay for it by that tax, while on the
other baud no tax is paid on tho heavy
Wagons and carts which are also on the
Toads.
End Member for C~hristiansted's Country
District (COuher): But the owners of those
carts and Wagons pay in taxes a very
heavy portion of the income on the bud
get besides other large items, planters
pay export duty.
The Chairman had for some time noticed
that Members were diverging from the
real purport of the discussion, hut he had
not interfered. as the Road Ordinance Ger.