, 1881-08-03
7 n 6 Sc AVIS,
gtrisfisrssra, 81, Sraiz,
WEDNESDAY, 3d AUGUST 1881.
His Excellency the Governor arrived
here last evening in the Schooner Vigslant
from ST. Thomas.

sent. Judge Jiirs presided. After max
ing some business announcements, the
Chairman said that the first item in the
order of the day was the election OF a
Vice Chairman ia the place of DIR. Kalmcr,
who had left the island for one year. Mr.
Faber was elected Vice Chairman with IL
votes. He thanked the Council for lie
honour conferred upon him. Subsequently
Mr.. Paludan Miller was elected to ill DR..
Kalmer's place in the Committee for tx
lining the Communal Accounts for 1867.
The Report of the Committee for exam
lining the Communal accounts for 1S7S-79
was then considered. The chief point in
it was that the actual expenditure had
exceeded the grants by a total Of over
S35 900. This had arisen from extraordi.
nary expenses connected with the riots OF
October 1873. The Committee at the same
time pointed out that additional grants
should have been asked for i'll order 20
cover the excess, which the committee
acknowledges to have been justiiablo.
The discussion of the Budget was then
proceeded with. We will notice one or
Two points only.
On the item of $500 Tor assistance to
the PostmaSterS in the two towns. capt.
Willard remarked that the public derived
no benefit from this grant. After the
L TeSGtCUC az OOAAO
remarks Can't. Willard said he would
endeavour to make his meaning clearer.
If a merchant had business at the Custom
House during post hours, he was told that
he AUST wait till the business at the Post
Office was finished, and hence it did not
seem that the assistance provided Wa1
effectively used. The President said that
the grant had been made just to pre-
vent such delays as the hon. Dlember
complained of. He was not prepared to
say what was the precise arrangement in
FrederikSted, but he was sorry to hear
that there we're any delays, and he would
look into the matter.
Capt. Willard beg ged to call His
HonorS attention TO the fact that he had
made no distinction between tie two towns.
Like Inconvenience was suffered i'll both.
M. J~Mnghans said The grant appeared
to be wasted money for the business had
gone on better before it was made.
The Chairman would say as to the his
tory of this grant, that the grant for
Christiansted Lad been made two or three
years ago ON thu ground that the Post
master needed the assistance, the SubSc-
quent grant to FrederikSted was made
merely because Christiansted had it.
My. Coulter said that at The time when
the Offices of Inspector of customs and
Postmaster were ~amalgamated the officers
concerned were quite willing to undertake
both duties. Later they applied for clerks,
to which there was 10 manner OF objection
provided that the public were better
served; but this was n0tthe case. He was
MOI able to speak from experience of the
Custom House business, but he had found
letters miscarried, and sometimes sent
backwards and forwards betwe, nthe towns,
causing considerable delay in the delivery.
The President could only say he would
enquire into these matters and do has best
to have the evils complained of remedied.
After the vote for the fire department
had been passed Nh. Coulter asked to be
allowed to make a few general remarks.
He thought the engines and fire apparatus
generally, both in the towns and in the
country, required to be put into better
order, and in some instances renewed.
He would also ask whether the labourers
could be compelled to assist at fires.
The President said that the matters
referred to by the honorable member had
been under the attention of the Govern
ment recently, as would be seen by the
public announcement in the newspaper by
which the former division of the island
into four fire districts was revived and the
old regulations from 1888 were again put
in force. The officers appointed for the four
districts had also been requested to report
IN the quantity md condition of the fire
apparatus in their districts, aud as soon as
their report was received the deficiencies
would be supplied. According to an old