, 1881-04-09
With regard to the present campaignj
we will give some particulars. in our next

II Gloss COnncCUlG0 WIFI tulS cAuJOct
the Central Factory stands the Governors
efforts to maintain the cultivation OF the
island by advances to the Planters out OF
funds lent the colony by the Mother Conn
try. On two separate occasions, namely IN
1874 and again in 1876 a loan of S~l5O,0e0
was granted, on the latter occasion after
personal representations made by HIS Tx
cellency, who visitedDenmark at the special
request of the Colonial Council of St.Croax.
One of the chief burdens which have of
late years fallen on our local rulers has
been to discover means of reducing the
public expenses of the islands step by step
with their waning prosperity. This mat
ter occupied q great deal OF Governor
Bille's attention, and he appointed a Com
mission to report on it, and finally propos-
ed two measures directed towards this end;
namely some changes in the Superior Ad-
ministration, involving, among other things,
its removal to st. Thomas and q reduc-
ton in the Military force. We particular.
" mention the former because it seems to
us to have been a specially unfortunate
change for the new Governor. who found
only tasks of minor interest in st. ThOmaSf .
while he clearly perceived that his main
work lay in the. island from which he was
separated. We cannot then be s .rprised
if we find the attention of Governor Garde
CdllS NIIOCGCu w t4O OAOJOCO " 0pOtih NOh%
munication between the islands and the
establishment of telegraphic connection.
Succeeding in the latter, the cable between
the islands having been laid on 22nd
February 1875, he failed in the former;
but e~ndeaVoured to make up for
his disadvantages by frequent and pro.
longed visits to this side of the channel.
If the removal of the seat of Government
was unfortunate for the Governor it appears
to us to have been equally so for st. Croig.
So far as we can ascertain by comparison
of Budgets it appears that the expenses OF
the central administration have amounted
formerly to $50 430, Of which, however, st.
Thomas and st. John contributed $1,000,
leaving BIS 400 as the expense falling on
st. Cr0ix: after the change the cost of the
administration for st Croix was $I2, $780,,
the saring apparently amounting to the
paltry sum of $3.50. This measure there
fore, while reducing the expenses for all
the colonies by about $4,000, did little in
this regard for ST. Croi1. On the other
hand it must be remembered that st. Croix
has since contributed nothing towards the
expenses Of the general administration, and
il could scarcely be expected, in case of q
return Of that administrator to this
island, that st. Thomas would be either
willing or able to renew the former con-
tributiOn.
We now come to the reduction in the
Military force. BY the Military Ordinance
of 25th March 1872 the force was fixed
at 1875 men, and tho saving effect
ed was about S10, 900. Governor Garde
continued the reduction. The measure for
this purpose was introduced to the Coloni-
al Council by His Eycellency in person ON
the 9th of November 1874. On that occar
sion he said Sin laying before the Coun-
ell a draft of Ordinance to reduce the
Military force he would say he had framed
the %nroposal entirely of his own initiative.
although he was fully aware that the ques.
tion had been raised before: he had done
40 because he considered it impossible to
Law before the Council proposals to remodel
and at the same time to reduce the
administration expenses in any other way
to any extent worth mentioning"
The measure proposed to reduce the
total number of The force from l35 to lO4,
and power was to be given to the Cover
nor TO withdraw the men from two of the
three Military stations and concentrate
them in one station. Our space will only
allow of our giving the briefest notice OF
the discussions which followed. The Gov
errors views may be gathered from the
following extracts from his speech:
g At present the number OF men is divid-
cd in three different stations, n hence
the number in each place, or at least in
two of the three, is 80 small that the fOrce
there is not only not efficient, but in many
of inooucidarahlo rfilitv.