, 1884-10-01

lSLIUR U0TGs cause d ACnAAui oHAOAA
the labouring population of the Island, and
AZ that population is unable to maintain
itself, but is being gradually n steadily
decreased, the matter becomes one of very
serious danger for st. CrOix. The Govern
ment is afraid that under the existing SAM
tarv relations here, there would be but
very little prospect of successfully com
batting that disease. Fortunately We are
able to improve the sanitary condition, and
i'm order to arm the Administration to do
40. the present Draft OF Ordinance has been
introduced i'll the Colonial Council. The
way in which it is intended to achieve the
object is, to provide proper Sanitary Regu-
lations, proposals for which will be worked
out and laid before the Council and, when
adopted, put in force by the Government;
and also to provide 2 Boards of Health,
one for each district, which Boards will
have to look after and enforce the Sanitary
Regulations so provided. 1t will, however,
take time to work out those Regulations;
meanwhile the Government should be au-
thOrized to take the most urgent measures
required hence the proposal in 5 3 to In
vest the Government with authority to
issue temporary Regulations IN that res.
pect the term is proposed up to 3Oth June
1885. but it might be possible to complete
the mdCUeE DSIOIC CldO pCAAOus INV
Cholera last time was in the West Indies
the Government of st. Croix issued an
Order. dated 25th November 1865, contain
ing such Regulations as were considered
most requisite today it is considered
doubtful whether the Government could
with legal force issue such an Order; con-
seuuently it has been considered best to
obtain express legal authority to that
effect, as proposed in s 3. That extraOrdl'
nary power will cease when the Sanitary
equations have been adopted; it is, OF
course. difficult to say how long time may
elapse. but as already stated, he hoped to
have the Regulations fully completed be-
fore the time mentioned. He would recon-
mend to the Council to deal with the Draft
ms speedily as possible, as we can not know
when the danger will appear.
2nd Member for ChriStianstedS Country
District 1T. Wilson, said, We all know, at
least he believed, that the words of His
Excpllpncy on this subject are correct and
much to the purpose. He had often been
ostonishpd. when as Manager OF Estates
he had seen orders from the POlicemasters
sent to labOurers to have their houses
white washed, the owner furnishing the
materials, being left unheeded and the
work undOne; at other times orders 10
remove the hOgpens AMI other offensive
matter. remained unfulflled complaints
were made, but the labOurers were not
compelled to do as they were bid. 1t IS
certainly no more than right that there
should be q law to compel obedience TO
such orders. Still, he must say, it appear
ed to him that 800 is too heavy a fine;
the object could be obtained with smaller
fines. Besides, if it should be a labourer
tranSgressing the Regulations, it would
he useless to fine him 800; even for q
manager of an estate, such a fine would be
very high. A law to the effect now
treated of is highly necessary but the
penalties might be less high.
LIST Member for Christiansted WiLGrdJ
said he presumed there is no Member OF
this Community, much less OF this Council,
who would not like to see proper sanitary
Regulations issued by the Government
and carried into effect. A small Country
is liable to be visited by epidemics, just
like a large country hence the necessity
here too of precautionary measures.
He could therefore i'll the main agree Ill
this Draft; it is necessary that there be
some compulsory measures to secure the re-
moyal of offensive, injurious matter from
the villages and dwellings of the labOuring
classes particularly. But, he thought that
the object of the Government should be
nerfpctly plain, and that the law should be
so too it should be distinctly understood
and expressed that the owner or manager
of an estate has no responsibility further
than the issuing of the order received from
the Police, for the urging upon the people
the dutv to do as required, and for the
fnruishing of the material. 1t will not do