, 1885-02-14
P R @ G E b D | N GS
gOODgo1
@ ST. O
Continuation Of Meeting Of End Feb

III NJCtt " pa AtS 4AA
ther, would beg to make some remarks,
which also refer to the Draft next on the
Order of the Day for this meeting. The
two Drafts had been distributed to
honorable Members as soon as he had re-
ceived them, and copies had been in the
HANDS Of Members long enough to allow
Of the first discussion coming ON to-day ;
but it seemed to him that as the Drafts
are pretty voluminous and deal with mat
tiers of great Importance in the Community,
involving also great changes in the system
hitherto in force here in the Island, the
first discussion should be as exhaustive
as possible therefore, in case Members
are not fully prepared to-day to discuss
these matters as they should be, the LIST
discussion may be postponed at a later
stage in this meeting; Of course, he did
not mean that this should be done at once !;
on the contrary, it is desirable that the
matter should be discussed as much as
possible to-day, as it is wishful that the
different views of Members be known be-
fore the Drafts are sent into Committee,
which he supposed they would be. He
would beg to add that he had not received
from the Government the Danish Original
of the Committees Report, which to a
SlCII OAICIaC - W 90 VI - Olt0 - ~
it was 50 much the more desirable to have
The original, as, from what he had heard,
the translation is not successful; and he
hoped that the Danish text, as he under
stood that the report was rendered in
Danish, viii be furnished in time before
the next meeting. AS the two Drafts,
namely the one now open for discussion,
and the other on RumShops, are pretty
much connected, there could be no objec-
lions against taking both Drafts under
consideration when discussing either.
The G0rernmentSecretary i'll introducing
this Draft would beg firstly, in reply to
the observations from the honorable CHAIR
man in reference to the absence of the
Danish text Of the Report from the Com
mission, to state that the said Report had
not been forwarded in Danish as it was at
tended with some expense to have it print
ed. and it was supposed that the English
translation would be sufficient for all Mem
bers. AS regards the other observation
from the honorable Chairman that the
Translation OF the SAID Report was not sue
cpssful or qnite adequate, he (the Secreta-
IVY could only say that the translation had
been prepared by the best abilities to be
found in the Island. If, however, it should
UC VIC SCllCl dI W 1911 vi UiIC SVuiiOit " navy
the Danish Text of the Report printed, it
shall be done, but as the Budget is now
being printed and as the establishment is
S%horthanded, he could not promise to have
it ready for the next meeting, if that is to
be in Il days time. AS regards the Draft
itself, honorable Members will notice,
that the initiative for this Draft as well as
the other Draft on the Order of Day for
this meeting, concerning Rumshops, was
taken by a member who introduced two
Drafts in the same direction about 3 years
ago, but which after the 1st discussion had
been withdrawn by the said Member while
expressing as a general wish that steps
would be taken on the part of the Govern
ment to open for the country labOurers an
easier access than they now have to make
purchases of the common necessaries OF
life. In consequence thereof the Govern
ment appointed a Commission to take this
question under consideration Int at the
same time to take under consideration the
other question of a better regulation of the
trade i'll and sale of rum and other spiritu-
liquors in st. Croix. The Commission
sent in a Report, which has been delivered
in translated copies to Members. In this
Report, in regard to the ~irst-named item,
the Commission was divided in a Majority
and two Minorities, the Majority proposed
that there be given permission to open
shops on each estate, from which ordinary
provisions and certain other articles could
be sold by any one taking out a burgher