, 1885-07-01
P R OC E Z D N GS
gOW@00A
FOR ST. CROIX.

NAL Council OF st. CrOlX after his return
from Europe, be would beg to communi-
cate that when last he had the honour TO
see His Majesty the King, His Majesty
most g%raciously ordered him to convey TO
the subjects in the colony His Majesty's
Greeting and Good Wishes; which order
he would now fulfil as far as St Croix is
concerned.
The Members rose from their seats.
The Chairman said it is with deep sense
of gratitude the Council receives His
Majesty's Greetings.
The Governor NEXT would consider 1T
but right on this occasion to state what
had taken place in Copenhagen during his
stay there in consequence Of the Address
from the Colonial Council of st. Croix to
His Majesty and the Danish Diet passed
in the Councils Meeting on the 22nd De
cember last, the subject Of which was to
solicit help for the Island during the pre-
vailing low prices Of produce in order to
enable the Island to pass over the press
ing crisis. In the Address from the Coun,
Gil the help was proposed to be given in 2
ways: by obtaining a Reciprocity Treaty
with the United States of North America
of the same kind as those treaties which
the States had concluded, or were about
to conclude, with different foreign cOun-
tries and next, by providing a protective
duty in Denmark in favour of st. 'roix
produce, viz. by placing the said produce
on an equal footing with the home grown
beet ROOT sugar and by a reduction OF 5
Ore per ct. of those Sugars in the Import
duty in Denmark. When this Address
came to Copenhagen, he had already laid
before the Authorities the Address or
Memorial from the Agricultural ASsocia-
tion forwarded to him in October last, to
the Same effect i'll point of fact, az the
Address from the Council, and he was
happy to be able to say that he found
with His Majesty as well as with His Ex-
c"ellency the Finance Minister the best
will and wish to help the Island,
and it was Immediately taken under con
sideratiOn what way and what means would
be the best to afford such help. Those
considerations embraced 3 points, firstly,
the financial position of st. Croix, on the
whole; secondly, the Importance or the
effects which a Reciprocity Treaty with the
United States would be expected to pro-
duce in reference to ST. Croix, if based OH
the same contents as the Treaties already
concluded between those states and several
other foreign countries thirdly, the effects
of the existing crisis in the sugar prices
generally, in reference to the Sugar Pro
duction of st. CrOiX. AS regards the first
point, the considerations were extended
over the whole time since the Colonial
Law Of 1868 was PM in force, and it was
found, that by that organization heavier
financial burthenS had been imposed on
the Island, than could be borne by its own
resources, and that a change should be
made in that unsatisfactory position. The
same was admitted to be the case with St.
Thomas, and it was therefore decided to
have the change extending also to this
latter Island. Therefore a Bill was sub
nit ed to the Diet, proposing that the
military expenses, including military pen
siOns, be assumed by the State Treasury
from 1St April 1885. If also an advan-
tageous arrangement could be made in
reference to the Colonial Treasures debt to
the Treasury, the Colonial TreaSu-
ries would be placed in such a position
that the ordinary revenue would be able
to cover the ordinary expenditure OF the
Municipalities. He would beg to Law the
Bill, as it was introduced in the Diet, on
the Councils table for the information of
Members.
With regard to the second point, namely
commercial treaties made or about to be
made between the United States and other
nations, information was possessed that
the United States of America had con-
cluded Reciprocity Treaties with Spain
on behalf of Cuba and Porto Rico, and
with Mexico and st. Domingo, and that