, 1885-07-08
No one requested the word !; ist discus.

Country District (Raphael) for the election
OF q Committee to consider the question
OF measures to assist and support Sugar
production in the Island.
End Member for Frederiksted's Country
District (He,oitt) said, it would be time
enough to appoint a Committee after we
have discussed the matter.
4th Member for ChriStiansted'S Country
District Raphael would propose that u
Committee of B Members be appointed to
confer with His Excllency tho Governor ON
the best measures to support sugar pro.
duction and the sugar market of the Is
land. ~
3rd Member for Christiansted WassardI
would with the hOnourahle End Member
for Frederiksteds Country District HEWITT
prefer that a discussion should precede
the election of the Committee proposed, so
AZ clearly to put forward what should be
tue aim and purpose desired but he sup.
posed that Members are not lust now IRE.
pared for such discussions; and as he un-
derStoOd that another meeting will be held
not III August as was supposed, but in d
tortnlghFS time, when the Chairman in
tends TO put the question on the Order of
Day, he should think it preferable to post.
pOne the discussion and the election till
then.
80 ANLAoO M AANSUCO - OOunULY
District Birch could not exactly agree
with the last Speaker in the view that the
Council is not now prepared for this ques.
ton: for the community has for months
past been considering and discu 'sing the
question, one Of vital interest and impor.
tance to the Island; therefore he thought
that Members must now be prepared to
deal with it, and, as the honourable 4th
Member for Frederiksted's Country Dis.
trict Raphael observed, we have no time
to lose if We are to do any thing aid expect
to gain any thing. He tor his part thought
it scarcely possible that Denmark alone
will get a Treaty with the United States,
but it is probable that all sugar growing
countries will get it at the same time, if at
all. If we get it at the SAME time as
others, it would not be much benefit to us,
and we would be better served BY sending
our Sugars to Denmark, particularly when
the reduction proposed be granted. We
would not in America obtain better prices,
when all the Nations come On air equal
footing, while we would certainly he losing
$4,000 as compensation for the treaty.
1st Crown Member Quinn said Ire was
inclined to agree essentially with the last
honorable Speaker, but not in the remark
that we would lose $4,000 p. a. by q
treaty of reciprocity with theUnited States.
The amount spoken of is now collected as
tariff duty on imported goods; if it were
given up, it would not lie the Island losing
it, since the amount Of the duties taken off
would be distributed among the consumers,
but the Government would lose $3i, 1000
p. a. of the public income, and the Govern.
ment would have to consider how that
amount is to be made UP. This could only
be done in one of two ways, either by
increased indirect taxation OR by direct
taxation The firstnamed avenue would
seem to be almost closed to the Govern
ment, as the greater part Of the articles
on which increased dnty could be laid
would be free of duty under the Treaty !;
therefore, it would be necessary to impose
direct taxes, that is to say ON land and on.
incomes. The Committee Of the Council
would, then, have to consider whether the
increased taxes to make up for the de-
creased import duty resulting from the
Treaty, should be made by indirect taxa.
ton, as now, a method by which the sum
would be distributed over a larger number
of population, or by direct taxation, when
the payment would be concentrated on q
few individuals aud few occasions. This
is the real question which planters and
others suggesting the treaty, would have
to consider. .9 aHo Ywt
It was adopted unanimously with 10