, 1885-02-28

personally aware OF tnlS.
4th Member for ~ChTistiansttd's Country
District Raphael said he perfectly agreed
with the last honorable Speaker that the
sale of rum on estates by the prOprietOrs
is most ruinous to all parties; but at the
same time it appeared very hard that a
manufacturer shall be prevented from dis
posing of his produce in any way he likes;
and that a planter Shall he prevented from
selling, for instance, a friend a demiiohn Of
rum produced on his own estate; this
seemed to be putting too much restriction
on one part of the community. That rum
should not be sold to labourers, he would
admit as a reasonable limit but that a
man shall not be allowed at all to sell less
than a barrel, is a point to which he could
not agree; suppose a manufactures could
sell old Rum by the bottle advantageouSly
........ WdsSard by the drink too 7 =
should he be prevented q-By the drink
nOt..........
The Chairman begged the honorable
Member not to go too far into the details
of the other Draft; it is certainly so that
in discussing either of these two Drafts
now before the Council, Members are at
liberty to touch upOn both Drafts but not
to go TOO far in commenting OH details.
2nd Member for Christiansted L8mmjngl
would, az the best way to arrive at an un-
derStanding in this matter, and to see how
far the practice now existing may and can
be legalized, beg to recommend that the
Draft be referred to a Committee of 5
Members.
The discussions were interrupted and
confined to the question OF a Committee.
TIE Council adopted unanimously with
8 votes II not vOtingI that the Draft be re-
ferred to q Committee Of 5 Members. LIST
discussion was not closed. The election
took place later in the meeting.
3, Continuation of LIST Discussion on
Draft of Ordinance concerning the
trade in and sale of Rum and other
distilled strong liquors in st. Croix.
The Government secretary would in refer
pnce to a question raised IN the last meet
ing from an honorable Member conc RI
ing the meaning of the term . dispose OF" III
s 4 of the Draft beg TO observe, that iii the
Danish text The Term is "lfSHtte', by
which is meant disposal by sale, and this
sense becomes also sufficiently clear from
the subsequent part of the English tiki
where it is said "uplrSS the rum sold can
be proved to be destined for expectation
from the Island"
LIST Member for Ch%ristian>ted Willard
said h. did not suppose hat this matter
would dpiain the Council much longer now,
as he believed The whole matter had been
thoroughly discussed before and somewhat
the last meeting of the Council, If the
Draft be sent to a Ommittee SOM little
latterS that are now not quite clear may
10 doubt easily be cleared up. He for his
art is no advocate Of the sale OF rum in
mall quantities in the country, and he BE-
'rved that no planter wishes TO have any
lch system legalized 1t could not of
= urse, do 20 make a rule that a planter or
manufactured shall be at liberty to sell
Il rum in small quantities, bnt new rum
Ut; there must be one rule. Some time
sgO it was said that some planters had
grown into the habit of selling rum to es-
~tates' labourers in small quantities, resem-
y ,ling retailing, and at reduced rates; some
Inference of opinion had then existed as
o whether that could be prevented, or not;
he present object is to get a law to pre-
vent that, and in future TO avoid all doubts
or misconceptions. 1t is said, i'll fact he
J had been told so, but he had otherwise no
personal knowledge of it, that that prac-
tice is still going on, and that to-day there
are parties selling Rum i'll quite small
portions and at low prices, cheaper than 1T
an be bought in the RumShopS and
tronger too; to prevent that is a matter
nat would be of the very greatest benefit
the whole Island.