, 1889-07-13

the hands of one official. AS it is now. the
system is an injustice to private parties
Who are able and ready to undertake
. public work, but who never succeed in
getting such, particularly here of late.
The general opinion is that the present
system is all wrong, and in fact there is
nothing else for the Council to do than
to refuse the amounts proposed unless
some change be effected. Let the work
be put up, and the result submitted
to the Council, and the amount tender
ell, with the best guarantee, would be
granted, but not have the Government
to commence the work, for which the
Building Inspector himself has made the
Estimate, he himself is the man to work
by the Estimate, and he the Governments
man to control his own work and then
seek the grant. Regarding the special
item of Street Repairs in ChriStianSted,
they have hitherto been done by the
prisoners; in Frederiksted too the re-
pairs are all done by the prisoners, and
we need MOI go to st. Thomas to search
for good streets; in fact we could scarce
~ find streets of that kind better any
where than West End; he could not see
why the same thing can not be in Chris
tiansted; but there must be something
wrong somewhere, when the streets there
are in such bad condition he had per
sonally experienced it some time ago,
when on his way from the Public Burial
Ground AS regards His Excellency'S
statement that the additional S4O) asked
for are intended for procuring more carts and
horses, he would say, that elsewhere WIS
see the prisoners hauling he carts; tue
distances are not long, and the work
can certainly not he heavy, if only j. 0prr.
~ conducted. But he could surely NOT see
%lN,, SNiiitvv - p1,i.a HI., 49, .,a,A.- .l, ,v
~ for other purposes and then to have
hired lahOur or even horse power to dO
Their work. at the same time no real iene.
fit can he Shpwn up from using the pri-
sOnrrS otherwise.
Some more remarks tell from several
Members, chiefly on the question of taxa
ton Oh certain particular properties.
The Governor would, in reference to "a
remark from 3rl Member for FrerlrrIkSted'S
County District (IrwItD about The Coun.
Gil appearing inclined to refuse the amount
tor the bridge, beg 10 say that the work
had been commenced on the responsibility
of the Government. 1t often OCCURS that
the administration has. without awaiting
the vote of the Council, to clu~e u work
which is unav0idahlN IrcrS AIRY to be com.
IN, need. The bridge in Question hid to he
repaired; it was necessary for the public
traffic.
3rd Member for FrrderikStpd'S Country
District (Heritt said he hid not meant
that the Council should by vote refuse to
gr mt The amount now proposed bat hr
al ant - give an expression of the lust
complaint felt in this COhpcil and else.
where, Of the manner in which The dis.
charge Of public work is conducted. and
which it it lie cOntilAled, could only neceS.
state the Council to refNSe the amounts
proposed he meant to urge the necessity
of public competition, along with a com
plant "a to the manner in which public
money Is spent; no private individual
wOuld follow II system of the nature used
by the public.
The Governor said he regretted having to
state, that repeatedly public l~icitation has
been tried when public work was to be
done; but the island Is so SmIll, that there
are but 2 or 3 parties who can tender for
patchwork; when they have rendered, it
has been found impossible to accept their
offers. We see tt is also clearly shown in the
instances Of public competition for con.
tracts for furnishing articles for the Mill.
tary scarcely more than l tender is ever
made, and if by nance there be two, the
one is sure to be of a nature not suited TO
be accepted. And it has invariably been
found to he the cheapest way to have the
work done by the Building Inspector &C.
cnrdinD IN The nlan and estimate onnrovod