, 1889-12-28

ana military PENSIONS, which we might
nope would ultimately be taken over by
the State Treasury, there would stli DO o
deficit of about %, 900"
- Nhat-wa that brought forward for, bat
70 make the Colonial Council 70 understand
that the Military Expenses did noe property
Deeong under our budget, and that 3t was
Cne intention TO remove them.e
Again, when introducing the Budget foE
l006-87, HIS Excellency the Governor said:
"H that guarantee and tho military ex-
penses and pensions be deducted from the
total expenditure on this Draft vix:@255,e2
~. the remaining ex penditure would be
@156, 971. So"
What could be the meaning of that, if it
were not to show the Council that those
Expenses did not concern the Budget or
the Council, hut, being originally State Elk
penses, they were not to be included
among the OOlsuy's' expenses ? And so
on, for several years. Then again,
we know that the Minister of finances
has repe atedly laid before the Diet Bills
for the Statetreasury to assume the Mill
tary Expenses and Pensions the Diet has
not passed those bills but that is q proof,
that the Home Government openly ad-
mitted that wrought not to have been saddled
with those expenses at all; still those ezNen-
ses are the very expenses tina" have weighed
most heavily en- the colony and have con-
tributed chiefly to the Budgets showing
such results yet, in the face of that fact,
we are now told that we have lost our
financial Independence, and therefore can
no longer hold leg islative power, not even
that semblance of Legislative power which
we could exercise and we're allowed to
exercise! Besides that, there were other
branches of expenditure which this colony
has had to defray and which other colonies
have not borne, for instance the Governors
salary, ETC.; yet We are told that our tinan.
cial position IN lost, and lost as if by our
fault. Now, if the Diet did not pass those
Bills, that should lead us not to dlSpOnd
ifnow also the Committees proposal be
rejected; but it is strange that the Minis
ter of Finances, after making those pro-
pOsalS in the Diet, should now wheel round
and make the present proposal on the for.
mer occasion the Minister saw no reason to
attach thereto any sacrifices on the part OF
the Council, and the Council and Com.
munity are at q perfect loss to account for
this change no explanation at all IL given,
beyond that ridiculous statement of loss of
financial independence, as If that could
not be said also at the time the former
bills were brought in and we must mark
WELL UO D6U6uU Will 10 VOG1VGU 1EU8u bAlN
+, present proposal, the Staes.tveas&Py will
take over a comparatively small Sum, or
: rather will come to pay wh"t It shosid just.
: ~ pay for, the colony. and in FetRVn for
that, it is e&acted. that we oAall aAOpA %
system, ny which oil OaT affairs will Do
turned topsy.turvey ; In fact be could not
see, how we are to exist at all ; the pCO-
posal would lead to nothing but our Own dc.
struction foreign capital would be fright
ened away from the Island; the State.
treasury would have the safest revenue
to an amount of 8 81, 900, end there
would be insufficient revenue left on
our own first requirements. But it has
been seen, as far rs. the Military Expenses
are concerned, that they do not belong to
us; that has been conceded By the Minis.
ter; we must keep to that; we must not
turn like weather.cOcks. We. can, then,
agree In the Minister'S first original prOpO.
sails; but we do not, and cannot. agree with
the Minister when he turns with the wind
and makes the present proposal.-Thelnext
point on which he would touch ig that the
Colony is called on to give up $4,000
yearly of the safest and most reliable items
Of revenue. Now, In the Introductory
speech of His Excellency the Governor, it
is stated "tkGt acben the State Treasury is
to idefray the expenses OF certain Colonial
institutions 10 wOuld be inadmissible for the
Colonial Council topass ordinances, possibly
affecting those expenses" He(Hewittl had at
the moment taken o note efthose words, and