, 1889-07-03

Budget was put on the COuuclfb CdoIo 10
state that when the large items OF expen-
diture for the Military Establishment, the
Governors salary and the Factory's Guar
antee we're taken off, which we might hope
10 see at some future period, then the Ex-
penses and Revenues would balance. This
wear no such declaration has come from
Government, from which may be inferred
that the expectations in those directions
have been given up, we can expect no
such alleviations on the Budget; hence
we have to take the budget with it's extra
ordinarily large deficit as it is. We
have been told that those matters have at
previous times been laid before the Diet;
but they were ignored there. But what
now are people here to do The Budgets go
on increasing year after year; we see new
items added, none scratched off; where Is
it to end 2 If the Minister of Finances keep
up an Administration here which you can
find no where else in the whole world, an
Administration which the Island, heavily
taxed as we are, cannot meet, 1t behOVeS
us to enquire what is to be the ultimate
result, when to meet the ex penses OF That
Administration We are led year after year
into debt deeper and deeper 1t is true
we are told that the deficiency between the
Revenue and the Expenditure is betrayed
by the Home Government, and that Is
supposed to be some satisfaction; but
when we know that that system Is not
sanctioned by legislative Authority, III TACT
it has been refused already, and TIA change
of that Government should take place, do
we know what we are to dOT 1t might
be asked again, why did you tue Colonial
Council vote for those expenses, when you
knew you had no money; how is the deh.
oiN RI hA mid Wa hoUn uIpQ1IV hPpA
told that there is no imprObability or
impossibility that taxation will be rails
ed to pay the debt incurred and TO
continue. This is a serious point, one
which affects the community in regard
to the investing of capital even strangers
comingfrom abroad enquire what are we to
do with the enOrmOusyearly deficit. NOeHort
is made to alter it, except to make 1T high
err. Now, it certainly does seem to be the
duty of the Governor TO say to this Coull-
Gil how the deficit which he himself makes
on the Budgets brought i'll by the Go
vernment is to be met; the Governor
should be able in some feasible man
ner to show how the future admlnlstra-
ton expenses are to be met, under this
elaborate system of administration. 1t
appeared to be beyond the range OF
all possibility to increase taxation. For
already now the taxes tell heavily on the
island among the indirect taxation take
only the item of Export duty on our pro-
duce; we find the tariff valuation to-day
$3.50 per cwt; land with rattoons give
about l hid. per acre, but land with plant
canes gives hhds. per acre put the hogs
head at 1,GO0 lbs, and you will find that
land here bears an expOrt.dutY of from 81
to upwards Of $10.S0 per acre, or as much
as $12 if you take land tax and road tax
immigration tax etc. This is all the more
remarkable when we see almost all the
other sugar growing colonies doing away
with export duty. Well, then, it surely
can not be denied that the state OF the pub
lie finances is so very unsatisfactory, as
shown by the public Budgets, that it GER
tainly is the duty Of Government even
unaSked, to explain how we are to get out
Ofthe trouble 0 fthose large and increasing
deficits.
The Governor was sorry to see fir ON the
remarks that had fallen from the honorable
Member Hewitt that his memory is
rather short; for, at the 1st discussion on
the Budget the hon. Member had put forth
the same remarks. Now he, the Governor,
would not enter upon those remarks again,
but would refer to the replies he had
given on that former occasion, as contain
ed in the public report OF the Councils
proceedings. But he must say this much
here, that it had rather puzzled him to
hear it said, that the tax is become higher