, 1890-02-15

tOTV, ana at the same time we would nave
favourable prospects of being able to hold
our own. He would also ask the Members
of the Committee to accept the amendment,
and if they will not, he would recommend to
other Members to consider the proposal and
to vote according to their conviction.
The Speaker (Stakemann) said the Commit
tee had held "a meeting to consider
the amendment from the honorable End
Member for Christiansted. The amend,
ment is based upoa q statement Of
figures which already at the first
meeting the Commit Q itself could have
prepared, but the thing is thai the Commit
tee could not sec that such q proposal would
be to the wishes of the community or the
Council, and the Committee has now come to
the conclusion not to recommend the amend
ment. For, although the Budget would
thereby be- balanced, We would still get q
deficiency every year as already shewn,
there are many of the items of the future
municipal budget which from their nature
must increase and continue doing so, and
the revenue is uncertain and will decline;
hence th're is no advantage in adopting this
plan. This Draft has been laid before the
Council, a Committee was appointed who
has rendered it's Report and as Speaker
of the Committee he would now again re-.
commend it to the Council. AS regards the
proposal that the Statetreasury should tai }
over the Military Expenses and Military
Pensions, as also the Governors salary, he
would beg to say, that it is not an unheard
of thing that the Statetreasury gives the
colony a portion of the revenue required, by
way Of a subsidy even in Denmark itself it
Is done for instance Iceland, where the
Statetreasury contributes a large subsidy,
although Iceland is far more independent In
political respects than we have been or can
expect to be, in fact Iceland has Salt Go,
vetnment and the Diet has nothing to say.
although a large sum is paid as a subsidy to
the finances of Iceland. 1t would not, then,
be so extraordinary if the Syatetreasury wer5
to give US a subsidy, and the Council still
retain its present power, limited though it
be. Furthermore the proposal from the
Committee is no new idea, as the Minister
himself has advanced it. That the debt OF
the Colonial Treasury is to be wiped of, is no
in reality a favour, as there is no possibility
whatever of its being paid, hence it is at
worthless debt, which some time or other
must be written off the books.
The Governor: With regard to the amend
ment from the honorable Member for Chris
tianSted tLemmingl he would only say, that
it was so far to be preferred to the Committees
proposal. as it was kept within the proposal
from the Government. The Council would
have the opportunity, by voting for this
amendment, Of showing whether 1t under
stands the true financial position which &C
tuated the Government to make the propo-
sal in the Draft. So far, then, the amoni-
ment had his sympathy, but he could not
agree with the figures, as the honorable
Member asks too much, more than Is requl-
site for the purpose. The Export Duty
might reasonably beaboutS26-27 900 dollars,
but the other items of revenue are put down
too low in the Sketch attached to the mend
ment, in which respect he would beg to refer
to the Draft of Budget now before the Coun-
Gil, which contains the last results and there
fore must be considered the most reliable
source of information at present. AS regards
the Speakers recomn endation OF tn" Com
mittee's Report, it is certain that this
proposal from the Committee, if adopted by
the Council, will not be accepted by the
Home Government when the Council asks
for it, then it asks for a thing, which 1t Ia
known beforehand cannot be obtained.
Ord Member for Frederiksteds Country
District (HewitD would beg to ask his Ex-
cellency how the Municipal Council is to be-
composed he believed that the franchise and
other rules for the Colonial Council would
not be applied to the Municipal Body, for
no Municipal Council consists OF ] OF the
Members as Commanders, but all are
elected by the people, and any representa-
cl-. o. =: ~~a11 Lx ~. ANNoryn