, 1890-02-15

colonies generally pays. II on the presen6
budget such state expenses be deducted, the
balance of expenditure for the colony would
be $99, 228, 76, and if furthermore the military
expenses say $4,000 also be deducted, we
will see that the estimated amount of reve.
nue., say $3.50, 900, will be more than AIDE
ouate for the expenses rightly devolvltlg
on us. Moreover, there is plenty OF room
for. relrenchment in the administration expen-
ses. His Excellency had last meeting men
toned something about a tax on Rum and on
Lottery Tickets but if it is at all advisable
and possible, or advantageous, to impose such
taxes, there could certainly be no reason why
Drafts on those heads should. not just as we'll
now be introduced, before this Colonial
Council, as in future under a municipal or
.fganisation. This Council has never yet been
unwilling to support measures OF the k!nd
when reasonable or possible, and there IS no
reason to fear that the Council would not
agree if the thing were recommendable' But
on the whole, it is no use to waste Tune III
considering the Governments proposal as 1t
is now, for it is impossible he would re-
commend to adopt the Committees Report
The GoUernor What proposal Is 1mPos
sible?
3rd Member for Frederiksted's Country
District (Heooitt simply the Governments
present proposal, and then chiefly because
the chief item of revenue allotted to US, the
Export duty, is so very uncertain, and an Item
of which the colony should reasonably be
relieved, as otherwise it would be impossl-
bic for the Island to compete with other
sugar growing colonies. We pay at LEASE
1910, while other colonies pay no such duty
and moreover we pay over Sll pr head III
taxation for every man, woman and child.
It is indeed, only by the goodness OF froVi
dence, through q bountiful rainfall OF late,
that the island has been able to exist at all
SUPPOSE the island had had a continuance OF
the poor crops, which we had some few years
ago. what would be the state of things now;
sure, then, it is impossible to carry out a
scheme like that proposed by the Government
by which the sugar growers must pay 0 10
-7oIc. in export duty, with all the uncertainty
connected with the varying nature OF the
resources on which the revenue Is to be col
lected.
The G0rernor: The honorable Member
who spoke last, had declared that the gov
ernment's proposal is impossible but from the
honorable Members explanatory remarks
it is clear that he means that 1t is the
export duty which is impossible, although
even under the present rates, the ProaucUon
has given planters enough at least to 1--we OF:
but At all events, the honorable Members
view is but an assertion, which remains to be
proved, even as it still remains to be proved
that the Government plan Is an lmposslolll-
ty.
Ord Member for Frederiksteds Country
District (He,oitt> would beg to ask bis
Excellency how many of the present plant,
ers have owned their estates for the last LO
years,-and does His Excellency expect
planters to go bankrupt every year, Look
at the rate at which property has SUM
already, that is a proof that the bare living
from q property is not sufficient to keep up
the Island and the general value OF properties.
End Member for Christiansted Ie'mmengl:
In accordance with what he had stated IN the
former meeting, he had now taken the loer-
ty to submit an amendment to the Com
mittee's Report and the Draft o. Law Inc
amendment had been forwarded in time and
it had been distributed to the other members
in due time, and he would now beg to recon-
mend it to the Councils vote. de thinks
that the statement in the accompanying
voucher will be found pretty accurate and
according to that proposal the municipal oud'
get would be balanced as far as regards the
ordinary Expenditure and Revenue. he
would not now take up the Councils time
by renewing the arguments advanced during
the last meeting, he would now merely refer
to them. With regard to the statement
given by him in the former meeting as to the
crop requisite IN order to arrive at an export
4 \ - -f1oO n0o L. rould Noipt ont that thar6