, 1891-10-10

who have hitherto kept it agoing, have then
been misled to spend their money to pay la
bourers until better times, in the expectation of
getting means from the immigration Fund to
meet; still and although rain has fallen, no help
from that quarter is offered, and when a propos-
al from a private channel is made, then obsta-
Giles are r Used. When we look at the prospects
as they are now, there could be no doubt of the
money being repaid, and as there are but 81
months before the crop commences, it would
not be long that the money would be out. His
Excellency says, II this application be urged by
the Council, he would accede to it, provided it
be done by an Ordinance; but then, what time
WON'T it take to draw up a Draft, to discuss it
IN Council, then to send it to Denmark, if on
the whole anything could be done without the
Minister'S previous sanction? The parties
might in the interval have time to 90 in the
Dealing Court, and the Government wodld have
to find means to carry them on until sale, and
no one would be willing to buy. Therefore
the immigration Fund must run the risk. The
next question is if personal security shall be TAX
en- or bureau right on the crop; but Government
knows the difficulties on all sides, they should
have been prepared with something; if the
matter had only to-day come before His Excel
lency, we might not have expected that he
should be prepared, but that is not SO; but
his EXcellency's answer now seems very vague.
He must say he would not like to see anything
happen to the immigration Fund of course the
money could never be lent out except ut q GER
tain risk, and, perhaps he was wrong, there
seems to be no need of an Ordinance the
immigration Fund has been used 50 often
without warrant by an Ordinance, and here it
could also be done without. The question is
good security, and it might be asked, what is
rood ccouTitV0 Tho Government hin c h1raoI1
right in the coming crop; but the arrangements
in that respect would require time, and the
loans are needed now. Any Draft of Ordi-
nance he would oppose, if affecting the c%ollec-
ton of immigration tax, or the present organi-
sation on the whole. All that is required is an
authority to use a certain part of the accumu-
lated capital of the fund also in a matter con-
nected with Estates to prevent labohrers emf
grating. As for the bureau security, we know
it is attended with a good deal of expense, and
the loans, to benefit the parties, should be at r.
cheap rate. The Squatting system and the
Factory, which Government forced on the Is-
land, have failed in themselves, but they have
contributed to do evil in the labour market, the
s~quatters employ labourers at times at 81 cents
per day, but the wages are at times not paid,
and this increases the trouble too if labourers
finding employment there were paid, there
would not be so much for the estates to employ.
But, anyhow, those men who have run the
Island through with wages to labOurers en-
plQycd on Estates, should be helped in as
promptly q manner as possible.
The Governor said, the honorable 9Ta
Member tor Frtderiksted's Country District
(Hewitt) had made a great deal of remarks
and as usual had been rather SeNere on the
Government; the most Of what he had said
he Ohe GOvern0) did MT mind, but h0
would positively object to the remark that
he had miNled the planting community III
reference to this matter. 1t will be remem-
berod that 6 or Z years ago it had been pro-
posed by Government to give n more
extended application to the immigration
Fund as a fund established for and 10 assist
Sugar cultivation at the time the evils of II
drought were not impending and the plant
ers refused to do any thing in the direction;
they would not approve Of the immigration
Fund being used for other than immigration
purposes. He had not abandoned the idea
he then had advanced, he knew that the
time would come, when a fund would be
needed for other purposes than Immigration,
and this year before he went home he sug-
gested to the Colonial Council in as careful
a way as possible within closed doors, that
perhaps the time now had com for giving
to the immigration Fund a more extended
application.
The Council as such did notanswer, buttle
Il Nh ~