, 1892-01-30

made comfortable; the community very agree
able to live among, and no fault to be found
with the Government except that we are
being run INTO a big debf and no means devils
ed to cover or meet it. But we should take
time by the f0relock and do something. if not
tomeet that debt, at all events to prevent ii.
To him, then. it appears that the Council
would not act fairly towards their c%onstitu-
ent or towards the Island to vote a Budget
again without trying some means Of change.
The Budget Committee last year spent
much time. and time is money. in suggesting
the means and ways of arriving Mt a tenable
stand in our financial affairs and thereby
bringing the colony itself in a better con
diron; but now We are told all our labour is
ln vain; If it We're so tlMt we were beyond our
limit, Why not have .hewn it up at the time?
We We're not tgld SO: aud now We see nothing
needed ana no change in il direction to
make things easier. The .IIome Govern
saeut s5 just as they please-and it is no
use for the Council to advocate retrench-
ments, wl,n'we cannot get them. This il
his stond in reference to the present Draft
Of Budget.
Tie Goreraor eaia' fe regretted that the
honorable Momber who spoke last lBIackwood)
was not here in the Council at the time when
the bill in question vas under discussion
Nt1 0iit+ RtAaN Ae 4Nlt N8ttN ilNtt. tlltl lUt
honorable Member would have Letter under
stood Che whole matter and would not have
Ashamed somuch today, with wlichhe. heGov-
crnor could not agree Tie would then now
further point ont that he had NOT said the
Eadgat Committee had ovorstepped its power;
but only that it Ind taken upon itself a task
WaIch il could not fulfl. and lhat was no
b.ane. IS it is evident that mo Committee
ca accomplish any thing without the help
EST Government. and the Committee did not
choose to seek the help il Government when
engaged in its work. Besides. it was 4 wrong
time TO enter upon such q task: it would
decidedly have been better to wait until the
matter had been decided in the Diet; and
again The Committed had made proposals that
were lmuosslb1e 70 curry ont with due regard
to tine public safety, fer instance the proposal
for the abolition of the Military Force and
the establishment Of 4 certain Number of
picked tJendarmes now not only was the
number Of Gendarmes proposed too small,
but the pay contemplated for them was much
100 snail II viii moi Be possible to get picked
anon from Denmark for the amount proposed.
Whom such proposals are made and they are
not entertained by the Government. the
Council should NOT complain. Changes of
that kind, can not be brought about bY the
Colonial Council and this is an instance
thlt clearly shows that the Committee did
not understand or was not equal to it's task.
bat there are other proposals in adopting
winch the Council .transgressed It's com
peteaey, for instance, that Of abolishing
the School messengers these are provided
ny an Ordinance and they cannot be done away
with by a vote on the Budget. Some If the
Committees remarks wouldno be contradict
ed, but taken asa whole the Committee
would not accomplish anything, it could
do nothing in the way it attempted. 1t is
much better for the Council to work in har-
mony with the Government, it is no ~gratiica-
ton to the Home Government to have to i9-
more the representations Of the Council, but it
has to do so, because it is responsible for the
safety and protection Of the Island, The
questi ion is now before the Diet, which is the
competent authority to decide upon changes
Of this kind bnt for the Council to come for
ward with new proposals every year, serves
only to create greater difficulties and can do
us no benefit.
2nd Member for Frederksted's Country Dis
trict (BIockaCood) said he believed His Excel
lency had misunderstood the Committee
we did not recommend the withdrawal of the
Military, but we recommended that as well as
other items for the consideration Of the Govern
ment as one Of the means by which we thought
that there could be provided a better state of
things financially it was our views and