, 1893-06-24
(Aode BY the COMMITTEES Of the FOIketbini
the 2!9tk March 1889

The entire mmit agrees With the
Government that a final arrangement III
regard to the constitutional and financial
affairs Of the West India Islands ought to be
arrived at, in such O. manner that the mutual
rights and duties between the Mother Country
and the Colony may not alone be settled. but.
also thts arranged that they can and there
fore also. will be upheld. .~--
But the Committee, with the exception Of
Wassard, has owing partly to the illness of
the Chairman having prevented meetings.
until of late, partly to the necessary illucidae
tons. which the Committee required, having
TO be obtained from the Government of the
Danish Vest India. Islands. not been In a
position s~form a distinct judgment in re-
gard to the difficult questions relating there
to. that it ventures either to the
adoption Nth Ministers Draft or to suggest
amendments to same.
The fluctuations which have now come to
hand from the Government will it must be-
hoped, place q future Diet in position 10
amend the Draft in a satisfactory manner,
especially. so if a commission, with power and
eventually with the right to repair to the
Islands, in the mean time could sift the
matter,
As it must be Of Importance simultaneously
or beforehand to arrive at a final conclusion
in RESPECT to the Draft of Law, regarding the
ST.. Croix Central Sugar Factories the Budget
Committee las caused this latter Draft of
Law to be forwarded to the present Committee,
which now also has reported thereon.
While agreeing with these expressions Of
ths Committee a Minority (Bluhme) should
however wish to point out the direction in
which a reorganization of the whole Colonial
Law, according to the opinion Of the MinOri-
ty ought TO take.
The proposal from the Home Government
aims. at abolishing the self-government,
which by Law of 9th November 1868 was
granted t. o Inhabitants. In return the State
should then assume a part OF those burdens
of the administration &C. which IN virtue OF
said Law rest on the Islands themselves, but
then also at the Same time be accorded a part
Of the revenues derived from the taxes rest"
ing on the Inhabitants.
The Government hence proposes the divi.
sion in such manner hat that part of the
revenues which should accrue to the Colonies,
ia supposed to be sufficient for detraying
those. expenses, specially the municipal
oxnenses. which should continue to be under
the self management of the Colonies, whereas
that part, of the revenues which should accrue
to she Mother Country, so far from being
supposed to be sufficient for defraying the
expenses of those departments which should
he placed under the State, on the contrary
uresupposes an annual extra expense to the
State for the Administration of the Colonies
DC. of about $1O6 900 or about 420,0oOK Kris.
When the Government proposes to burden
the Mother Country with such an annual
expense as the aforesaid one, the Government
must presumably have arrived at this point of
view from the fact that the Colonies deficit
for a number Of years has been upwards of
! a Million of Kroners annually. This
de&cit the State has yearly to pay, and it
shows itself through q constantly increasing
debt. which in so far as regards st. Thomas,
(under st. Thomas is always understood to
be included St. Jan) has now reached
1900. 600 Kroners and so far as regards has
reached l, 900, 900 Kroners besides a loan for
an amount Of 726, 900 Kroners.
The Minority cannot believe that the aim
will be reached through the proposal of the
Ministry it will in fact only be g continua-
ton OF the same system, a somewhat different
and eventually a legalized division of duties
and burdens, but the system remains the
same and will lead to the same miserable
results, namely a costly bureaucratic admins
tration with heavy taxes aud yet with the
impossibility Of peouniarily satisfying those
demands, which will be made on the Colonial
Treasuries.. Hence dissatisfaction, indi1er-
encs, irresponsibility on all sides aud a con-