, 1894-03-14
P R 0 G E E !, D ! GS
,f THE
COLONIAL COUNCIL
FOR 50. CROIX.
Continuation Of Meeting Of 26h Febry 1894.
Interpolation on Medical Men

he felt at a loss to understand how the Com
mittee could have failed so much in its duty
as to omit rendering its report on such an
important matter as this, and he must say
that Government has had good reasons to
look upon that omission as a proof that there
is not such a st rong desire to have a third
physician. He belle that the Committee
must have forgotten the matter but The
Members thereof are still in the Council and
will be able to state the reasons. Anyhow
it is to be regretted that the Committee has
been amiss to the extent it has been but it
might be that the fact Of cold water being
always thrown over proposals emAnating
from the Council or its Members has been the
cause or the excuse of the Committee but it
is to be hoped that the matter can still be
fnrthered and that something will be done
from the Committee, the Council and the
Governor to meet public wishes in this
respect. Something has to be done, for it is
decidedly a dangerous thing to have only 2
physicians for the town and country district
of ChriStiansted it might from some cause or
other happen that bolh physicians refuse to
attend a case one Of them might he at vari-
ance with the party III question, have a law
suit for instance, and the party be unable to
use Che other physician IN West End there
are but two .physieians, but they seem to
please Everybody all seem satisfied with
them but up here we have always COM
plants. .-... (Quin: 1t might be owing to
the smaller population in Frederiksted) ......
he was thankful to the honourable Member
for bringing this fact to his mind, and he
would hope that it is so. But anyhow, the
Government SHOULD take the matter under
consideration, and on account Of the existing
decided public Wish t. get a third physician
here, do whatever is possible to secure
Ahs.I ,Huc;o1oD h. ,Dn1inAr E.V0y,m;D~,
so that he may have a suitable salary
to mme with. The Government has
ample resources at disposal, and if Govern.
ment still lays stress upon the proposal from
the Councils Committee, it might perhaps be
better to appoint another Committee. 1t
is certain that it is no party voice that calls
for another doctor, but it is the general wish,
every one is Of the same voice. The gentle
man who acted some few years ago during
the absence of one of the other physicians
was generally liked and esteemed, but he was
bound under a foI felt Of SIS, 900 to one of. the
medical men in whose stead he acted NOT to
remain after his return from Europe the
gentleman might have been able to forfeit
that amount and yet live comfortably, but he
was bound by his word of honouf. to the
other physician. who subsequently put him in
his place, not to remain in the Island, and
this of course he respected more than the
other forfeit.
The G0vsrnor said it seems to him that The a
honourable Member (~Stakemann covered his
retreat by the old..ofensive style of complain
ing of the working of the present Medical
Staf, but he hoped the honorable Member
did not really mean anything by those often
sive steps. He (the Governor) could not see
there was any reason to change the Mem
bers of the Committee, as it is to be hoped
that those mel beers will now before long give
in their Report; but he must at once say that
the thing itself must of course be taken un-
der consideration afterwards by Government
t6 see what can be done and what amounts
are available for the furtherance of the OBJ
ject; and here he Would just observe, that. all
the amounts of which mention was made by
the honol able member are connected with the .
town of Christiansted; if the Committee
should come to the conclusion to recommend
that a new physician be located in Frederik-
sted, he did not think that most of those
amounts named would be at disposal and
if the Committee should come to the conclu-
sion to recommend that a physician be looa-
ted at Kingshill, then nothing at all of these
items would be available for paying such a
physician.
. 2nd Member for Frederiksted's Country
= District (Blackwood) said he could now re-
member the fact of o Committee being APP
pointed in the matter long ago, and of his