, 1908-01-15
? R0CEEDING S
OF THE
COLONIAL COUNCIL
FOR ST. CRO1X
Continued from del, No. ~

End Member for lrederiksted's Country
District (LunneW said, he had listened
attentively to these discussions, and he
could not but express his appreciation Of the
clear and pointed views expressed by His
Excellency on this Draft lie would in
that respect beg to state, that he had just
to-day, in the course of this meeting, but
outside of the Council, had an opportunity
to hear the opinion of DIR. Watts, who was
Just passing through on his way home we
all know he is an able expert III cotton in all
it's stages; he expressed himself to the
effect that it would be necessary, when con-
siaering measures against the Blister Leaf
to be very careful indeed to avoid making
measures that would do no good III the de-
sired direction; but cause some wrong some
where. DR.. Watts mentioned, that in An
tigua a Draft of similar contents as this be-
fore US, had been drawn up and been passed,
but awaits sanction because it has been con-
sldered not quite the thing to pass a law in
that direction and OF that contents. 1t has
been agreed on there that Painters or Cot
ton growers should OF themselves be able
to control The evil aud eradicate it, without
Legislative measures, particularly of the ma
ture like these now before ns.-As regards
the present state Of cotton growth in this
Island it is so that in some spots the old
cotton plants have been allowed to remain III
the ground for longer time than customary,
and they collected some insect or other mat
ter which infected those plants aud spread
further but we are still without any Just
knowledge us to whether ii is blister mite at
ali but any how, if it be so that the evil has
arisen in that manner, we have but to avoid
the cause, or wherever the drawback has
arisen, to try TO eradicate it by some means
or other. Several remedies have been re-
~-:.. IL
roofing and burning irrespective as to whe-
Their there be more cotton to be picked, if
only the 1st of June has como without cotton
fields being burnt off. The suggestions
made by HIS Excellency are in every respect
meriting consideration, but he (Lunneyl
would go further, he would say let the Pc
lcemasters every year examine, with the
help of some few experienced cotton grow
ers, the fields to see where any stunning of
growth shows itself and to Judge of the
cause. But he coula not but recommend
for serious consideration the opinion advanc-
ed by DR.. Watts, to which another Member
of the Council was ear witness. A Commit
tee will no doubt be appointed on this Draft
before it goes further.
LIST Member for Christiansted's Country
District (Schmie9etov) said he had in a mea-
sure felt obliged to bring in this manner in
the shape it has assumed he had previously
In different ways proposed that planters
would look into the matter and come to some
understanding as to what all would bind
himself to do, but no one would agree with
his next neighbour and if The one did
what was adopted, you may be sure another
one would not do the same. We hear to-day
that similar legislative measures were az
opted in Antigua against a similar plague
and it is not improbable that the mea-
sures go passed will be ultimately sane