, 1908-01-01
CHAPTER III.
CoNcERNiNe TIE OBLIGATION OF SECRECY ETC.

shall be under the obligation TO Keep secret
the Conversations in the telephones Us also
the names of the persons converslng through
same. Any emp'oye W O violates his duty
of secrecy, shall be punished with fDes or
ordinary Imprisonment he shall upo1 re-
quest of Government be dismissed from tie
telephone service.
Gases of this nature shall be dealt with
as public police cases, but pro eru'ion shall
only I've Nude upon demand by Government.
S12.
This Ordinance comos into force. ....!...
REMARKS.
The t3resent draft after deliberations
with the Ministry of Finances has been fram-
ed on the Law of 18th May 1927 concernin
Telegraphs and Telephones;so, however, that
only the prescriptions about Telephones
have boon made use of after having been
brought in accordance with local circum-
stances here.
The Governor, in introducing the Draft,
added that he did SO in the hope that sonic
day, not far off, we may have a Telephone
Company established here, as in st. Thomas
alrealy now, and that we may then soon get
a complete telephone net throughout the
Island. As regards the individual para
graphs, they are for the greater part in keep.
ing with the laws for Denmark on that head,
particularly II May 1897 and 2 January
1907, with the omissions and notifications
required by local circumstances especially as
regards s l it will be seen that the monopoly
for having telephones rests with the State
Government, who, however, can grant Con-
cessions for a limited time to private parties
to establish and operate telephones, on GER
tain prescribed terms the chief contents OF
which are now before the Colonial Council
for consideration.
Aud C~rownmember (Conraw) said, there
can be no doubt of it, telephones will be of
very great benefit to the Island, not only in
regard to Police Affairs, Military Move,
ments, Doctors and Lawyers, etc: etc. but
also to private business operations, factories,
estates. But the question is, if there can be
fc nd a sufficient number of subscribers to
FHAp up ttre SYSTEM, when and if any Com
pauy or other private Capitalist should obtain
q Conce4s' II for erecting and working tele-
phones. Perhaps the Municipal Committee
might / able to suggest some measure suit
ed to promote the object and create proper
support. It is not to be supposed that a
Comp,ny would be willing to undertake the
thing, without some guarantee, IN case it
should not pay with private subscriptions
therefore it seems to him that, in considera-
ton of that and of the interest which tele-
phonic communication must be to the
Administration, the State should at once
engage to give a support, at least in the
commencement. Any how he would propose
that the Draft be referred to the Municipal
Committee, who might be able to- secure
private arran gements.
1st Member for Frederiksted (~ouJter)
asked if tire Municipality should take
over the establishment, and any pay
ment has TO be made, would it then go to
the State?
The Governor said, as far as He could m
dcrstand, it would rather be the Municipal
ty who would have to pay to get it; it is
furthermore to be supposed, that in the event
of a Company being established, The Muni-
cipality would have to pay for the use and
benefit OF the institution. When tho matter
some time ago was brought up in a Com
mittee, he had expressed himself in the same
direction and that his own personal opinion
is that the amount now used for local tele-
graphic communication might be reckoned
on towards telephone lines:
1st Member for Frederiksted (CouIter)
said that in ST. Thomas a similar enquiry
had been made when the matter was under
consideration j aud as far as he understood
there was no willingness to pay anything.
nbo .Hoa,arnn& wOul1 8av that q GOnnanv