chanz:can
bz
made,
butI am
compe-
tent
to say
taat all of
the officials
listed
in
the
bill
wlil have®
to look
for some
more work if they want something
to do.
If
we take into
consideration
the
num-
ber of ecases
we are having
you will find
that
there
is
not
sufficient
work
for all
these
officials.
From
my
experience,
that is about
thirty years
in this
island,
I am not
prepared
to
state
the
percen-
tage,
but I don’t think I
am
far
off, of
all
the
~ases
put
together
will not
be
more
than
seventy-five
to
ninety-five,
and nearly all go to the Police ('~urt,
and
are
cases
involving
only
five
to
ten
dollars.
Let
us go
to
the Town.Court
and
take
the
cases
that involve
over
one
hundred
and twenty-five
dollars
and you
will
not
find
more
than
tenor
twelve;
as
to erimin:!
cases
the
greater
pelcen-
tage
of
those
reguiring
mor: than
six
montns
imprisonmwent
are
not
more
than
ten or
wenty of them
in any year.
Ac-
cording
to
the
proposals
in
these
new
laws,
St. Thomas
is to be
taken
into
con-
"
ideration,
I don’t know
anything
about
St.
Thomas,
but
I take it
for granted
it
is
not quite as
many
as
here.
It is
pro-
posad
to
have
a
Judge
at
a
sala'y
of
four thousand
eight
hundred
dollars
per
annom,
a clerk
at three
thousand
dollars
per annum and
when
the
Attorney
Gen-
eral’s
salary
is
added
will
make
an
amount
of ahout
twenty
thonsand
dollars
and which will
be
aboutone
dollar
per
capita of the
inhabitants,
and
whem
you
add
the
salaries
of stenographers
and
other clerks it will amount
to much
more
than
this
amount.
I do
not
think
the
United
States
will
put
up
that
much
money -for the
Judiciary Department.
We
should
be
thankful
for
what
the
Federal
Government
is doing for us,
but
1
consider
that
we
have
many
other
things
to be
done,
and if weare
economi-
cal
in the
various
departments
it
would
be
more
for the benefit of
the island
and
man
to
man.
[
think it would be
more
ynomical if we keep toourarrangement
#nd
have
a
julge
for
each
island;
by
this
arrangement
we
will have
better,
quicker,
and
more expedient
service.
Judge
Noil: says
that
according
to
American
brinciples
a
judge cannot
sit
on
police
cases;
{ cannot
see
why
he
couldn’t
pass
judgment
on
a police
case
as
well
as
a
bigger
case;
Ido
not
see
why
we cannot
have
a
police judge
for
both
toswns,
he
can
be
called
by
tele-
phone
and
be
ou the
spot
in
an
hour.
There
comes
the question—'l'hese
police
judges
are to act
as
lawyers,
lask if
a
judge
pertorms
his
duties
under
the
influence
of
the
Government,
as
an
official,ifthere would not be some
question
of partism?
He eannot be impartial; he has
twenty-one
hundred
dollars
per
annum
and that
alone is sufficient
td keep
him.
i ask,
gentlemen,
not
for
myself,
be-
cause
the
balance
of my
years
are few,
and
my
course
as
a
lawyer
will soon
terminate,
but thank
God I can stand
the
loss.
(Applause from the Lobby).
The Chairman
rang
the
bell for order
~nd
asked
the
audience
not
to applaud
iU ROER
A VIS
as it was against
the rules.
From
a spectator
in the
Lobby:
Isn’t
the custom
changed?
2nd Appointed Member (Noll) remark-
ed:
Mr. Chairmann.
In answer
to the
last speaker I want
4o state
as Chairman
of this Council’s Committee
1 have never
made®a
statement
that
the
ordin%nce
now
before
the
Council
could
not de
challged.
I stated
that
the
ordinances
was
not susceptible
to change,
but if any
amend
nent
is
to
be made
it
could
be
offered when it is piacec
before the Coun-
cil and under second
discussion.
As
to the
expens:s,
there
exists
today
one
judge; two
years
ago
you had
two
jadges
at
a
salary of $2,200
dollars
each
per
year;
two Assistant
Policemasters
at
31,500
each
per year;'in
lieu
of the
As-
|
sistant
Policemasters
we have two clerks,
|
one
drawing forty doilars and
the
other
twenty
dollars
per
month.
It
is
said
that
the personnel
proposed
is
going to
increase
the expenses,
I wish
any
mem-
|
ber who feels
that
way
to
go back
to the
budget
for 1916.
|
It
is
true
that
the
Superior
Judge
|
should
not try police cases;
[ am arguing
Justice and liberty.
Any man who comes
before
the
court should
have the ligh: of
justice
around
him.
Under
the
pro-
|
cedure
which
is
now offered to yon if the
defendant
ie
not
satisfied
he
ecan
|
go
to
tne
higher
court
and
have
a
|
trial
by
jury;
that
is
what
the
people
|
say
they
voted
for
the
American
Flag
|
tor—Liberty.
(Avplause from
the Lob-
|
by).
1t offers
to
the
humblest
man
an®
opportunity
to
go before
the jury if
he
|
teels
that
the police judge has|
ot acted
|
fairty.
'
When
the
annual
budget
comes
be-
|
ore
you,
you will
see
that
we
are
not
asking for tvo much.
itisall
very
well
for Congress
to
say
that
you
have
ap-
peal
to the third District Court
of
Phila-
delphia,
but you
have
no
one
in
Phila-
delphia to
stand
before
the
Court
and
argue your rights.
As
regards
the
police
courts,
we
are
offering
you
men
who
are
learned
in la~
to try police
cases,
and any
in-
dividual can
go
before
the
upper
court
if he is
not
satisfied;
and
again,
if he
feels
that
he
cannot
trust
the
ju ge,
he
can call for a jury of his
own
peers.
Take
the
Honorable
Member’s
state-
ment
that
one
judge
can
act
for
both
towns,
I would agree
if it wouldjbe expe-
l
dient, butI don’t deem
it
wise
for
the
|
Council
to
;pass
a
law
asking
for
one
judge.
Ifthe
Governor
feels
that
the
traveling expenses
would
be. more
than
what
it would
cost
to employ
a
man
then
let
the
Governor
make
a
double
appointment.
As
Chairman
of
the
Committee
on
these
code of lawsIsay
these
laws
are
subject
to change,
and
if
any
man
ecan
offer any
change
which
is
better
than
the one which
is offered
to
you
I shall
be
only
be
too willing to
accept
and
vote for it.
[TO
be continucd].
'
!
CORRECTIONS
,
In Mr.
Bough’s etter
in yesterday’s
|
Issue
please
read
‘‘my countrymen
and
|
friends’’ instead
of “country friends.”’
I
In Mr. Larsen’s
article
on
the postal
i
service
in Thursdzy’s
issue
please
read
.
fourth
page,
third
to
last
paragraph,
|
17th. and 18th. lines'*
as
it
is
a
physi-
-
cal impossibility’’ irstead
of as
it
would
|
be.
I
.e s e
S
s
o
i
et
|
+
There
is
no milk in town
thijs morning
'
except
what can
be obtained from estates
~
not connected
or influenced by the Dairy.
.
The aim
to
raise
the price
of milk to
15
.
or 17 cents
a quart being defeated
at the
.
last
meeting of the Food
Commission
is
|
the
reason
for
the closing
down of
the
|
Dairy it is stated.
|
The
committe
appointed
bv
popular
.
vote
to effect
amendments
in
the
new
.
code of laws feels that the Council should
'
decline
'to pass
the laws
until
a
perma-
'
nent act defining the
status
of the people
.
is made
by Congiess.
The 8.
S.
Korona
arrived
at this
port
~
this morning
and
has
becun
to load
su-
~gar from the
St.
Croix Sugar Factory.
.
The schooner
Creole
is
also
here
with
~
mails from St
Thomas.
:
|
The Virginia has
not reached
Frederik-
~
sted
as far as
can
be learnt.
Personal
Ope Letter To
Mr. Thomas
Ramsay
Christiansted,
St. Croix,
V. 1..
April 30,
1920
Sir -
In the minutes
of the Colonial
Coun-
cil’s proceedings
published
in
today’s
is-
sue
of
the
St. Croix Avis,I note
with
some
surprise
your
reference
made
in
the Council’s discussion
of the
telephone
question
on Monday
last
that
you
‘‘be-
lieved
the
manager
of the
telephonea
good
man
but a-
he has had
no technical
training, ete.,””
I have
no desire
to
re-
sent
your statement
except that
I eonsi-
der
it
an
assumption
unwarranted
by
your
meagre
knowledge
of
me
and
my
pursuitg
in the past.
Not having known
of your existence
and, I doubt
very much,
you of mine prior to my coming
here but
a little more than
a year
ago
since
when
we
have
promiscously
met,
I
can ven-<
ture
to
say,
but
three
or four times
in
whici:
no opportunity
was
afforded
you
to become
acquainted
with
my
qualifica-
tions, I consider your statement
ungu
g
ed and exemplary
of
the
same sor%
recklessness
which,
1 daresay,
prompiéd
you
to say
you
would
pay
$lO
a
motith
for your telephone,
as
I know
more
of
'Tom Ramsay
in
the
latter
respect
than
he knows of me in the other.
Yours truly
H. BERG.