OF
THE
FOR
Sil. CROUIA
Continued from yesterday’s
Avis
Ist Member for
Frederiksted
Country
District
(Andersen)
remarked:
Mr.
Chairman.
I appreciate
the
information
given
by
the
Government
Secretary.
I
have
very little
to
say
in reply, except
or.
the
income
tax;
the
Secretary
says
that
the income
tax
budgetted
is only an
estimate
and
that
the
Government
did
not
know
what
the
amount
would
be
when
the
budget
was
piepared,
but
if
we
go
as far
back
as
the
time when the
Congressional
Commission
was here,
we
will find, as
stated
in
their report,
that
the Despatching
Secretary
said the right
figure
for
1919
would
be
about
forty
thousand
dollars.
May
be
he
did
not
speak
with authority,
but
then
he should
not have been brought to testify before the
Commission.
1
think
myself
that
the
income
tax for
this
year
will be
pretuiy
close
to two hundrend
thousand
Fres.
The then Despatching
Secretary
in not
making it clear
what year
he
was talking
about
gave
the
Commission
the
impres-
sion that some
of us
were paying
too little
income
tax and the
Commission
has
re-
commended
to send
a tax Inspector
down
here
to
investigate.
I shall welcome
an
investigation.
However
Congress
intends,
as
far
as
we
have
learned,
to
make
us
as
much
self-supporting
as
possible,
and
may
make
use of the Budget figures.
Should
that be the case
it
is necessary
hat
the
figures
for
the taxes
are
as
nearly
cor-
rect
as possible.
Personally
1
should
prefer
to
see
a
budget
made
up with
the total
expendi-
tures
exactly the amount
of our revenues,
and
in
addition
have
each
department
give an estimate
of what it thinks
would
be
necessary
to
carry
it
through
the
fiscal
year
on
modern
American
lines.
Then
the
appropriation
from
Congress
can
be
allotted
to
the
various
Depart
ments
by the Government
accordingly.
I fully agree
with Member
Stakemann
that
so long as
we
can
get
appropriation
from
Congress
we
should
try to
get
as
much
as possible for this island.
in regard
to libraries,
I do not
wish
ro
20
on record
as being in oppusition.
On
the contrary,
I am in favor
of
a library.
May be the amount
proposed
is too small,
may
be it should
be
doubled
or
trebled;
the
Council
had
no time
to look into
the
matter
when
the
libraries
were
estab-
lished.
In regard
to detectives,
1 think it would
be
a wise thing
to
have
one
or two
de-
tectives
and
eventually
do
away
with
some
of
the Chiefs,
Inspectors
or
Ser
geants
of Police,
from experience
I know
ST
CRUIL
X
AN
|D>
that not
one of
the robberies
committed
on
our
concern
has
been
detected;
I
think
we
need
a
detective
even
if
we
have
to pay him
a
good
salary.
Jn
re-
gard to the
other
matters
[ have nothing
further
to
say;
I am
sorry
ta
see
that
the
slaughter
houses
are
proposed
for
the
two
towhs;
the
proper
pgace
for
a
slaughter
house
is
in
the
country,
the
animals
are
killed in
the
country
and
we
see
cattle
drawn
on the
roads
and
through
the
towns
with
their
throats
cut,
and
the
blood
dripping
out,
these
things are
not pleasant
to look at.
Government
Secretary
Timmons
re-
marked:
Mr.
Chairman.
About the
In-
come
Tax I do not
think
the
srgument
is well founded,
for the reason,
a copy of
the budget
is not
even sent
to Washing-
ton.
An annual report is made
every year
and that gives all the figures
Ist Member
for Frederiksted
Country
District
{(Andersen)
remarked:
Mr.
Chairman
1
understand
that if any
Con-
gressman
asks
for
1 copy
of
the budget
he would
get
it
and
that
is
as good
us
having it.
Government
Secretary
[limmons
re-
marked:
Mr. Chairman.
I only mean
as
far as
Government
is concerned;
as
far
as
the
official report
is
concerned
the
budget
is never
sent.
4th
Appointed
Member
(Blackwood)
remarked:
My, Chairman.
Our
expen-
ses
are running
up daily and th2re
is no
doubt
that
we are
taxed
to the limit
at
present,
let
us take
our
Land Taxes,
our
Income
Taxes
and
our
Horse
and
Carri-
age Taxes,
and
our
Road Taxes,
cost
of
labor and material,
all these
amounts
to
a good deal,
and
unless
we are
sure
of a
good crop
we
are
bound
to
suffer
loss.
At present
we
are short
of labor and
one
of the first things
our Government
should
do
is to rectify
the provisions
we
have
made
so that
we
can
have
laborers.
At
present
mary
of the
Planters
are
sacri-
ficing
their
estates
for
want
of labor,
that seems
to be
a pretty
hard condition
I never expected
to see {such
conditions
as
are existing
today
under
Old
Glory,
but
on
account
of
the
action
Govern-
ment
has
taken
on
our
Immigration
Fund,
we are
going
through
very
hard
times.
We
have imported
machineries
and
agricultural impliments into this
is-
land, but
machinery
cannot
do
it all,
we
must
have manual
lahor
to
bhelp, and
un-
less
we have, manual
labor, we will not be
able
to pull through.
We
are
trying
to
work in harmony
with Government,
yet
we must
take things
into
consideration.
Despatching
Secretary
(Commander
Colby)
remarked:
Mr.
Chairman.
For
the benefit
of those
interested
Fres.
191,
283 is the amount
of income
tax
for the
Callendar
Year
1919.
There
are several
questions
that
have
not
been
covered.
The
Public
Works
Officer
[fieut.
Pettigrew
will
answer
those rehating
to
his Department.
Public
Works Officer (Lieut. Pettigrew)
remarked:
Mr.
Chairman.
In
regard
to the three Inspectors
referred
to by lst
Member for
Frederiksted
Country
Dis-
trict (Andersen),one
is for Christiansted,
one for
Frederiksted
and
the
other
for
the
Building
Division
to
carry
on
the
work
in that
department,
in
the
two
towns
and the
country
districts.
An In-
spector
for the Building Division is down
for Fres.
400 per month,
carpenters
and
m: sons
are earning
two dollars
and
more
per day today and
[ do not think
we
can
find workmen
for less
than
the amounts
budgetted
here.
Ido not
think it is
pos-
sible
to combine
the two
Street
Inspec-
tors.
In regard
to increases
on
the
budget
for the different
departments,
if
you
go
down
to
new
constructions
you
will
find
that
the
price
of
cement
is
rais-
ed,
and
lumber
is
selling
today
at
one
hundred
to one
hundred
and
thirty
dollars per thousand
feet.
Street
Division—Labor
has beer
raised
from
sixtv cents
to one
dollar, price
of
oil
has
been
raised;
we have
these
in-
creases
in
price and it would be
impossi-
ble
to
accomplish
what
we
have
bee)
accomplishing
before
unless
the
budget-
ted amounts
are
increased.
Despatching
Secretary
(Commander
Colby)
remarked:
Mr.
Chairman.
One
more
question
is left
to be
answered,
Veterinarian—
Dr.
Mink will answer
this
question,
Dr.
Mink remarked:
Mr.
Chairman.
The
Veterinarian
is
necessary
to protect
the
health
of
the
animals
here,
more
especially
to
prevent
the introduction
o
diseases
among
animals
of these
islands.
The
Veterinarian
is
sometimes
looked
upon
as
an
enemy
of the Dairyman
but
when
the Dairyman
gets acquainted
with
him he will fin¢ that he is his best friend.
The
Veterinarian
will give
him
advice
which will cause
an increase
in his outfit.
Ist
Member
for Frederiksted
Country
District
(Andersen,
remarked:
Mr.
Chairman.
The
reason
whyIcompared
the salaries
of the
Street Inspectors
with
the
salaries
of the
Road
Inspectors
is,
because
1
believe
more
road
inspection
is required.
lam
a member
of the Road
Commission,
and have been
all
over
the
roads
in my
Section,
and I believe
if the
Public
Works
Officer
had
oceasion
to
spend
a little
more time here
he
would
see
the
necessity
¢f having
a
Road
In-
spector
to
see
that
the
recommenda-
tions
of
the
Road
Commission
are
car-
ried
out.
I
think
the
amount
bud-
getted
for the
Road
Inspectors
1s
too
smali;
1
would
like to
see
five
thou-
sand
Fres.
budgetted
for
him
as
any
of the Street
Inspectors.
In regard
to Veterinarian, I
see
he
is
budgetted
for
a
salary
of Fres.
4,500.
May1 ask
if
the
amount
budgetted
is
going
to
be
paid
to the
man
from An-
tigua?
Despatching
Secretary
[Command
Col-
by} in reply
to
the last
speaker
said,
The Veterinarian
from
Antigua
is
the
one
we
are budgetting
for;
in the
year