SCHOOL
ATTENDANCE
REPORT
No.
42
Week
Ending
June
27,
1924
Municipality of St.
Croix.
])",r‘
Percent
of
cent of
Pupils not
Attend-
School
Clars
tardy.
anece,
Christiansted
Jr. High
100 60
109 €0
l.a Vallee
Rural
100.00
100.00
Frederiksted
Publie
98.650
99 87
Peter’s
Rest
Rural
100 00
99 28
[siamond
Rural
10000
9910
Christiansted
Public
952 i
Krederiksted
Jr. High
100.00
97 44
l.a Princesse
Rural
100 00
94 44
Friedenstfeld
Rural
920
902
OF
THE
FOR
51.
CROIA
(Continued
from Saturday’s
Avis.)
9nd
Member
for
Christiansted
Town
(Canegata)
remarked:
Mr.
Chairnmn,
I had
intended
to explain this budget
be-
for: the Honorable
Ist Member
for Fred-
eriksted
Town
rose.
1
will try
to
alle-
viate his anxiety.
Those
members
who
are unacquanted
with the details
of
this
budget
will have
no difficulty
in
coming
to an understanding
of it after
an
expla-
nation
is given,
As
Honorable
Members
will
remem-
ber,
at the
time
the
Press
Representa-
tives visited
this island
Admiral
Coontz
tmade
the
statement
that
the Naval
ap-
propriation §for these
islands
would
be
$351.000.
Subsequent
to that word
was
received
that the
Federal
: ppropriation
was ¢t
to $270,150-Muay
I state
that this
amount
was
the
estimated
revenues
of
both islands-Owing
to
shortage
of
crop
the revenues
of this
Municipality is
put
down
at Frs.
499 100.00 and
the deficit in
our bulget
is Frs.
711,529.85.
We
know
now that
the Federal
appropriation
had
been
cut and St. Croix share
of it will be
$116,000
mstead
of $150,000
as originally
estimated
on
the
basis
of
a Federa
ap-
propriation of $351,000.
We will, there-
tore,
have
to find the difference
between
$150,000 and
$116,000
or
$34,000.
Gov-
ernment
has
offered
from
the
amount
allocated
to the
Central
Administration
$9,500 and under
General
Contingent
the
amount originally estimated
was Frs.
25,
000 but has
been
redvced
to Fres.
15,000,
The problem
beftore
us
now is either
to
follow the plan
of utilizing
the
amount
necessary
to
balance
the
budget
from
the Reserve Fund
or find some
way to
re-
duce
the budget.
We find that the
time
was too short
to make
any adequate
cut
without seriously
affecting
some of
the
departments
so
we
tried to get
as
near
to the balance
as
possible.
By making
such
reductions
as
we believe
could ade-
6T
cBEDI
01
a
gquately
be
done
we ‘tave
got
the
figure
recessary
to balance
the
budget
down
{0
214 000,
ard have
allowed
the
matier
to
rest
with the
hepe
that
revenues
might
come
in
or a different
policy
might
bz
adopted.
1 ecall your attention
to Section
56
of the Colonial
Law whereitis
incumbent
upon
the
Colonial
Council
to
balance
ifs
buduet.
Consequently
the balancing
of the
budget
rests
with
the
Colonial
Couneil
which
1 believe
is conipetent
to Jo
so.
The
revenues
have
been
estinated
at
Frs.
499,100.
I think
we
all will
agree
that the estimates
are
conservative,
but
even
at
that, for
what
we bave
seen
in
the
past
years.it
might
b:a
bit
bigh,
but
we allow it to stand
as
submitted.
Turning
to the expenditure
side
of the
tudget
whlch
is
maost
interesting.
to
members
you
will see
general
headings
of consumable
articles
and
non-expend-
able
articles.
That’s
a
new
departure.
The Municipal
Committse
suggested
(0
Government
that
any
item under
these
headings
calling for
more
thar I'rs.
I.OOU
should
be specitied
in detail,
but I believe
the time has
b2en
too short
for them
to
have done
so.
However,
[ have
b2en
in:
formed
by
Government
that
a
ceairal
purchasing
office will be established
an‘
all expenditures
over $lO will
have
to be
approved
by the
purchasing
otlicer
so
as
to insure
a
more economic
and stabilized
system.
"
Take
the Colonial Councii ard
the
Mu-
nicipal Committee,
there
has
been
a
ten
percent
reduction
in all department
esti-
mates
as originally submitted
on the basis
of last year’s budget,
there
was
a specific
reason
why
no reduetion
were
made.
..
4th
Member
for Frederiksted
Country
Distriet (Andersen): Mr.
Caairman.
Is
the
budget
not
under
Ist
discussion
-
general
discussion—7
The Chairman
:
Yes.
9nd
Member
for
Christiansted
town
(Canegata)
remarked
:
Mr.
Chairmaac.
If the Honorable 4th
Member
tor
[red-
eriksted
Country District thinks it 1s best
to give
a detailed explana‘ion under
2nd
discussion
I can take my
seat
urtil
2nd
discussion
come
up-
4th Member for Frederiksted
Country
Distriet (Andersen)
:
Mr.
Chairman.
1
do not wish
to
interrupt
the
Honorable
Member
but it is
very
hard
to
swallow
all the explanation
he
is
giving.
1
wish
to draw attention
to the fact
that
no vote
was taken
on
the
budget-in
the
Munici-
pal Committee.
9nd
Member
for Christiansted
Town
(Canegata):
Mr. Chairman,
If
the
Hon-
orable
Member
had
remained
and
not
left
before
the
meeting
was
over
he
would have been
better
informed
on
this
matter.
4th Member for Frederiksted
Country
(Andersen)
remarked
:
Mr.
Chairman
The Municipal Committee
decided
to
re-
commend
to Government
a
new
item
to
be called
a sperial
tax fund in which
the
Immigration Fund
should
go
Let
us
be
{lolk tl.d
say
that
we
zle
jiying
a
di
reet
tax and calling it Immigration
Tax.
Ist
Member
for
Frederiksted
Town
(Jackson)
remarked:
Mr.
Chairman.
Why I rose
to ask for an
explanation
of
the Chairman
of the
Municipal
Commit-
tee
is becauge| thought
it
most
proper
seeing
there
are
sume
new
headings
and
sub-headings,such
as expendable
and
non-
expendable
articles.
In
past
years
the
budget
was
generally
recommended
to
the Colonial Council
but that
is not
done
this year.
I don’t think
sny
body
wilil
vote for this budget today
in
its present
form.
[don’t know
how
members
can
vote fora budget
that
is
not
balanced.
I don’t think it fair to us legis!ators
who
are responsible
te
the
people.
Gevern-
ment
ought
to inform
us what pertion
of
the Federal
appropriaticn
we
are
going
to have and
that
should
be made
a part of
our revenues.
| don’t fee how
this
bud-
get
can
be
voted
on todey
considering
it
has
not the recommendation
of the
Foard
cf
Estimates—The
Municipal
Ceommit-
tee-
upon
it.
1
sm
surprised
to
learn
that
no
vote
was
taken
on the budget
by
the Municipal Committee.
2rd
Member
for
Christiansted
Tewn
(Canegata):
Mr. Chairmapn.
‘ihat
state
ment
1s
wrong.
1
have
courrected
that
scatement
already.
4th
Men ber
for Frederiksted
Ceuntry
Distriet (Andersen)
remarked:
Mr. Chair-
man.
Last year
the Municipal
Ccnimit-
tee
made
some
,recommendations
on
the
budget
in writing.
Those
recommendae
tions
were printed
and
citculated
smong
members.
This year the Municipal Com-
mittee
thas
made
no
such
recommenda-
tions; and
therefore
the budget
is
before
the
Counci! for
discussion
and it
is sub-
ject to amendm»nt
by members
of
this
Council.
2ud
Member
for
Chrisiiansted
Town
(Cancgata)
remarked:
Mr.
Chairman.
What
18 happening
today
Is,
the
bhudget
is
drawn
up
different
to
how
it
was
drawn
up under
Danish
adninistration.
During the Danish
adminisization,
when
thefMunicipal
Committee
was
first
or-
ganized,
the
custom
was for
the Govern-
or
to appear
in person
before
the
Munici-
pal Commitiee
and
hand
in estimates
sub-
mitted
by the different departments
and
after
those
estimates
were
passed
upon
by the Municipal Committee
the
budget
was printed
and presented,
and the
bud-
get
then
was
as presented
by ithe
Munici-
pal Commitiee.
During the past
few years
of American
administration
the
budget
was presented
so late
that
we
have
bhad
no time pto
do thai.
Tuake
last
year
for
instance,
the
Government
Secretary
re-
ceived the recommendations
of the Muui-
cipal Committee
atjone o’clo~k,a few
min-
utes bfore
the
meeting
of the
Council
commenced.
We
riceived
the
budget
wh:ch
is now before
us some
time
in the
month of May in
the
form of
three
ecol-
umns.
Lne first
column
shows
the
fig-
ures recommended
by the
heads
of the
various departments,
the next by Govern-
ment
and
the
oOther
as recommendea
by