USVI Public Records

Document text

PROCELEDINGS | OF THE JOINT SESSION OF THE COLONIAL CQOUNCILS | for St.Croix,St. Thomas and St. John. (Continued from yesterday’s Avis.) | The purchase having taken place al- most simultaneously with the entry of | the United States of America into the World War, the disturbed economic and politieal conditions of the world and par- | ticularly those obtaining in the United States incident to the proseeution of the war and as a natural aftermath thereof, have resulted in the Virgin Islands be- | ing little known to the publie in Conti- | nentai United States to this day, either as to the reasons for which they were purchased or as to what their future will | be. | Since the purchase, the Federal Gov- | ernment has contributed generously to- wards extending and increasing the edu- cational faeilities of the people, towards greatly improving and expanding bos- | pital facilities and towards inaugurating and maintaining modern sanitation sys- | tems. | While we are deeply grateful for the financial assistance afferded us by the | home government, it is our earnest de- sire and ambition to be as self-support- ing 2s vpossible, and therefore, when | His Excellency. the Governor of the Vir- | gin Islands, in his letter of October 20, 1923, suggested that we meet together | in an effort to evolve definite recommen- | dations as to what we might do to better | our economic situation towards the end that we might increase our prosperity and thereby lessen the Federal financial aid now required to maintain the Gov- | ernment, we gladly seized this oppor- tunity, and now present for the consid- eratlon of the Government the following proposals which, to our mind, would aid materially towards the bettermeant of our economic sitwation: RECOMMENDATIONS : **(1) That there be established un- | der the Civil Gevernment of the Vir- gin Islards a Department of Agricul- ture, Commerce and Labor, to be heid- | ed by a Direetor, whose duty it shall | be to investigate and advise of the | fundamental econemic problems on the | entire Virgin [slands. | Agriculture: 'The island of St. Croix, | thie largest of the group, has always | been augricul wal, the main in uvstry | being the growing of sugar cane. | T'his indusity is a highly technical cne | and therefore requires the most expert | advice obtainable regarding the most | modern methods ot cultivating, process- | g and marketing. It is generally con- | ceded that St. Croix might easily grow i many other marketable agricuitural I products if it were known definitely | what could be grown and where they £ Y CHiyl % 4 VlB could be marketed. The island of St. Thomas, was in past years largely agri- cultural, but has almost ceased to be so, the inhabitants having geme to depend almost solely upon the a‘:tivities of the beautifu! harbor for their livelihood. De- pending entirely upon the c¢>mmerce of the harbor is toc uncertain, and ways and means of getting the inhabitants, at least partially, toa dependence on the soil should be seriousl’ cornsiderec. Commerce: In addition to the activi- ties of the Harbor of St. Thomas, which are considerable, there should be possi- bilities in both islands of manufacturing exportable articles as evinced by the fact that there are at present small quantities of articles manufactured from mahogany. This industry appears fully cajable of expansion. There must exist other sit- Jar pessibilities of development. Labor: Labor problems are real and vial., On the island of St. Croix the cuestion of labor for the cultivation and I arvesting of the sugar crop is always a matter of serious coneern, mainly for the reason that, when it becomes evident that a given crop will yield below the normal output, the tendency is for labor to mi- grate. and if in the succeeding year the crop is normal or above, t(here wouid ap- parently resuit a shortage of iabor. Again, on the island of St. Thomas, when the commerce falls off to any considerable extent, the tendency is towards emigration and when busi- ness picks up, a shortage of labor is likely to eccur. These three fund- amentals of agriculture, commeree &no labour might very matevially be as- sisted by the establishment of a depart- ment for dealing with them and the es- tablishment of sueh a department is ac- cordingly earnestly recommmended. (2) The establishment of permanent water supply systems for the three towns of St. Thomas, Christiansted and Frederiksted. : There is apparently mo natural subter- raneas water, artisian or ntherwi: e, in the Virgin Islands. Whar subsurface water there is comes from the rainfall and is collectedin shallow wells and springs. These wells and springs go dry in peri2:ds of drought which are frequent. Hence the population of the Virgin Islands has for generations, been compelled to de- pend almost entirely on rain water which is collected from the roofs of houses and stored in cisterns., The poorer classs are unabie to store up sufficient water (o last them over a dry speil and they ac- cordingly suffer intensely when their sup- ply runs out. KEven the people who pos- sess much miore adequate facilities for preserving water frequently exhaust their supply and in times of acute drougi:t all classes suffer. Not alone is this lim- ited to the human pepulation but tho ani- mals are the first to feel the shorrage In the water supply, and, in times of drouchta great many die. This is no ~ new problem For many vears prior to the purchas= of these islands by the Uni- ~ ted States, means were sonzht to remedy . this eonditien without avail and from the - moment of purchase this matter has re- ~ ceived most scrious coumsideration. So - far, however, nothing concrete has been - developed. All authorities are apparent- . ly agreed that the formation of the is- lands with regard to the subsurface rock strata eliminates artesian well drilling - as a means of securing a permanent and . adequate water supply and the coacen- sus el epinion is that the only practica- . ble solution is the building of large sheds for the cellection of rain and the storing of rain water in large cisterns. The - water se stored to be used after the individual private supply is exhaust- ed. A solution of this problem would, - in our opinion, 4o more toward th: | uplift of the population generally . than any one other single facior ~and it is earnestly recommended that . the Government rvenew its efforts in . this respect. | (3) That ways and means be devised Z to impouna water for agricultural pur- ; poses. ! As previously stated, the Virgin Is- ' lands sufter periodically from drought, - The island of at. Croix, which depends . merely upon its sugar crop, beceomes the . greatest sufferer when, by reason of - drought, the crop proves a failure. For . the past three yeats a period of intense ~ drought has caused such a lessening in . the output of sugr as (0 reduce the is- " land almost to a state of destitution. If, ~ therefore, it were possible to store up ~ wates during the rainy season, which might be utilized during periods of ~ drought, the suzar crop which would ~ otherwise perish, could be ssved. | (4) That the Publie school system | be extended to includ2 adequale courses | in Manual Training. ‘ | The instruction of the youth in manual traireng has become so general in the Continental Urited States that its value needs no explanation. The institution of manual training courses in the public ~ schoois of the Virgin Islands would great- |y tend towards the eventual establish- } ment of manufacturing industries as a profitable source of income to the people and of revenue to the Government. Ma- hogany grows on the islands and much more in the neighbourinz islands. Cab- inet making has alwayvs been a minor in- dustry and it might well be expanded. With the economic 2row:h of the islands, artisans of ail kinds will be in great de- mard. In conjuncrion with the Manual Training program of the public schools, it would be perfectly possible to form outside classes for the instruction of adults. (6) That the Tariff Commission be requested to inciude the island of St.