USVI Public Records

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LOCAL The s. s. ‘“Guiana’’ from New York is due at Frederiksted at noon today, hav- ing 400 packages for this island and will leave at 2 p. m. for the Windwara Is- lands. It is unlikely that this boat has muech mail baving sailed from New York on Saturday when the contract mail- steamers leave for San Juan and would be give:: the mail. The sicop Mizpah sailed from this port for St. Thomas yesterday evening. She carried nail posted up to 5.00 p. m. et Us Take Acti £Us lake Action. (Concluded from yesterday’s Avis.) This, ther, gives us two alternatives to choo e from, First, to cut in half the money now spent for education and thereby let our vouth grow to manhood with has the education they a-e now re- ceiving. To cut in half the ar:ount now spent ir. the care ofthe sick at the hospi- tais and thus let them suffer in propertion. Ty cut ia half the amount now spent for canitation and thereby incur the risk of serious epidemies. To cut i haif all other items of governmental expenditure and thereby reduce the efliciency of the GCovernment by one half. We nust either do this or raise through taxation the money necessary to prevent it. Ihis wculd mean that, to raise through t: xaticn the equivalert amount, it would be necessary to double all forms of taxation. We would have to double the inccme tax rate, double the 'mport duty reie. double cur real ard persoral property taxes, double our trade and limp tax rates, dcuble all court and o her fees, and in fact double everythirg sd infiritum. What sane man believes that the exist- ing ecorcmic si'vation warranisachange in the torm of government, under the cireumstances outlined zbove? It tock Fcrio Rico 20 years to reich s point where ¢ permenent form of government was we ranted as replacing the ten pora- ry form of Government, and they had po world war conditions to contend with, Portc Kico has scme $20,00(,000.00 of irsular and municiral debt, to ray the irteres: cn which the pecple ire taxed. It is nowv pregcsed to give the Virgin Is- lands t} ¢ same form of government that Forio k co has, and Porto Rico receives 1o direc Federel aid- COn the contrary, it has ireurted scme $20,00¢,000.00 of cebt tc bring 1t to its present s'ate of being. Qur sIcatest and most vitel peed at jresent 1s to O increase our prosperity as to te<come entirely self supporting, We have already takep the first big ini- tiai step by =adopting the Resolution of February 7, 1924, ccrteining the eight ST RO L) Y important item : necessary of accomplish- ment as a basis for so increasing ouar prosperity. Already much has been done tc¢ for- ward this plaiform. The matter of per- manent water supplies 'yiox' the three towns of St. Thomas, Christiansted and Frederiksted, is well on its way towards accomplishment. The matter of im- pounding water for agricultural purposes has been investigated and we await the report of the llrrigation Engineer sent here by the Department of the Interior. We have the assurance of the Secretary of State that the pending British-Ameri- can treaty, whereby British ves-els will be allowed to enter ports cos the United States with liquor under seal, wiil include the ports of th2 Virgin Islands. Therefore, our greatest danger is that our carefully laid plans may be upset by action from the outside, oflicial or unofii- cial. With regard to this bill, the unofficial action of the person or persons who re- quested Senator McLean to introduce it in the Senate is a direct anr. vital danger to the plans we have sc carefully laid for increasing our prosperity. We should eliminate this danger Al' ONCE. What is likely to happen to this bill to provide a permanent civil form of Gov- ernment for the Virgin Islands? It is now on the calender of the Senate Com- mittee on Territories and Insular posses- sions, having been regularly introduced in the Senate by a member of this com- mittee. Having been thus formally presented to the United States Senate, it follows that it will receive serious consideration. How soon this sericus consideration will be given it, vo one can tell. 1t might be tomorrow, it might not be for weeks. [s it wise, then, in view of the possibi- lity of its immediate consideration by the Senate, tor us not to deiay zction even for a day with such a possibility? Em- phaticaliy, No. ‘lte people ot the Vir- gin Islands should at once take definite and d:astic steps to place themselves on record as entirely opposed 1o this bill, and to formeally repudiate the person or persons who requested Senator McLean to introduce 1t to the Senate. The only mannerin which the people may adequately express then selves with regard to this bifl, is by formal resolution adopted by the two Coloniai Councils. Such resolution to specificaily declare that the people of these islands are utter- ly opposed to the proposed n2w form of governmrent for the Virgin Islands, and specifically stating that the person or persons who secured the introduction of this bill by Senator McLean, acied purely on his or their own responsibility, aud without the knowledge, sanction or ap- proval of either the people of the Virgin Islands or of the local gevernment offi- cials, We urge that immediate steps be taken to convenea joint meeting of the two C)Hlonial Councils for adopting such a resclution, and we deciare it to be the duty to his constituents of each and eve- ry member of the Colenial Couneiis to vote for it. TELEGRAMS. SP.. CROIS STATION. Rome, April Ist—A violent explosion occurred In the crater of Stromboli ou March 28th, shattering windows in the vicinity, according to a communigue from the Royal Metorological Bureau fifteen people were wounaed. San Salvador, April Ist—-It is reported that a thousand Honduran soldiers were virtually slaugntered 1n an attack on the revolutionary troops commanded by Gen- eral Ferrara. Dr. Davila, who was rec- ently appointed provisional president of Hunduras by the revolutionaries, has ar- rived at Puerto Coriez Munich, April Ist - Further ad\ices re- garding the treason tnal state that be- sides Adolph Hitler three others of the defendants were found guiity of high treason and four received sentences tor abetting the others. All were requir- ed to pay their costs and fines of vary- ing amounts. ‘The court stated that Hitler and the three would be given their freedom after six months probation. if good conduct during that period. The verdicts were received with general ap- athy, while the probatiowary decision helped to emphasize the absurdity of the whole proceedings. Paris, April Ist--The Chamber of Dep- uties has adopted the government’s pro- posal towards providiag a credit ivr the devasted regions, the estimates covering the months of April, May and Jaue. London, April Ist.—The Priuce of Wales plans to spend a forcmight at Biarritz, for convaiescence after his re- cent accident. London, April Ist.—The Newecastle Cousulate affair will shortly be settled and the Primne Minister will announce the details to the House of Comnions on Wednesday. It is understood that the correspondence will be published simul- taneously in London and Washington at the end of the week. Tokio, April Ist—Onz2 hundrel ard fifty retired officers of the army and navy have held a meeuing to launch the Kofukari movement, their purpose be- ing to render assistance to political candidates of the army and the navy and to fost2r military education in Japan, hoping thereby to form a stronyg mili- tarygparty. New Wark, N. J. April Ist.--Young Stribling, the Georgia school-boy boxer today deccisively beat Mike Mac ligue the worid’s champion light heavy weight in a 13 roaad bouc before a crowd of 13, 000. Stribling battered the cham jion from start to finish and had Mactizue on the verge of a knockout in the IlUtn. round.