USVI Public Records

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to thank the Host for the oppnrtunity afforded them of rmeeting such a repre- sentative gathering. He was very favor- ably impressed with the scenery and grandeur of St. Croix and its ideal cli- matic conditions: he and his colleagues were also greatly delighted with the cordial reception given them on their arrival, and would carry back a lively souvenir of thought of the kindness and affection of the inhabitantsin general. He gave assurances that their interest in the island would not cease with the handing in“of their findings and recom- mendations, but that the island would have the eontinued remembrances in their consideration. The rest of the program consisted of speech making by several of the jguests among them being the following: Mr. P.R. Martinez was very pleased for the privilege to be present at such an im- portant function. He had,previous tocom- ing to the island, heard not very pleasant things of the people of these islands, but after Fis twenty days stay he was glad to be able to say that he would carry back with him the most nleasant recollections. In commenting on the importance of edu- cation he expressed the hope that the legislators would do all that lies in their power to support this noble work. He said in Porto Rico twelve million dollars were appropriated annually for education, and aithough thece was still room for im- provement yet he was satisfied that a solid foundation was being laid in this direction. Referring to the laboring class he said that that was the bhardest problem now eonfronting the Govern- ment of Porto Rieo, and that from ail he had seen here he felt justified in saying that the laborers of Santa Cruz were muech better off than those of Porto Rico. Mr. -George A. Moorehead expresscd himself #s being dissatisfied with the fact that only three nauives of these is- lands are numbered in the professions, For this reason he would advocate that children should not be made to work in the fields, but should be given every op- portunity of becoming lawyers, doctors, judges, clerks and merchants. Mr. Woodson gave a very sharp rejoinder to the remarks made by the last speaker. He said he held up husbandry as one of the most noble occupations of man. All could not be lawyers, doctors, judges, clerks and merchants, for if they were, there would be none left to till the soil. Rather elevate husbandry in thought and action, and with its health giving occupatien there would arise minds capa- ble to fill these more elevated offices and they would sueeeed. He could not see how a ecommunity could prosper if the people did not till the soil, create busi- ness and pay taxes to support a Govern- ment. That when he first went out in- to partnership he was invited to partici- pate in robbing an estate which they had for settlement of $15,000, but be refused positively to enter into any such scheme. ST LRI A VID He was greatly eriticiz>d by his collea- gues at the time and was warned that he would never make money as a lawyer that way, but nevertheless, he had suc- ceaded by following u;-ylraight road of horesty. >l _*Mr Merwin in his remarks relative to agriculture said he was aware that agri- culture was taught in the schools in the neighbouring islands and that a garden is attachad to each school for the pur- pose of demonstrating the practical side of this branch of study. It was while on a visit to Birbados ia 1921 he bad the opportunity of visiting school gardens and on his return home took the matter up with the Director of Education and as a result school gardens were established here. He was sorry therefore to find that soma parents did not like the idea of their children workinz in these gardens which he, on the contrary, considered was al- ways and is still one of the most noble, it not the nobiest, work of man. It is a remarkable coincidence that the same night on which this Baaquet was hold was exactly four years to the hour, since a similar bangquet was held by Mr. Merwin in honor of the Congressional Commissioners who visited this island in 1920, for the purpose of in vestigating the economic condition then existing in the isiand. Mr. Merwin has invariably exercised much far sichtedness in public affairs, and he has always evinced Kkeen interest in matters pertaining to the welfare of this island. We have no doubt, there- fore, that it is his proverbial zeal which prompted him to bring together a body of men whose meeting on such an event- ful cecasion is sure to bring about the bost results for the sommon good of all concerned and which may mars the com- mencement of a new era in the history of our beautiful island. BY ONE WHO W AS PRESENT. PROCELEDINGS OF THE JOINT SESSION OF THE COLONIAL COUNCILS for St.Croix,St. Thomas and st. John. (Continued from yesterday’s Avis.) (7) That the Coastwize laws be amended to exclude the ports of the Virgin Islands of the United States. The Coastwise Laws contain a provi- sion permitting the President to ho'd them in abeyance with respeet to insular possessions of the United States until such time as adequate American ship- ping [acilities were provided for such insular possessions, hence their applica- tion to the Virgin Islands havi been held in abeyance by executive order so far, the latest executive order having post- poned their appiieation until May 1, 1924. The priacipal port of the Virgin islands is St. 'homas, which is a patural pert At Your Service. Eleciric Wiring and Fixtares. Workmanshin neat and guaranteed. Rates Reasonable. M. G. FABIO. Christiansted, St. Croix, V. L THE REV, BELLE B. BURRS, who pastored the church at Frederiksted a sec years ago is here again on a visit and will preach at THE “OSPEL TAB- ERNACLE. SUNDAY NIGHT, the 17th instant, at 7.30 o’clock. All are invited. Come and bring your friends. C.S. MAYHEW. Pastor. of call for vessels plying between Europe and the Panama Canal. It is no' a port of entry in any sense of che word. Ships requiring coal, fuel oil and supplies of various kinds, mays obtain them at St. Thowas, and St. Thomas has, for hun- dreds of years, been a large distriouting port not alone for the West Indies, but for freight to Socuth American ports and to those of the United States,. The Coastwise Lavs were designed primarily as an aid to American coastwise ship- ping and require that coastwise freizht be tiansported in American bottoms. In the Continental United States there is a natural ccmpetition in the coasi- wise trade between the railroads and the steamship companies, and this has the effect of keening the freight rates of steamship conipanies within reason- able bounds. Ttere is, of course, no such natural cormpetition between the east coast ports of Continental United States and the Virgin Islands, so that, should the Coastwise Laws be made ap- plicable to the Virgin Isiands, the paturai effeet would be to greatly increase freight rates in the Virgin Islands This would in its turn, tend to greatly increase the cost of commodities sold in the Virgin Islards, predominantly amorg which would be coal and fuel oil which are the outstand- irg commodities carried for sale in St. Thomas to vessels of all nations requiring gsuch. 71The application of the coastwise laws to the Virgin Islauds would, further- more, presumably have the effect of com- pelling the merchants of St. Thomas to purchase coal and fuel cil from abroad rather than from the United States pro- ducers as they now do, by reason of the incresed freight rates. (8) To permit the retention of liguor on board ships under seal and the transportation and transshipment of liquor cargoes through Virgin Islands’ ports.