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S F CRIIXE Y D 'CHRISTIANSTED THEATRE 7 TY R ' : 8.15. THURSDAY EVENING ¢€.185. Tonight At Bethlehem 7.30. THE LAST 6 REELS COF “THE SKY RANGER” Episode N0.13: “AT THE L.AST MINUTE.” Episode No. 14: “LIQUIDFIRE.” Episode No. 15: “THE LAST RAID.” Bomb dropped from plane breaks up weddinz. Plane s*t on fire by searchlight plunge to earth - } ‘ Episodes 11 and 12, the 4 reels of ‘““The Sky Ranger’’ e libited Monday Evening, will be repeated at this performance; thus in all 10 redis of ne serial will be shown at the final exhibitior of *"The Sky Ranger’’ in Christiansted Thursday iivening. MONDAY EVENING The Jamous ELMO LINCOLN in “UNDER CRIM SON SKIES.” A ONE EVENING ENTERTAINMENT. THURSDAY APRIL THE 19. GEORGE CARPENTIER, the Well-Known French Heavyweight Ch mpion, in “THE WONDER MAN?". A Stirring Society Drama. \\— A One Evening Fateritinment. ADNISSION Resarvin ORtE.. ... Le e R Ne ea 0 Children 15¢. and 10c. Quebec Steamsh’p Co. TAE S. S. “GUIANA” for New York is due at Frederiksted at noon on Saturday. ROB’T. L. MERWIN & CO. INC., Agents. the budgets for the years named and find that the figures adduced are essen- tially correct and they are, therefore, taken as onur bnsis for the contention that this island, in fact, the Virgin Is- lands ». a whole, could not urdertake to maintain o eivil administration at this time except at a sacrihce .f adv- 28 and efficieney which we shall find it pro- bably impossible to dispense with. Before entering into any comparison of figures it should Ge made clear that these islands never paid the salaries of the governor, the goveynment secretary, the despatching secretary, nor in fact any of the stats of the government pro- —er. We are not paying these now even with the big defieit to be found in our vearly budget. As to how they are to be met under the form of government the Herald has in mind we are not ad- vised. To aectval figures, however; the following represents the main amounts to be taken into account: Revenues 1915-16. Divee Tnses. .. .... .....Fre. 158 DOO Import and Export Duties. .. 447,000 Excise Duty on rum........ 70,000 Yol e .L. 28,000 Oth>r indireet taxe5........ 70,325 Tnt. from Reserve Fund.... 13,500 do. from 181. Pun 0........ 2,400 Other sundry reveoues..... 10,900 798,625 ONE CARD TABLE STANDING ONONE LEG. Please apply at this Office. EDITORIAL. Supplementary to its editorial of April sth, in which the position was taken that a civil administration is necessarv for the progress and development of the Virgin Islands, and that such a form of government could be maintained on the local revenues without any federal aid as now recerved through congressional appropriations via the navy department, the Herald of Monday Bth presented cer- tain figures from the budgets of 1915--16 (prior to United States occupation) and 1922 —23 (during the incumbency of this government) purporiing {o show by com- parison of the revenues and expenditures of these years that an eflicient {form of civil government did obtain and may aga'n be established on the strength of internal revenus. We have beiore us Expenses 1915-15. 19228 Col. Councili and . 5 . Mun, C0mm..Fre.8,45C.00 21,871 00 Judiciary, I'ri- son & Police It . ... 15840150 20572120) Pilot and Har- Bor Dept.. ... 10, 00,00 14,790.00 Fire Dept. (mi- ' nus Militia Pye, 1000)... 4,870.00 8,825.00 Dept. of Health 197,975 00 470,596,00 Poor Vlept. ..., D6,70000 172100000 Diept. of Educa- . t10n,... - ... 8B 18500 244100.00 Public Works. 44 500.00 183,358.00 Pensions. ... .. 19.436.00 1805 519.404.00 1,328,572 85 Other expenses 278,550.25 25,915.00 798,469.25 1,384,457.85 The difference shown in the hudeets of 19:5-16 and 1922-23 as itimized indicates a defieir us Fre. 808,663.85, r more than $160.000,00. And whenr it is taken inio consideration that the fizures for 13915 16 as ‘refer to the Department of Health, Dept. of Education, ard the Dept. Public Works, include salaris to doctors, the assistant director us education and the public works officor (formerly building Inspector), not now on our bud.et, it will be appreciated that the deficit will be stitl greater, 4o make this situation worse, it should b 2 pointed out that the esiimated budget for 1922—¢3 tuken as a guide by the Herald showine a total revenue of Fre. 6622 000, is only approximete and bas already fallen short of Fre. 125,000 through the income tax being enter- ed as Fre. 150,000 as against Fre. 25,000 actually paid in. There will then be some 285,000 Franecs, roughly caleulated, it is indeed much more, that this island will have to furnish in addi- tion to payving the ¢xpenses of a governor and stafl and empleyees 1 these are not paid by the federal treasurv. We have pur- posely cited the diffevences in the particu- lar items of expenditure in order that cur cotem may have the opportunity of point- ing out where the reductions will take place as this will surely interest every- body. It should be borne in mind too that these expenses are not only due to increased elaboration and usefulness of the various departments, but to the faet that labor and material have advanced accordingly and the cost of uperating the government as in former years wouid never be possible anvhow. The cost of government expenses in Denmark have gone upin properstion to this state of worid conditions, Inasmuch as we all are agreed .at there should not be any increase of tgxa- tion at this time, and the Herald propo- ses to reject federal aid in belancing the budget under the civil government of the stamp desired, then it is plain that