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& & Publication. IT is hereby brought to public notice that, effective this date, Lieutenant Commander William 8. Zane, Supply Corps, U. S. Navy, has been appointed Government Secretary of the Virgin Is- lands of the United States, and Acting Chairman of the St. Thomas Harbor Board. rzlieving Lieutenant Commander John J. Gaffney, Supply Corps, U. S. Navy. Governmentof the Virgin Islands of the United States, St. Themas, July 16, 1923. HENRY H. HOUGH, Goveraor. Noti otice. USLIC notice is herehy given that the School Year 1923-21 will kegin Au- pust 13, 1923. Sec. 18 Chan. XXXV, of the School Law, provides: “*All children must attend school “rrom the beginning of the school year ‘‘wearest their sixth birthday, and “‘they shall couatinue to attend school “regularly until the close of the school “‘yvear after their fifteenth hirthday.”’ All children six years of age, or over, (provided they have not already been dismissed from school), must be present in their respective schools at 830 a. m. on the above date. Non-attendance, ex- cept for legitimate cause, 18 punishable by fines mmposed on parents or guar- dians. Children who will rot have attained the age ol six years by August 13, 1923, but who will become six years of age before February 15. 1924, must also ke enrolled on August 13, 1923. No child, except in the case of a new arrival in the island, will be admitted to schog) after October 1, 1923, unless he can show fitness to undertake the work of a class already established. ARTHUR E. LINDBORG, Director of Education. L e e PROCEEDINGS OF THE COLONIAL COUNCIL FOR SSTIT. CROIX. (Concluded from yesterday’s 4vis.) With Governmen: and jithe Counzil’s consent 2ad Discussion opened. . No one requesting the word 2nd Mem- per lor Frederiksicd Country Distriet 1T all AV Sunday Night Gonserl BY Industrial Brass Pand | A. SEBASTIAN FORBIZS, ¢ : Conducter. : -:- PROGRAM - | Mareh.--....Zamboanga..-..... Villaflor | QOverture. . Frolic of the Nymphs. Mfers | fakirot ... Jollorow. ... ... THIK ' Onestep....Ten-Ten-Tennessee. ... Youn { Waltz....Btand Up and Sing for your : Father.... Burr | Foxtrot.. You Tell Her IST-U T-T E-R.. , Rose ‘ EXTRAS. ANTHEM. (Curry) proposed that 2nd Discussion be closed. Ist Member for Christiansted Town (Abramson) seconded the m2mb:r’s mo- tion. Tha Viea Chairmai pat the motion to the vote. 19 membars vaiod for; none against. 201 Diselssion elosad. Wiih Government and the Council’s consent 3rd Discussion op=n-2d. Nb one requesting the word the Viee- Chairman closed 3rd Diszassion, read the amendment and put it to the vote. It was urknimously adopted. The Vice Chairman remarked: The Ordinance is adopted and Zoes to Gov- ernment. Ist Member for Frederiksted Town ‘Jackson. and 2nd Memb r for Chris- tiansted Country District (Berg) iert the me=ting. Government Secretary (Guffecy) in- qu red of the Viee-Chairman whether there was anything in the Rules & Busi- pess forbidding discussion on a matter even Lhough one Member of the Council is present. The Viez Chairman answered no. Government Secretary (Gaffney): Gov- ernment would like to have the tax law come up teday. 2nd Member for Frederiksted Country District (Curry): Mr. Viee-Chairman. 1 wish to have it recorded that discus- sion will be carried on in spite. of the fact that there is not a quorum present The Vice-Chairman brought up item 2, [tem 2. Colonial Council Bill No. 12, Session 1922-23. 2nd Discussion on Colonial Council Bill No. 12, draft of an crdinance in- troduced by Government providing for the assessment, levy and cellee- tion of taxes for the Municipality of St. Croix. Government Secretary (Gafney) re- ma “<ecd: Mr. Vice Chairman. P.rsons should be taxed or a .fixed scalc ponding to the value of !their property holdings in the community. Property has been variously defined, Webster savs: ‘““Property is....anything, cr thoge things collectively, in or to which a man has a right protected by law.”’ Bouvier,s Law Dictionary, third edition declares: “Property in the strict legal sense is an aggregate of rights which are guar- anteel and protected bv the Goveufl- went.. . ..the term 'properiy’’ em- braces every species of valuabie right and interest, n.cluding real anc per- @ pal property, sssessments and | 2ridi- ten.ents, it irciudes money, erdits, things in action, ete. “‘Real Property is land, and gen raliy whatever is erected or growing upon or affixed to land.”” It is more . xact- ly defined by Section 14, 15 and 16 of the proposed ordinance. “*Personal Property in Law, i= estate or property that is not real, cons sting in general of things temporary or mov- akle; chattels; originally property re- coverable by a personal action.”” (Sec- tion 17) The Sub-Committee of the whole House in its printed report to the Colo- nial Council gave no exvlanadon of their amendments. Government has vainly sought the reasons vnderlying opposition to the tax on personal property. A clear out expression of the reasons actuating the unanimous opposition of the sub-Committee to this feature of the revise Tax Law is requested. It has been stated in first discussion that the personal property tax does not square witl® Adam Smith’s cardina! principles of: ''(1) Equality, (2) Con- venience, (3) Certainty and (4) economy To the contrary, it complies fully with these requirements, The retention of the Horse, Carriage, and Boat Tax provided by the Ordinance of Fehruary 22, 1855, wa~ a wise act on the part of the sub-Comm ttee and Gor- ernmeant coneurs in their acuor, but can- pot accept this as a substitute for the personal property tax, as it would be in- compiete and not reach ar effourh in taxing the personal prop:rty of ihose individuals and corporaticns possessing taxable wealth of this nature. The Horse, Carriage, and boat Tax does not extend to hve stock on fa'ms orin the towns, such as catile, mu.es, jack: sses, swine, sheep, goats, ete. Nor does it tax the machinery of suga. mills, lighters, sloops and other ve -seis, electiic light pants, monev in the ank. stocks and bonds, ete. Therefore tue personal tax featu e of the law now before ti:e Council saould not be dropped as it, in eftect. more widely distributes the privilege of c¢o: - tributing to the support of the Muni.i-g pality, and as nearly as may be, in ac- * cordance with the ability of each to pay. 3rd Member for Christiansted Towan