CO885(3-4) — Page 153

No. 3.

No. 4.

No. 5.

No. 6.

NB.The last

ree creditors were

red subsequently

eir amount in fill in

he presence of the

overnor out of the

( 46 )

I have the honour herewith to enclose. The town clerk, however, was unable to do so for reasons stated in the protocol of the proceedings which I have also the honour to enclose, and I beg respectfully to draw your Grace's attention to the utter impossibility of expecting voluntary taxation from a body enunciating sentiments regarding the play- tables as stated in this protocol and underlined by myself.

6. I desire so little to occupy your Grace's time on a subject which your Grace has already so thoroughly gone into, that I will omit the various statements of the town clerk and others as to the proceedings of these persons; it all can be summed up under the two heads which I had the honour again and again to bring under the notice of the Secretary of State: Firstly, the disinclination to taxation and an eternal dependence on the play-tables, and, secondly, an undercurrent issuing from the old Rathmanner and their small party, who hope that the proved incapacity of the popular assembly as elected under the terms of the new constitution may induce the Secretary of State to return to them those unlimited powers of Government which they so entirely misused in former times.

7. I will only therefore report the matter to your Grace as above, and waiting your Grace's decision beg respectfully to refer to my former despatches on the subject, and to the conversation which I had the honour of holding with your Grace in November last year, and wish merely to add that whilst taxation is as necessary as feasible it appears totally impossible to get it willingly from the popular assembly, whilst the lightest and most practical of all taxes for the situation of this island, namely, the wine and spirit tax, remains totally a dead letter, though still legally effective.

8. I have the honour to enclose a copy of the Ordinance respecting this tax, and have only to say that if your Grace will sanction the stationing of a sufficient coastguard on shore with a cutter in the roads, they will also, in addition to keeping order at wreck and salvage cases, enable this tax to be collected which will probably produce 4,000 marks without practically, owing to its lightness, being the slightest burden on the inhabitants.

9. I have the honour further to enclose for your Grace's information the copy of a letter which I have considered it necessary to forward to Madame Biermann, the lessee of the play-tables in Heligoland; I was more induced to do this because some of the members of the Combined Court forming the Finance Committee, without having, as aforesaid, troubled themselves to provide one sixpence taxation, bave still managed to obtain, by false representations from Madame Biermann's agent as to the invalidity of her contract in the event of a refusal, a considerable sum of money which ought to have been paid off the public debt.

10. Finally, whilst remarking to your Grace that the island is perfectly tranquil, and that there is not the slightest chance of a disturbance of the public peace, I have at all events the pleasure of enclosing one satisfactory paper to your Grace, viz., a schedule of the public creditors who have been paid off during my administration.

11. Your Grace will observe that, notwithstanding the taxation difficulties and the unjustifiable appropriation this year of some of the play-table money, the total payment is satisfactory, the more so as none ever took place in former years.

(Signed)

To His Grace the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos,

&c.

&c.

&c.

Enclosure 1, to No. 12.

I have, &c.

FITZ MAXSE,

Lieutenant-Colonel, &c.

Government Office, Heligoland, 10th January 1868.

Mr. M. Jaspers, Colonial Treasurer, having been summoned before the Governor, gave the following answers to the questions put to him.

Question by the Governor. What half-yearly notices of payment have been given to the public creditors?

Answer. None; but the following public creditors have themselves given notice in the event of the cessation of the play tablo-P. A. Jaspers, 23,000 marks; M. Bock, 7,000 marks; N. P. Block 5,500 marks; C. Boymann, 2,000 marks; Martha Heikins, 1,000 marks; Widow C. Stoldt, 6,000, sidue of the rent of marks; requesting at the same time to know the earliest date when she could get her money.

Question by the Governor. What public creditors have been given notice to by the authorities? Answer. I cannot say, that is not my business, that is Mr. K. N. Michel's duty, but I believe that none of the creditors have received notice from the authorities.

je piny-tables of

47.

VITA MAXOR,

Lieut. Col., &c.

Question by the Governor. What funds do you possess at the present moment. the half-yearly interests on the public debt?

You have now to pay

Answer. Yes, the half-yearly interests on the public debt is due, and amounts to about 1,600 marks, but besides this there are several accounts due for work done, &c., &c., so that I have at the present moment to pay the sum of 3,000 marks; the funds in the Colonial Treasury, however, amount to 10 marks, and therefore I must most earnestly request your Excellency to permit the above-named sum of 5,000 marks to be paid out of the rent of the play-tables for 1867.

( 47 )

By the Governor. If the Government should allow this, how shall you be able to pay the interests on

the public debt in 18687

Answer. There is no prospect whatever of that, unless the rent of the playtables is paid into the Colonial Treasury.

By the Governor. But you must acknowlege that the island can pay 5,000 marks taxes at the very least ?

Answer. Oh yes, certainly it could.

The Governor. With regard to your request, I have to reply that it is impossible for me to permit any money arising from the play-tables to be expended in the payment of the interests of the public debt, or towards any other general current expenditure of the island, as I have the strictest instructions from the Secretary of State, as you well know, that the money arising from the play-tables should only be appropriated to the gradual payment of the capital of the public debt; in the necessity of which instructions it is totally impossible not to agree.

By the Governor. What do you consider that the island wooden storehouse would seil for? Answer. Sell for? Well, I suppose for about 8,000 marks; but it is totally impossible to sell it.

By the Governor. Why is it totally impossible to sell the storehouse in question?

Annner. Because it would be such a crying scandal to the island.

The Governor. I should regret very deeply if any crying scandal arose to the island, but countries in these matters are like individuals if they cannot pay they must sell. On the 15th and 16th of this month, however, a new Combined Court will be elected, and I shall be obliged by your being so good, in your position as Colonial Treasurer, as to read to the Combined Court the protocol of this conversa- sation; we must sincerely hope that the elected members for 1868 will put in order the public finances which the elected members for 1867 have so unfortunately brought to such a miserable pass, and that to that effect they will vote sufficient taxes. But, his Excellency continued, I must remark in the most decided manner, that if no taxes are voter, it is only in my power to inform you as Colonial Treasurer that the solo romaining way to obtain the 3,000 marks and to satisfy the public creditors, will be the sale of some portion of the public property sufficient to cover the demand on the public purse; in this case the town clerk will have to make an official report.

The Treasurer. The examination of the Colonial Treasurer here closed, but on the 14th he again requested to see the Governor officially, and declared that after consideration he was of opinion that not more than 3,000 marks taxes could be raised in a voluntary manner, but of course if force was to be used 5,000 and more might be obtained,

The Governor. The Governor replied that there was no question of force now, but that he was quite certain that 5,000 marks was a very easy scale of taxation oven in a perfectly voluntary manner if the Combined Court would only earnestly consider the question.

MR. TOWN CLERK,

Enclosure No. 2.

Government House, 18th January 1869.

AFTER the election of a chairman for the Combined Court of 1868 I shall be obliged by your reading the enclosed documents to the house:

Firstly, a copy of a letter to Madan Biermann in Cassel.

Secondly, the protocol of a conversation which I had with Mr. M. Jaspers the treasurer of the island.

I shall be obliged by your further informing the Combined Court that 18,500 marks have at my desire this week been paid the capital of the public debt; the above sum includes 500 marks from the post office, and whilst I have to inform them that the new postal arrangements have, as yet, produced a clear revenue of nearly 2,000 marks, I regret to have to add that in addition to 4,000 marks from the play-tables, 800 marks from the postal revenue has somehow or other been illegally appropriated to the general expenditure. To the above must he added 3,000 marks which I permitted at the beginning of the year to be deducted from the rent of the play-tables on the full understanding that a sufficient tax would be voted to cover the necessities of the island.

Consequently, the finance direction of the Combined Court of 1867 have appropriated, inclusive of the rent of the Conversation House, a sum of 10,800 marks without having voted a shilling taxation, and have ended by leaving a legacy of 8,000 marks deficit. Therefore you, as Town Clerk, are desired by myself to make a motion to the effect that the Combined Court of 1868 will vote sufficient taxation to cover the above-nained deficit, and to provide as far as possible for the necessities of this island.

In conclusion, I beg you will draw the attention of the House to the fact that the public debt of the island, which amounted in 1865 to 124,264 marks, has now been reduced to the sum of 85,641 marks.

(Signed) FITZ MAXSE,

Sin,

Enclosure No. 8.

Lieutenant-Colonel, &c.

Heligoland, 20th January 1868.

I HAVE the honour to make the following report regarding the meeting of the Combined Court this day, and I much regret that unfortunately I have no good result to report; on the contrary, I was not even able to read your Excellency's communication to the House.

According to the proper rule and order, I first requested the House to elect à chairman. Hereupon Mr. Rickman Stoldt answered in his own name and those of his nine companions that they did not acknowledge the Constitution at all, and would choose no chairman, as the senior of the old Rathmänner had a right to the place.

I told him and his companions to vote for the oldest Rathmann if they chose, but they refused to do so, and Mr. Stuldt continued to declaim in a most violent manner against the validity of the election of the two members Messrs. Dörry and Uterḥark, who did not belong to the Bürger Committee, declaring that they had not been duly elected by the Bürgers; "only 'they' were perfectly elected." These two, be said, had been pushed in, and were not representatives of the people.

F 4

PUBLIC

RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

། ། ། ། ཱ། wwimmin C.O. 885

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO