CO129-265 - Public Offices & Others - 1894 — Page 94

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at present; and of course the serious epidemic by which the island is now being visited can only strengthen this view.

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Reference is made by the Committee to a proposal

to fix the contribution in dollars instead of sterling.

If such an arrangement were to be adopted, My Lords could

not agree to any less sum in dollars than £40,000 would represent at the current low price of silver; and although this would have the advantage of protecting the Colony against a further fall in silver, so far as the Military contribution is concerned, it would equally deprive the

Colony of the benefit of a possible rise. Under all the

circumstances, My Lords are indisposed to depart from the

principle that the contribution of a dependency, in aid of

the sterling expenditure of the Mother Country for the

defence of that. dependency, should itself be fixed in

sterling.

I am,

Sir,

Your obedient, servant,

Zancis Insett

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