401
No.-99
22
HONGKONG.
PETITION FROM THE HONGKONG AND KOWLOON WHARF AND GODOWN COMPANY. LIMITED, AGAINST THE SECOND READING OF THE BILL ENTITLED THE PIERS
ORDINANCE, 1899.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor,
To the Honourable
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF HONGKONG.
Respectfully Sheweth :-
The Humble Petition of the Hongkong and Kow- loon Wharf and Godown Company, Limited.
(1.) That your Petitioners are desirous of being heard before this Honourable Council by Mr. J. J. FRANCIS, Q.C., their Counsel, on the motion for the second reading of a Bill read a first time at the meeting of this Honourable Council held on the 20th instant entitled "The Piers Ordinance, 1899," or at such other time as may be appointed for the purpose.
(2.) That the rights and interests of your Petitioners in the Piers and Wharves owned by them in Victoria and at Kowloon and in their property generally is peculiarly affected by the proposed Bill and that they claim to be heard by your Honourable Council under the provisions of paragraph 52 of the Standing Orders of the Legislative Council of Hongkong.
(3.) That your Petitioners are the Assignees of certain rights, powers, and privileges granted and conferred by this Honourable Council to and upon FRANCIS BULKELEY JOHNSON and CATCHICK PAUL CHATER respectively by Ordinances Nos. 18 and 19 of 1884 respectively, and that if the Bill now before this Honourable Council should become law, your Petitioners will be thereby deprived of many of the rights, powers, and privileges secured to them by the said Ordinances and will be grievously affected and injured in their properties and possessions.
By the said Ordinances your Petitioners as Assignees of the said FRANCIS BULKELEY JOHNSON and CATCHICK PAUL CHATER have the right for twenty years from the date of the said Ordinances, that is to say, until the 12th day of June, 1904, to do all or any of the things hereinafter mentioned free from all rents, fees and charges whatsoever, ordinary rates and taxes only excepted:- (i.) To construct such and so many Wharves and Piers extending into the harbour of Hongkong as they may think requisite and proper at and from any part or parts of the Public Praya lying directly opposite Marine Lots 95, 96, 97 and 98 in Vic- toria and Kaulung Marine Lots 9, 11, 20 and 21.
(ii) To make such alterations and additions to such Wharves and
Piers as they may at any time think requisite and proper. (iii.) To have for themselves and their Assigns the exclusive use of such Wharves and Piers with full power to mortgage, sell and assign, or to demise and let the said Piers as they shall think fit. (iv.) To make Rules and Regulations for the maintenance and use of the said Wharves and Piers and have the same enforced by fines and penalties.
(v.) To hold and exercise all the rights, powers, and privileges granted by the said Ordinances free from all rents and charges in the nature of rents or license fees and subject only to stipulations and conditions in the said Ordinances expressly reserved and contained and to the general law.