170 HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 24TH AUGUST, 1911.
PRESENT:―
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR FREDERICK JOHN DEALTRY LUGARD, G.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O.
HIS EXCELLENCY MAJOR-GENERAL C. A. ANDERSON, C.B. (General Officer Commanding Troops).
HON. MR. W. D. BARNES (Colonial Secretary).
HON. MR. C. G. ALABASTER (Attorney General).
HON. MR. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Treasurer).
HON. MR. W. CHATHAM, C.M.G. (Director of Public Works).
HON. MR. A. W. BREWIN, C.M.G. (Registrar-General).
HON. CAPTAIN F. W. LYONS (Captain Superintendent of Police).
HON. DR. HO KAI, M.B., C.M.G.
HON. MR. WEI YUK, C.M.G.
HON. MR. E. A. HEWETT.
HON. MR. H. E. POLLOCK, K.C.
HON. MR. C. H. ROSS.
HON. MR. C. MONTAGU EDE.
MR. C. CLEMENTI (Clerk of Councils). Minutes
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.
Financial Minutes
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of His Excellency the Governor, laid on the table Financial Minutes Nos. 54 and 55, and moved that they be referred to the Finance Committee.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
Financial
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of His Excellency the Governor, laid on the table the report of the Finance Committee (No. 14), and moved its adoption.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
Paper
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid on the table the Administrative Report of the Colony for the year 1910.
The Tsim Sha Tsui Market
THE HON. MR. POLLOCK asked the following question standing in his name:―
Will the Government explain why the work on the Tsim Sha Tsui Market is proceeding so slowly? When will the Market be ready for use?
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY replied― The question put by the honourable member was received too late to allow of the Government presenting a full statement at the last meeting of Council. The funds for the Kowloon Market were provided in 1908, and the Government regards the delay which has occurred as very unsatisfactory. Questions regarding the responsibility of the contractor have been the subject of local arbitration, while the delay in complying with indents by the Crown Agents has been the subject of reference to the Secretary of State. In these circumstances His Excellency the Governor considers that the apportionment of the responsibility both for the delay and the extra cost which has been incurred can best be decided by referring the matter to a Special Committee of this Council for their investigation. It is anticipated that the Market will be completed in three weeks' time.
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HIS EXCELLENCY ― Would the hon. member prefer that the paper should be referred to a sub-committee, or to the Public Works Committee?
HON. MR. POLLOCK ― To the Public Works Committee.
Opium Amendment Ordinance, 1911
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY ― I move the suspension of the Standing Orders, so that the Bill entitled, "An Ordinance to further amend the Opium Ordinance, 1909." be read a first, second and third time."
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL seconded,
HON. DR. HO KAI―I oppose the supension of the Standing Orders for this purpose. Of late it has been almost a practice in this Council to move the suspension of the Standing Orders in order to push a measure through. No doubt there have been cases where urgency has been made out, but the Standing Orders were made deliberately by the Council in order to regulate the proceedings and to ensure that no mistake would be made. We are here to exercise our duties as representatives of the public and to see that each Ordinance which has been passed should go through the regular channel whenever possible. Also to learn the reasons for the proposed enactment and if possible invistigate them. If in this case the Standing Orders are suspended, the Bill will be passed through in one sitting. The unofficial members are expected to peruse the Bill and to digest it and to be able to take an intelligent part in the discussion on it, but we got it just before lunch. The Government before proposing this Bill must have had some considerable time to consider it. I do not know how long, but I presume they must have had something like a month or six weeks. Now here we are asked to consider it in so many minutes, and I say that this is a thing which can hardly be expected of unofficial members, I submit that it is hardly a dignified position in which to place the unofficial members, and unless there is a threatened loss of revenue or some matter of very great urgency I protest against this course. There may be some urgency, but I have not heard of it. We have not been taken into the confidence of the Government. Therefore I hope that the Government will
not place us in a position to simply echo their sentiments, and to give a decision upon a Bill of this nature without having considered it. I protest against the suspension of the Standing Orders.
HON. MR. HEWETT―Your Excellency, I had no idea that this Bill was coming before the Council until a few minutes ago, when I saw it on the table, and I had no idea that the senior unofficial member was going to speak on the subject, but as he has done so, I have the greatest possible pleasure in endorsing what he has said. The draft is dated yesterday, and so far as I am aware the Bill was not circulated to members of the Council, in fact, it has been so recently published that it does not appear in the agenda circulated to members, and for the first time I see the attached paper containing the first reading of the Bill. The Colonial Secretary has asked that this Bill should be allowed to pass through its third reading this afternoon. I happen to know something about it, as your Excellency is perfectly well aware. Information has come to me which I have taken up outside the Council, but that has nothing to do with the Council at the moment. I am now merely speaking as an unofficial member, and entirely endorse the remarks made by the senior unofficial member with regard to rushing this Bill through all its readings in one day. It is a measure which only ought to be brought forward in a very extreme case of emergency, and then there should be a very strong statement made by the Government to justify the procedure. I thoroughly appreciate the reasons for the Bill, and entirely endorse the meaning of the Bill. It is a question which I discussed with your Excellency in the presence of the Colonial Secretary a few weeks ago, and I do not see any reason if the Government propose to bring in this Bill why we should not have longer notice. It must have been a few weeks since I saw your Excellency, and I think the course of putting the Bill through its third reading in one day should only be taken as a matter of the utmost emergency. There is no emergency in this case, and I do not think a Bill of this nature should be rushed through like this. Therefore, I agree with the senior unofficial member, and shall certainly vote with him on principle.
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HON. MR. POLLOCK―Sir, I agree with what has fallen from the hon. senior unofficial member and the hon. member representing the Chamber of Commerce. I think it is most unfortunate that this Bill should have been circulated so late to members of this Council. I only received it at 12.30 this afternoon, and it has not attached to it any information of any intention to pass the Bill through all its stages to-day. To this attached Bill is a statement that the Attorney General will move the first reading, and when one gets an intimation like that he naturally supposes that the intention of the Government is only to pass the first reading, and that one will have an opportunity of studying the Bill referred to between this Council meeting and the next to be hereafter held. I think it is an extraordinary thing that this notice should have been sent out to hon. members that the first reading would be taken to-day without the smallest notice of any intention on the part of the Government to proceed further. For these reasons I associate myself with the protest raised by the hon. senior unofficial member and the hon. member representing the Chamber of Commerce.
HIS EXCELLENCY―Gentlemen, the reason that this Bill has been brought forward in this very urgent, and, as has been said by my hon. and learned friend on the left, perhaps unprecedented way is best explained by my recalling the circumstances which led to its adoption. I was consulted by the hon. member who represents the Chamber of Commerce with regard to the subject matter of this Bill. He informed me that he had been approached by leading opium merchants in the Colony who were very much afraid that their legitimate business would be interfered with by the importation of uncertificated opium into the Colony, which would only be imported for the purpose of smuggling into China. At the same time, I received despatches and telegrams from His Majesty's Minister at Peking asking me if I could assist in the same direction. I suggested to the hon. member that the only course which suggested itself to me was that the importation of uncertificated opium into Hongkong should be entirely prohibitied except under conditions which are allowed for in this Bill, under a through bill of lading, or for the use of the Opium Far mer here. He concurred
with me in that, and, as I understand, consulted the opium merchants here the same afternoon. Therefore, I sent a telegram to the Secretary of State and Sir John Jordan saying that this course was proposed and asking whether it would meet their wishes. I regret that I have not the papers before me at this moment, but to the telegram to which I expected to get a reply within 24 or 48 hours I did not get a reply for about a fortnight, and it is only about three days since the reply reached me. I had suggested that the Bill should take effect from the 1st September, which appeared to me to give sufficient time for any opium in transit to arrive in the Colony so that no hardship could be inflicted. The Secretary of State's telegram endorses entirely the proposal. The Bill was prepared and printed as soon as we could possibly do it, and as I though the matter was entirely non contentious I thought the Council would perhaps consent to pass it through all its stages. I must confess that in this matter I was also guided by the fact that we had sat for an unprecedentedly long time this year, and that perhaps we could adjourn sine die after this meeting. If, however, the Council prefer that we should have a second meeting to pass this Bill, I can only say it will be done to carry out the wishes of unofficial members. It was with considerable reluctance that I agreed to ask the Council to push the Bill through at one sitting, because it is a course to which I am personally just as strongly opposed as either of the three members who have spoken. The reason I consented to it was because I supposed the Bill to be entirely non contentious, and because the Secretary of State asked that it should come into operation by the 1st September; and again because I hoped it would enable us to adjourn for a time the sittings of the Council. The hon. member therefore will see that the Bill has not been, as he supposed, six weeks or a month in preparation. It has been in preparation only three days, and that is since I got the telegram from the Secretary of State. There is no desire on the part of the Government not to take this Council into its confidence. It is not a matter which is in any way secret or in any way not entirely open to the public. In fact I will go further, and considering how frequently the senior unofficial member of this Council has publicly advocated that this Colony should do what
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 173
it could to assist the suppression of opium in China, I imagined that the sooner smuggling can be stopped the better he would be pleased. The Colonial Secretary has just reminded me of a point which slipped my memory at the moment, that is, that the opium sales take place at Calcutta on the 1st September, and if this Bill is brought forward publicly and then deferred I am afraid it will be the cause of large gambling in opium. In view of the strong protest made by unofficial members, I will ask the Colonial Secretary to alter the motion and propose to the Council the suspension of the Standing Orders in order that we may read the Bill a first and second time. Then by the light of what I have just said, and perhaps having seen the Bill before them, we will put a second motion as to whether we shall go through with it to-day or not.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY ― I ask permission to amend my motion and to move that the Standing Orders be suspended to enable the Bill to pass its first and second readings.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL seconded. This was agreed to.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY ― I move the first reading of the Bill. The objects and reasons are as follows:―
"Since the new agreement regarding the importation of opium into China limits the importation to chests bearing a certificate that they have been sold in India for the China market, there is no longer any legitimate market for uncertified opium exported from Hongkong. The opium dealers fear lest imports of uncertified opium should be made into this Colony with a view to smuggling into China thereby interfering with the legitimate and much restricted trade in certified chests. This Ordinance has, therefore, been introduced to meet the new circumstances. Opium required by the Opium Farmer can be imported under permit, and opium in transit under a through bill of lading is not interfered with."
The two reasons for introducing this Bill were: (1) to assist China in dealing with the opium question by closing our ports to a huge smuggling traffic in opium which had no
legitimate market in China and no legitimate presence here. The other was to assist British merchants who are holding large stocks, and whose market will be ruined if the smuggling of uncertificated opium is allowed to continue without check.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY―I beg to move the second reading of the Bill.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY ― The circumstances under which this Bill was brought forward have been clearly explained to the Council, and I now move that the Standing Orders be suspended to enable it to pass through Committee and the third reading.
HON. MR. HEWETT―I beg to notify your Excellency that I shall oppose the third reading.
HIS EXCELLENCY ― I have already informed the Council that if it is the wish of unofficial members that the Bill shall not be proceeded with the Government has no desire to proceed with it. I will put the motion to the vote and if a majority oppose it the Government will not insist upon carrying it through at this meeting, but will meet again this day week and conclude it.
HON. MR. HEWETT―I beg to rise to a point of order. I understand in a matter of this sort where a third reading is being pushed through that an adverse vote is sufficient to stop it.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER―You are wrong,
HON. MR. HEWETT―I understood it was so.
HON. DR. HO KAI―Sir, the unofficial members by five to one are against the third reading.
HIS EXCELLENCY―The motion has not yet been put. In reply to the hon. member representing the Chamber of Commerce, I see that the rules for the Standing
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Orders of this Council are that the Standing Orders may be suspended if a motion to that effect is carried by a majority of votes. It is not dependent on the opposition of a single member.
HON. MR. POLLOCK―May I ask, in order to clear up a matter in regard to which I am in doubt, whether a notification has been made in the Gazette as provided by clause 2?
THE COLONIAL TREASURER ― The suspension of the Standing Orders covers all those matters.
HIS EXCELLENCY―The question before the Council is that the Standing Orders be further suspended in order that this Bill should pass through Committee and pass its third reading. I will ask the Clerk of Councils to take a vote of unofficials also in the first instance, because, as I informed the Council, the Government do not wish to press the matter if a majority of the unofficial members are opposed to it.
On a vote of the unofficial members being taken, His Excellency declared the motion lost.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER ― Your Excellency, I think the division ought to be continued, otherwise it can hardly be entered on the minutes.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY ― In the circumstances I request the leave of the Council to withdraw my motion.
The motion was withdrawn.
Code of Civil Procedure Amendment Ordinance
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that Council resolve itself into a Committee of the whole Council to consider the Bill clause by clause.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL―I move that in clause 2 of the Bill the words "of civil procedure" be added after the words "Hongkong Code," the expression which appears in the Ordinance is the "Hongkong Code of Civil Procedure."
This was agreed to.
THE ATTORNEY - GENERAL ― In clause 6 I beg to move the deletion of the word "preceding," which is an unnecessary word. The other amendments simply result in the re-numbering of the forms. In clause 29 (8) (1) I beg to move that 2 e be deleted and 8 c substituted, in clause 29 (8) (2) that 8 c be substituted for 2 e, and in clause 29 (4) I move that 8 c be substituted for 2 g, and in clause 5 that 8 c be substituted for 2 c, and 8 d for 2 f, in clause 9 section 6 that 8 f be substituted for 2 h, in clause 30 I move that after the words "shall be" the following words "substituted for existing forms in or" be added. Then in the schedule I move that form 2 (a) should become 7, and further down in the form in 2 that the word "endorsment" should be spelt with an "e." I also move that form 2 b should become form 8, that form 2 c should become 8 a, that form 2 d should become 8 b, that form 2 e should become 8 c, that form 2 f should become 8 d, that form 2 g should become 8 e, and that form 2 h should become 8 f.
HON. MR. HEWETT―Is it proposed that the forms of an older Ordinance should be copied into this Ordinance?
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ― The old forms 7 and 8 disappear and this 7 and 8 are substituted. These are the English forms.
Council then resumed.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL―I have to report that at the last meeting considerable amendments were made in Committee, and at this meeting further amendments were made. If no member objects, I beg to move that this Bill be read a third time.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL seconded, and the Bill was read a third time and passed.
Arms and Ammunition Amendment Bill
The Committee stage on the Bill entitled, "An Ordinance to amend the Arms and Ammunition Ordinance, 1900," was not proceeded with.
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Crown Solicitor's Bill
THE ATTORNEY - GENERAL moved that the Council resolve itself into a Committee of the whole Council to consider the Bill entitled, "An Ordinance to enable Joseph Horsford Kemp, Esquire, Barrister-at-law, to practise as Crown Solicitor in the Court and to provide for the payment of solicitor's costs in cases in which a salaried Crown Solicitor or Assistant Crown Solicitor acts as solicitor.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ― I beg to move that clause 2 be deleted and that this clause should be substituted therefor:
2. Joseph Horsford Kemp, Esquire, Barrister-at-law, shall be permitted to practise both in the Court and elsewhere in the Colony as if he were a duly admitted Solicitor when appearing as Crown Solicitor on behalf of, or representing or acting for or on behalf of the Crown or any Government Department of the Colony, or any Officer in the employment of the said Government or in any matter in which the Crown or the said Government or any department thereof is interested.
This was agreed to.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ― Then in clause 3 the first sub-section becomes unnecessary, and so does the figure 2, because the second sub-section is all that is left of the third section. Then in section 6 I recommend that the words "losing party" be deleted and the words "party against whom the order is made" be substituted.
Council then resumed, the Bill being left in Committee.
Crown Lands Resumption
Amendment Bill
THE ATTORNEY - GENERAL moved that the Council resolve itself into a Committee of the whole Council to consider the Bill entitled "An Ordinance to further amend the Crown Lands Resumption Ordinance, 1900."
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ― I beg to move that clause 3 of the Bill be amended,
and that after sub-section 2 a new sub-section be inserted in the following words:
3. The remuneration of any member of a Board shall be at a rate according to the amount of work, the time occupied, and the magnitude of the interests involved, and such rate shall be determined in each case by the Chairmen of the Board in his discretion at the conclusion of the arbitration; provided that nothing in this sub-section shall be deemed to authorise the payment or receipt of remuneration in the case of a public servant who is not permitted to receive remuneration for acting as a member of a Board.
That would involve the re-numbering of the present 3 as sub-section 4 and the substitution therein of the word "the" for the words "any member of or," and it would also involve in clause 4 (2) the deletion of the words "by the Governor-in-Council," and the making of the word "amount" to read "amounts".
HON. MR. POLLOCK―Sir, with regard to the amendment proposed by the hon. Attorney-General, the architects of this Colony are very strongly of the opinion that there should be a sliding scale such as I suggested at the last meeting of the Council of $50, or $100, or $150 per day. Apart, of course, from all small cases which would come under the provisions of the Crown Lands Resumption Amendment Ordinance, 1910, in which case I think it would be quite proper that matters would be determined as proposed in the amendment by the Attorney General, namely, that remuneration falling under the Ordinance of 1910 should be left to be determined by the Chairman of the Board. But apart from these small cases all the leading architects of this Colony are unanimously of opinion that there should be a scale of $50, or $100, or $150 a day, and that the Chairman of the Board at the conclusion of the arbitration should state what scale should be applied in the circumstances of each particular case according to the amount of the work involved. I beg to move as an amendment to what has been moved by the hon. Attorney-General the amendment of which I have sent in a copy, namely, that instead of as proposed by him there should be a new sub-section 3 reading as follows:
(3) The remuneration of any member of the Board shall
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(i) in the case of resumptions not falling within the Crown Lands Resumption Ordinance, 1910, be allowed at the rate of $50 or $100 or $150 per day according to the amount of work and the magnitude of the interests involved, and the question as to which of such rates is to be allowed shall be determined in each particular case by the Chairman of the Board in his discretion at the conclusion of the arbitration;
(ii) in the case of resumptions falling within the Crown Lands Resumption Amendment Ordinance, 1910, the Chairman of the Board shall determine in his discretion at the conclusion of the arbitration what remuneration per day ought in each particular case to be allowed;
(2) that clause 3 (3) be re-numbered 4 and that the words "member of or" be omitted from it;
(3) that paragraph 2 of clause 4 of the Bill be amended by substituting for the words "Governor-in Council" the following words, namely, "The Chairman of the Board or the Governor-in-Council as the case may be."
I think the amendment I am proposing is a reasonable one, but where the value of the land to be resumed does not exceed $500 the matter should be left to the Chairman of the Board to say what scale of remuneration should be allowed. In other cases I submit that the scale arranged by the architects is reasonable, and that it should be for the Chairman of the Board to state whether $50, or $100, or $150 should be allowed.
HON. Mr. HEWETT―I am very pleased to second the amendment. I think a minimum of $50 and a maximum if $150 is not at all out of the way in large cases. I think the amendment is reasonable and that it should be accepted by the Government.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY ― I suggest that the amendment proposed by the hon. member is by no means reasonable. In the original Bill it was provided that the Governor-in-Council should fix the remuneration. The profession on behalf of which the hon. and learned member spoke asked that the discretion should be given to the Chairman, who will always be a Judge of the Supreme Court in large cases. The Government accept that, but they do not accept the further wish of the profession that the Chairman's discretion should be limited and hampered by any definite amount of fee.
HON. MR. HEWETT ― I don't know whether I quite understood what the Colonial Secretary said. I understood him to say the proposal was that the Chairman should fix the
remuneration at the beginning of the hearing. HIS EXCELLENCY―No.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY ― The original suggestion was that the Governor-in Council should fix it before the work was undertaken. The present one as moved by the hon. and learned member is that the scale of remuneration shall be fixed by the Chairman after the work is over. The Government consent to that, but decline to hamper the Chairman's discretion.
HON. DR. HO KAI―The Chairman will be a judge of the Supreme Court.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY―Yes.
HON. MR. HEWETT ― In the case of an arbitrator you fix the fees beforehand.
HON. DR. HO KAI―Why can't we make it, say, $60, $75 or $80 a day?
HON. MR. POLLOCK ― It is quite reasonable.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER ― It is quite reasonable from the point of view of those who want to handle the money.
HON. MR. ROSS―If you put $50 to $150 as a scale then the property owner who has to pay knows what he is going to pay. If you do not, the property owner will have to make arrangements with the arbitrator as to what he is going to pay.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY ― That would be done in any case, would it not?
HON. MR. ROSS―I don't think it would if the scale was known.
HON. MR. HEWETT―Your are engaging expert knowledge which is very valuable knowledge. I should say that $50 to $150 is a very reasonable scale indeed. I have had to pay 1,500 taels for a man to go into Court for half an hour.
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THE ATTORNEY - GENERAL ― Why should this be the only case in which the arbitrators have their fees fixed for them? As a rule they fix their own.
HON. MR. HEWETT ― On an ordinary business question you can get dozens to act as arbitrators, but in cases of this nature very few qualified men are available.
HIS EXCELLENCY―I would remind the Council that in the original Bill which passed this Council this point was not taken at all. It was taken by the Secretary of State, who said that some method of awarding fees should be inserted in the Bill. Therefore this amendment was brought forward. In my own opinion a Judge of the Supreme Court is a person who may be reasonably expected to ascertain what the arbitrator's fee should be, and no doubt the arbitrators will put their case strongly enough to him. (To hon. Mr. Pollock) ―Do you wish to put your amendment to the vote?
HON. MR. POLLOCK―Yes, but I am quite willing to accept the suggestion that the minimum fee should be $50 and the maximum $150.
HIS EXCELLENCY ― The amendment before the Committee that in place of the amendment to clause 3 which was read by the Attorney-General on behalf of the Government that the amendment read by my learned friend on the left should be substituted, but with the alteration of the words "at the rate of $50 to $150".
The amendment was then put to the Council, and the voting was as follows:―
Ayes: Hon. Mr. Ede, Hon. Mr. Ross, Hon. Mr. Hewett, Hon. Mr. Pollock, Hon. Mr. Wei Yuk, Hon. Dr. Ho Kai, His Excellency the General Officer Commanding.
Noes: The Captain Superintendent of Police, the Registrar-General, the Director of Public Works, the Colonial Treasurer, the Attorney-General, the Colonial Secretary, H. E. the Governor.
The amendment was lost, H. E. the Governor exercising his casting vote against
the amendment.
Interpretation Bill
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that the Council resolve itself into a Committee of the whole Council to consider the Bill entitled, "An Ordinance to amend and codify the law as to the Interpretation of Terms and as to Common Forms used in Ordinances."
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
THE ATTORNEY - GENERAL ― On clause 39B in the Colonial definitions page 7 the eastern boundary of the city of Victoria mentioned in the last line but one refers to the north-west angle of the Wongneichegon School. That is not a permanent landmark. As a matter of fact it has almost disappeared, so I would suggest that the words "the south-east angle of inland lot No. 1,364" be substituted for the words "north-west angle of the Wongneicheong School."
This was agreed to.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL―In Section 41 (1) (b) I move that the word "where" be inserted between the words "or" and "other."
Council then resumed.
THE ATTORNEY - GENERAL moved the third reading of the Bill.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the Bill was read a third time and passed.
HIS EXCELLENCY―Council will adjourn until this day week.
FINANCE COMMITTEE.
A meeting of the Finance Committee was then held, the Colonial Secretary presiding. The following votes were passed:―
Survey Work
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of six hundred and fifty Dollars ($650) in aid of the vote Public Works, Extraordinary. Miscellaneous, Resumption of Land in connection with the Laying out of
178 HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Survey District 1.
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THE CHAIRMAN ― This is one of the survey districts in the Kowloon city. The owners' intention was to rebuild houses on part of this land, but owing to the proposed scheme of laying out this district, it was considered inadvisable to permit rebuilding. It was impossible to come to any arrangement with the owners for exchange of land, and as the land will be cheaper to buy now than it would be later on, it was decided to resume it at a cost of $650.
Prison Extension
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of six hundred and ninety Dollars ($690) in aid of the vote Public Works, Extraordinary, Prison Extension.
THE CHAIRMAN―This is not really an over-expenditure of the estimate. The estimate was $20,500, and there is an over expenditure of $7.