18 HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. 26TH FEBRUARY, 1920.
PRESENT:―
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR REGINALD
Papers
EDWARD STUBBS, K.C.M.G.
HIS EXCELLENCY MAJOR-GENERAL F. VENTRIS, C.B. (General Officer Commanding Troops in China).
HON. MR. CLAUD SEVERN, C.M.G. (Colonial Secretary).
HON. MR. J. H. KEMP, K.C., C.B.E. (Attorney General).
HON. MR. R. O. HUTCHISON, M.B.E. (Colonial Treasurer).
HON. MR. W. CHATHAM, C.M.G. (Director of Public Works).
HON. MR. E. R. HALLIFAX, O.B.E. (Secretary for Chinese Affairs).
HON. MR. E. D. C. WOLFE (Captain Superintendent of Police).
HON. MR. H. E. POLLOCK, K.C.
HON. MR. LAU CHU PAK.
HON. MR. HO FOOK.
Hon. Mr. E. V. D. PARR.
HON. MR. S. H. DODWELL.
MR. A. G. M. FLETCHER, C.B.E. (Clerk of Council).
ABSENT:―
HON. MR. J. JOHNSTONE.
Minutes
The minutes of the last meeting were confirmed. The Height of Domestic Buildings
HON. MR. POLLOCK―Sir, I beg to give notice that I shall put the following question at the next meeting of the Legislative Council, namely:―
"Will the Government appoint a Committee for the purpose of reporting on the desirability of amending the Public Health and Buildings' Ordinance, 1903, by reducing the height of storeys required in domestic buildings and thereby lessening the cost of such buildings?"
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid upon the table the Quarterly Return of Excesses on sub-heads met by savings under Heads of Expenditure for the 4th. quarter of 1919.
Financial Minutes
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid upon the table Financial Minutes Nos. 7 to 14, and moved that they be referred to the Finance Committee.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid upon the table the report of the Finance Committee No. 2 and moved that it be adopted.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and this was agreed to.
New Public Health By-Laws
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor laid upon the table three by-laws made by the Sanitary Board under Section 16 of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance No. 1 of 1903, and separately moved that each be approved by the Council.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL seconded each of the motions and they were agreed to.
The by-laws were as follows:―
By-law No. 1 of the Disinfection of Infected Premises By-laws contained in Schedule B of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance No. 1 of 1903, and published in the Gazette on the 22nd. day of February, 1918, as Government Notification No 72. is hereby repealed and the following by-law substituted therefor:―
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1.―In the following by-laws the words "epidemic, endemic, contagious or infectious disease" shall mean and include plague, cholera, small-pox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, typhus fever, enteric fever, relapsing fever, puerperal fever, para typhoid fever, cerebro-spinal fever, and yellow fever. The words "infected premises" shall mean and include any premises in which any person suffering from any epidemic, endemic, contagious or infectious disease is or has been recently located, and any premises in which any animal infected with plague or dead from the same has been found.
By-law No. 1 of the Notification of Infectious Disease By-laws contained in Schedule B of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance No. 1 of 1903, and published in the Gazette on the 22nd. day of February, 1918, as Government Notification No. 73, is hereby repealed and the following by-law substituted therefor: ―
1.―If any inmate of any premises be suffering from plague, cholera, small-pox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, typhus fever, enteric fever, relapsing fever, para-typhoid fever, cerebrospinal fever, yellow fever, or puerperal fever, and if such inmate be under the care of a legally qualified and registered medical practitioner the said medical practitioner shall forthwith furnish the Medical Officer of Health with a notification thereof in writing stating the name of such inmate and the situation of such premises.
Such legally qualified medical practitioner shall be entitled to receive, on application to the Secretary, the sum of $1 for each and every such notification.
HON. MR. H. E. POLLOCK ― One observation I have to make on this. That is that the list of diseases have not been kept in the same order. I discovered this on going through the by-laws just now.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR―I think the next time we revise the by-laws as a whole we should follow a similar order throughout.
By-law No. 5 of the Removal of Patients By-laws contained in Schedule B of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance No. 1 of 1903, and published in the Gazette on the 22nd. day of February, 1918, as Government Notification No. 74, is hereby repealed and the following by-law substituted therefor:―
5.―For the purpose of these by-laws, the words "epidemic, endemic, contagious or infectious disease" shall mean and include plague, cholera, small-pox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, typhus fever, enteric fever, puerperal fever, relapsing fever, paratyphoid fever, cerebro-spinal fever, and yellow fever.
Boxing in Places of Public Entertainment
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor laid upon the table the following regulation, and moved that it be approved by the Council.
Regulation made by the Governor in Council under Section 6 of the Places of Public Entertainment Regulation Ordinance, 1919, Ordinance No. 22 of 1919, on the 19th. day of February, 1920:―
The regulations made by the Governor in Council under Section 6 of the Places of Public Entertainment Regulation Ordinance, 1919, on the 6th. day of November, 1919, and published in the Gazette on the 7th. day of November, 1919, as Government Notification No. 518, are hereby amended by adding the following regulation:―
No boxing contest shall be held in any building or place licensed for a public entertainment without the special permission in writing of the Captain Superintendent of Police endorsed on such licence.
This regulation shall be deemed to be a condition of every licence for a public entertainment issued under this Ordinance.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL seconded the motion which was agreed to.
Non-Ferrous Metal Industry
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill intituled an Ordinance to amend the Non-Ferrous Metal Industry Ordinance, 1919.
The object of the Bill is to correct an obvious drafting error in Ordinance No. 1 of 1919.
Paragraph (d) of the definition of the term "corporation under prohibited control" in the First Schedule to the Non Ferrous Metal Industry Ordinance, 1919, is deleted and the following paragraph
20 HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
is substituted therefor:―(d) Where the executive is a corporation under prohibited control or where the majority of the executive are appointed by a corporation under prohibited control.
Banking Business (Prohibited Control)
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill intituled an Ordinance to amend the Banking Business (Prohibited Control) Ordinance, 1919.
The object of this Bill is to correct an obvious drafting error in Ordinance No. 2 of 1919.
Paragraph (d) of the definition of the term "corporation under prohibited control" in Section 2 of the Banking Business (Prohibited Control) Ordinance, 1919, is deleted and the following paragraph is substituted therefor:―(d) where the executive is a corporation under prohibited control, or where the majority of the executive are appointed by a corporation under prohibited control.
Liquors Ordinances
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill Intituled an Ordinance to amend the Liquors Consolidation Ordinance, 1911.
The "Objects and Reasons" state:―
1.―The object of this Bill is to provide for the event of no nomination being received for the election of members of the Licensing Board. The Bill proposes to give the Governor power to appoint a member in such a case.
2.―The Bill also proposes to reduce the quorum from five to three, as five seems an inconveniently large quorum for a Board which consists of only seven members.
3.―The Bill also provides that the elected Justices are to be elected by the unofficial Justices of the Peace.
4.―The Bill also provides that an acting member may be appointed or elected, as the case may be, if a substantive member is "absent from the Colony." The existing section provides that "if an elected Justice is absent from the Colony for a period of six months, the vacancy shall be filled ....." It is not quite clear whether this refers to an intended absence of six months, or whether it means that a substantive member must have been absent for six months before the vacancy can be filled. In the case of appointed members the existing section makes no reference to the period of absence, and it seems advisable to adopt this principle for both
classes of members, so that the right to fill the vacancy will arise immediately upon the absence of the substantive member. Probably no steps would be taken to fill the vacancy if the substantive member were leaving the Colony for only a short period.
Jurors' List
After the meeting of the Finance Committee had concluded, the Jurors' List was considered by the Council in Committee.
The Council adjourned till next Thursday.
FINANCE COMMITTEE.
A meeting of the Finance Committee followed the Council meeting, the Colonial Secretary presiding:―
New Typewriter
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of $120 in aid of the vote Police and Prison Departments, A.―Police, Other Charges, Typewriter.
THE CHAIRMAN―A new typewriter is required for the Accounts office. The present one is very old, and will cost more for repairs than it is worth.
The vote was agreed to.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of $150 in aid of the vote Public Works, Establishment, Special Expenditure, Typewriter.
THE CHAIRMAN―A new typewriter is required for the Public Works Department. There are fifteen machines in the department for thirty-one clerks. This one is required for the Drainage office, due to the increasing amount of work
The vote was agreed to.
Document Presses
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of $400 in aid of the vote Public Works, Establishment, Special Expenditure, Document Presses.
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THE CHAIRMAN―There is an accumulation of records and correspondence in the office and filing accommodation is required. Some 2,000 files are at present stored on the floor and these presses are required for their accommodation. They will cost $400. I may say that in all departments, boards are appointed to destroy all unnecessary papers. There was a great destruction in this office recently.
The vote was agreed to.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of $150 in aid of the vote Supreme Court, Special Expenditure, Document Presses.
THE CHAIRMAN―These document presses for the Supreme Court should have been provided in the estimate as special expenditure.
The vote was agreed to.
New Hull for a Police Launch
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of $9,000 in aid of the vote Police and Prison Departments, A.―Police, Special Expenditure, New Hull for Steam-Launch Hapag.
THE CHAIRMAN―This is the launch that was wrecked in the typhoon. They saved the engines and the boiler and a new hull is now wanted.
The vote was agreed to.
A Railway Vote
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a
sum of $1,540 in aid of the vote Kowloon-Canton Railway, Locomotive, Carriage, and Wagon Expenses, Other Charges, Materials for Repairs and Renewals, Carriages.
THE CHAIRMAN―This is for repairs to Coach No. 27 which was attacked by white ants. As this expenditure was not foreseen when the Estimates were before us a special vote is asked for.
The vote was agreed to.
Grants in Aid
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of $1,200 in aid of the vote Miscellaneous Services, Grants in aid of other Institutions, City Hall.
Also to vote a sum of $400 in aid of the following votes:―
Charitable Services, Grants in aid of Charitable Institutions:―
Alice Memorial and Affiliated
Hospitals..................................................... $300 Society of St. Vincent de Paul ....................... 100
Total................................................................. $400
THE CHAIRMAN―These sums were not paid last year. $1,200 for the City Hall is to be a revote. The sum of $300 for the Alice Memorial Hospital and $100 for the St. Vincent de Paul Society have not been paid―presumably they were not asked for.
The vote was agreed to.