September 15, 1897.]7 Eastern Asia, be rendered impregnable to outside attack and wholly independent of the naval squadron, which, in the event of war, would be required for the protection of British merchant vessels afloat. This is the broad fact that has to be faced, and it will render necessary, sooner orlater and the sooner the better-an agree ment with China for the cession of a small strip of territory and a few sandy outlying islands, which though of no great value to her she would be reluctant to part with ex- cept for some very substantial quid pro quo, We have outstanding accounts to settle with China, but unless these are pushed to settlement at once the authorities at Peking will presently deny their existence or plead condonation. The present therefore is the most favourable time for bringing this nat ter to head.
217
Hon. Ho Kai, Hon. C. P. Chater.
The motion was therefore carried and the Bill
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
actual figures being revenue, $2,609,878.94;The Attorney-General. expenditure, $2,474,910.37. I propose to advert The Colonial Secretary. to only two items in these supplementary esti- The Colonel Commanding. and the second the excess on the Prays Reclam-read a third time and passed. mates. The first is the military expenditure; ation. The total expenditure for military pur- poses, or rather, the total amount expended in 1896 upon military matters, was 8523,128.45. That total is made up as follows-Military expenditure actually paid in 1896 on account of 1896. 8402,080.76; contribution for barracks ser- vices. $40,000; Volunteer expenses, 813,448.93; and balance due for 1895, $7.598.76. The $402,080.76 expended in 1896, and actually paid in 1896, towards the military contribution repre- sented 173 per cent. of the estimated revenue for 1896, exclusive of land sales premia. The actual figures for 1896 were $2,339,019.95, and the total for the militar contribution $409,328.49. The difference of 37.247.73 has been met out of the revenue for 1897. It will be noticed that the total sum of $523,128.45 which has been paid for military purposes n 1896 represents about 22 per cent of the revenne for 1896, but if we take off $67,598 76, the balance paid in 1896 of what was due in 1895, it reduces the expen. diture for military purposes to about 194 per A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative cut. Of course, the sum of $402,080 is the Council was held at the Council Chamber actual amount really spent on what is known on the 13th September. Present:-
as the military contribution proper. The other His EXCELLENCY the Governor, Sir WIL-items were voted separately and, although LIAM ROBINSON, G.C.M.G.
coming under the heading of military purposes. do not fall under the well-known head of military contribution. In regard to the Praya Reclamation I may say that in 1895, the sum of $40,000 was appropriated as the Government's contribution towards certain works connected with the Praya Reclamation. The work was done and the claim made towards the end of 1895, but
the sum was not paid until January, 1896, and that is the reason it appears as excess in the estimates for 1896. I shall be glad to give further information if any hon. member wishes it upon any matters connected with the supplementary estimates.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
Colonel ELSDALE (Officer Commanding the Forces).
Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART (Colonial Secretary).
Hon. W. M. GOODMAN (Attorney-General, Hon T: SERCOMBE SMITH (Colonial Treasurer).
Hon. W. CHATHAM (Acting Director of Public Works).
Hon. F. H. MAY, C.M.G. (Captain Super- intendent of Police).
Hon. R. MURRAY RUMSEY (Harbour Master). Hon. C. P. CHATER, C.M.G. Hon. Ho KAI.
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD.
Hon. E. R. BELILIOS, C.M.G.
Hon. J. J. BELL-IRVING.
Hon. WEI A YUK.
Mr. J. G. T. BUCKLE (Clerk of Councils), MINUTES.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
TRAMWAYS FOR KOWLOON. Hon.. J. J. BELL IRVING-I rise, sir, to more the first reading of a Bill entitled an Ordinance to authorise the Hongkong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, Limited, to lay and maintain tramways on certain public roads at Kowloon, in the colony of Hongkong and to confer upon the said Hongkong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, Limited, certain other rights, powers, and privileges. Any remarks that may be necessary I propose to make at the second reading.
Hon. C. P. CHATER seconded. Bill read a first time.
SUPPLEMENTARY
APPROPRIATION
ORDINANCE,
|
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded. The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Finance Committee.
After the meeting of the Finance Committee the COLONIAL TREASURER reported that all the items had been unanimously recommended with the exception of the military contribution, against which all the unofficial members voted." Council then went into Committee on the Bill which was reported without amendment,
On the motion for the third reading, Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-Not that it will make any difference in the ultimate result, but I think it might be well to postpone the third reading of the Bill until the next meeting of the Council, so that the unofficial members may have an opportunity of meeting and considering their position in veiw of what has transpired in the Finance Committee.
bis EXCELLENCY--I do not know what was done in the Finance Committee. You have had
the estimates before you a long time, you know. The COLONIAL SECRETARY-The estimates have been in the hands of hon, members for three weeks. All the items, with the exception of the military contribution, were agreed to nnanimously. That was objected to on prin. ciple.
His EXCELLENCY Was there anything now?
The COLONIAL TREASURER-I rise, Sir, to more the second reading of the Bill entitled an Ordinance to authorise the appropriation of a supplementary sum of three hundred and forty- one thousand and twenty-five dollars and thirty- seven cents to defray the charges of the year Hon. C. P. CHATER-No sir, absolutely 1896. The sum which the Council is now asked nothing. We voted against the item to be We to vote, namely, $341,025.37, represents the no-perfectly consistent in what we had done.
have petitioned and we have protested, and the minal excess of the actual expenditure for the year 1896 over the estimated expenditure. The real Secretary of State absolutely took no heed of our excess comes to $226,467.69, the difference bo- doings but ruled that the Ordinance should be tween the nominal and the real excess being passed. We recorded our vote against it, but it $114,557.68. It is owing to the fact that credit was passed by the official majority, and we want cannot be taken for the savings effected in the
to show that even now the unofficial members various establishments nor in the public works are not in favour of it. extraordinary or public works recurrent that the difference between the actual excess and the nominal excess appears. The savings on the public works recurrent amount to $18,278.66, on public works extraordinary to $82,70.21, and in ordinary expenditure to $13,573.81; total, $114,557.68, as already stated. Al though the Connoil is asked to rote this sum of $341,025.37, the actual surplus of revenue over expenditure, if we exclude the amount chargeable on the Joan account for dublic works extraordinary, is $134,968.57, the
HIS EXCELLENCY-That can be done now just as well as next week?
Hon. C. P. CHATER-I think so, sir.
|
THE INFECTED MILK ORDINANCE. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I have, sir, to move the second reading of the Bill entitled an Ordinance to prevent the spread of infections disease arising from the consumption of con- taminated or unwholesome milk. It is, of course, of the utmost importance to secure a proper supply of wholesome milk in this colony. No doubt the public are indebted to those who have undertaken to supply such milk, and a commer- cial enterprise of that kind is worthy of our support and consideration. At the same time the high price of milk acts as a great temptation to unscrupulous persons to increase the quantity of milk by the addition of water or by adulteration in other ways. The report of the (¡overnment Analyst proves that last year there were several samples which he analysed in which he found that water had been, added. Well now, we cannot be at ail sure as to the source whence the water so added is derived, and as one cannot help feeling, after reading the analyst's report, that there are ä very large number of cases where water has been added to the milk without being detected, it naturally follows that some provision should be made to ensure the purity of the milk supply. The Bill before the Council deals principally. with another danger, namely, dairies where animals are infected or where persons, while suffering from an infectious disease, are engaged in dairy work, such as milking cows or handling milk. I would like to call your attention to the objects and reasons which I appended to the bill and which are as follows:-" It was found necessary in England to confer power on the Medical Officer of Health to inspect dairies, and in case he should be of opinion that infec- tious disease was caused by the consumption of milk supplied from any such dairy, he was required to report his opinion to the local authority. Thereupon, the local authority was to call upon the dairyman to show cause why an order should not be made by such authority requiring him not to supply any milk from such dairy till the order should be__withdrawn. These powers were conferred, in England, by section 4 of The Infectious Diseases (Prevention) Act, 1890. The present Ordinance, suggested by the Medical Officer of Health, proceeds upon similar lines, having regard to local circumstances. Sections 5, which is based upon the Dairies, Cowsheds, and Milkshops Orders of the Privy Council and Local Government Board in Eng. land, provides a penalty in the case of a dairy. man allowing any infected person to milk the animals, assist in the conduct of the dairy, or to reside in such part of the dairy as may be used for the housing of cattle or storage of milk. It is hoped that the fact of such an Ordinance being brought into force in this colony will enable the Medical Officer of Health to exercise more effective supervision over the milk sup- plies of the colony and cause dairymen to use greater vigilance to prevent the possibility of contamination of the milk sold by them." As to the term "local authority," we have no local authority here in the sense in which it is used
in the English Act, the nearest approach to the local authority we have here being the Governor in Council. I do not anticipate that in the case of some of the milk supplies there will be much occasion for these powers to be exercised. There is no doubt that these powers will act as a wholesome check over dairy- men and they may have to be used in the case of a few dairies, the milk from which is some- times not altogether free from suspicion. With these few remarks I beg to move the second reading of the Bill.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.. Bill read a second time.
+
Council Put into Committee on the Bill. A vote on the third reading was then taken which passed through all its stages without
amerd nent. with the following result :-
FOR. The Acting Director of
Public Works. The Colonial Treasurer. The Harbour Master. Hon. E. R. Belilios. The Captain Superintendent Hon. T. B. White-
of Police.
AGAINST. Ion. Wei A Yuk. Hon. J. J. Bell
Irving.
hand.
THE FICE BRIGADE ORDINANCE, The ATTORNEY-GENERAL—As regards the Bill entitled an Ordinance to farther amend the Hongkong Fire Brigade Ordinance, 1868, I ask your Excellency's permission to postpone the second reading for the present. I would like, however, to make one or two observations