March, 17, 1900.}
CHINA OVERLAND TRALE REPORT. trouble herself about the resentment, of in the charitable task of propping a totter- England. Meanwhile, she is herself sending ng dynasty which is using its remaining in- out troops to preserve this country from refluence as much as possible adversely to volution. This is the story she would fain British interests. Fut we are likely to have have the other Powers believe. The idea many more opportunities of like complaint is ingenious, but unfortunately hardly in if we do not find others willing to not as harmony with her actions in China. It is Mr. WALTON has done and make them evident that there is in all this the element selves heard. We have seen enough of of danger, and as the British Government "thwarted efforts to know that the seems to be falling into its usual optimism, work to be done must be done at home, and to be putting off the inconvenient as and not only at one end of a wire or by long as possible, it is almost certain that we means of a four-cent stamp. The connection shall in the near future (but, we fear, still between our Chinese bases and home are too late) be compelled to look affairs in the now sufficiently close to allow such enter face. Would it not be a prudent step then to look after our position, and at once
prises as that of Mr. WALTON, and there are already many influences working on the to increase our naval forces on the Pacific? home authorities which, Perhaps, when matters are placed in this
as they grow stronger, must have some effect. It is true light, the Government may be induced to that the task is about as tedious na that of do something.
wearing away a stone with a trickle of And though, as the stone of offi- cialism is usually hardest outside, the pro- cess should grow easier as time goes on, yet time, when we are competing with energetic rivals, is not ours to employ as we will. Therefore, while the Inland Water Re- gulations remain “ 'so much waste paper," there is a very definite object on which to keep our minds fixed in the struggle with official neglect and indifference.
PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND OF- FICIAL I DIFFERENCE.
paper
(Daily Press, 16th March.) Speaking the other day of the British Con- sular Service in China, a writer in this said:
"A general reform is needed, and it will become the duty of those members of Parliament who have lately visited this part of the world, and of the increasing num- ber who have interests here, to bring it prominently before the public 'at home." One of the members of Parliament has re- turned to England, and as we reported in our issue of a week ago, has been giving the public the benefit of his comments on the state of British interests in the Far East. The Times of the 8th ult. devoted a leading article to Mr. WALTON's observations and admitted that his account of what is going on in China was neither Hattering nor en couraging. "In brief it may be said that he finds all interests but those of Great Britain being vigorously extended and consoli- "dated." The Times mentions also how Mr. WALTON found that " valuable instrument,' the Inland Waters Concession, so much waste paper, and that" British steamers on "the Yang-tsze and West River are not "allowed to touch at any but treaty ports, "the result being that in the total absence
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water.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE.
COUNCIL.
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attention of the Hon. The Dirotor of Public Works been directed to the dangerous condition of Yee Wo Str et at the corner of Mr. and alongside the site of the proposed new Kennedy's Horse Repository at Causeway Bay Laundry to be erected there; and to the fact that the south east boundary stone of the latter lot projects some six inches above the level of the ground and has been placed well nigh in the middle of the road; and to the fact that on the south side a drain has been dug of consi- derable depth, without any protection; and will why a state of matters dangerous to equestrians, the honourable member inform the Conneil bicyclists, or to any one driving along that road, is permitted to continue ?"
THE SHELI-COLLECTING CASES. The Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD announced that at the next meeting of the council he would move the following resolution:-That the Hon. the Colonial Secretary lay upon the table a copy of the Crown Leases granted last autumn and collecting of shells in and around Ping to the Lee Hing Company for the dredging Chau Island in the New Territory, asked for in my question of 15th February last. THE NEW TERRITORIES LAND COURT BILL.
The ATTORNɛy-General laid on the table
bis report as Chairman of the Standing Law Committee on the New Territories Land Court Bill. The report read as follows :—
The Chairman of the Standing Law Com- mittee regrets that, owing to the indisposition of one of the members, he is unable to give the certificate which would quable this Bill to be dealt with in the same manner as a Bill reported on by a Committee of the whole Copacil, under Standing Oorder No. 41. The Committee
kong Legislative Council
On the 15th inst, a meeting of the Hong-recommended a number of amendments, and Conucil Chamber at the Government Offices, was held in the
there being present :—
His EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR (Sir HENRY BLAKE, G.C.M.G.),
His FXCELLENCY Major-General GASCOIGNE, C.M.G. (Commanding the Troops).
The Hon. F. H. MAY, Č.M.G. Acting Colonial Secretary).
Hon. W. MEIGH GOODMAN (Attorney-Gene-
ral).
Hon. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Treasurer). Hon. R. D. ORMSBY (Director of Public Works).
Hou, C. P. CHATER, C.M.G.
Hon. Dr. Ho KAL
Hon T. H. WHITEHEAD. Hou. E. R. BELILIOS, C.M.G. Hou. WE A YOK.
Hon. A. W. BREWIN. Hon. H. C. NICOLLE.
Hon. J. J. KESWICK.
the Attorney-General accordingly drew a re- vised Bill incorporating in the main these Amendments as well as some others wbick he thought desirable. All the members of the Committee, except one, thereupon met again and went through the Bill as amended, olause by clause, and while approving of the amended Bill generally, recommended a further amendment of clause 16 so as to enable ap- plications for leave to appeal to be made to the Chief Justice, leaving the appeal, when such leave is granted, to be heard by the | Fall Court as provided in the Bill. The Com- mittee, moreover, did not like the wording of the clause as to fixing rents in cases of dis- puted ownership and wished this clause to be omitted or amended. The Attorney-General has, accordingly, incorporated such further amendments in the Bill hereto annexed, omitting the clause in question. It will, how- ever, be necessary for the Bill to be considered by the Committee of the whole Council, and Committee that the clauses so altered in the Bill as now amended be substituted for those
Mr. R. F. JOHNSTON (Acting Clerk of the Attorney-General will propose in such Councils).
A NEW MEMBER,
Mr. H. C. Nicolle took the oath of allegi- in the original Bill. ance as a member of the Council.
PAPERS,
The ACTING Colonial Secretary laid en the table the Coroner's returns for 1899 and the report of tho Superintendent of the Fire Bri- gade for the year 1899.
THE NEW TERRITORIES REGULATION ORDINANCE.
The ATTORNEY GENERAL begged leave to move the following resolution, of which he had given notice." Whereas by section 6 of 'I bo New Territories Regulation Ordinance (No. 12 of 1899), it was enacted that the said Ordinance should remain
of wayside traffic they do not pay. There "is some show of British gunboats, but only one has ever got more than fifty miles "above I-chang, and our officers know "nothing about the navigation of the upper river Altogether The Times' writer re- ceives a painful impression of a general slackness in British policy in the Far East, and of the sharply contrasted activity of other countries. This would have sounded far more satisfactory had we read it some twelve or eighteen months ago. As it is, we may perhaps trust that what we have known since within a few weeks of the granting of the Inland Waters Concession the home public is just beginning to under- stand through individual energy and enter- prise. But this should not make any one forget that there is a Cousular Service, part of whose work it is to do officially what Mr. WALTON has done privately. It would be disheartening, were we not so accustomed to the experience, to find that what we have been talking of for many mouths, if not for years, is treated as a rather surprising dis- covery at home. Should we take this as indicating that we have been talking to no effect for so long, and that the Governinent considers itself sufficiently well-informed by its Consular Service to be justified in put- ting aside, neatly tied up in red tape, the complaints of the non-official? We have
THE CONDITION OP TEE WO STREET. spoken before of the indifference of our Ser- that at the next meeting of the Council he The Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD announced vice in Paking and its apparent absorption' would ask the following question: Has the
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-If the Standing Law Committee had had the advantage of hav. ing all the members present, then under the Standing Orders we should have reported upon this Bill, and unless the Council was desirons it would have been unnecessary for the Council to go through the Bill clause by clause in com- mittee. As I have pointed out in my report, owing to the indisposition of one of the members, report that the Bill had been considered in its the Standing Law Committee were unable to present form clause by clause in the presence of all the members of the committee. There- fore it will be necessary that the whole Council in force for the period of one year from the
in committee should consider the Bill. This date of its coming into operation, and for such
is a very important Bill. It was brought for- further period of periods as might, from time November
ward for a first reading in the latter part of to time, be determined by resolution of the
After this it was read a second time Legislative Council: And whereas it is desir. The Standing Law Committee had several and referred to the Standing Law Committee. able that the said Ordinance should be continued sittings and they proposed a number of amend- in force for a further period of one year : is hereby resolved by this Counoil that the
ments. Some of those amendments necessitated New Territories Regulation Ordinance shall be Just at this stage of the proceedings Sir John the renumbering of the clauses of the Bill. continued in force for the further period of Carrington returned to the colony, and I re- year from the 18th day of April, 1900sumed my duties as Attorney-General. I (inclusive)."
ono
It
and the motion was carried.
The ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY secondəd
thought it would facilitate matters if I set to work and went through the Bill myself and, having the advantage of the amendments pro-
incorporated. 1 incorporated all these anggen. roared to redraft the Bill with the suggestions posed by the Standing Law Committee, erden-
tions as far as possible and made some other