December 7, 1901.]
Registrar-General's Office, Hongkong, 19th November, 1901. Sir,-The cutting off of the water supply for the greater part of the day causes, as His Excellency is no doubt aware, serious iucon venience to very many persons.
2. From 1897 to 1990 I lived in Caine Road, and the crowds of Chinese who obtained water from a hydrat placed at the corner of Peel Street and Caine Road shewed that the inhabit- ants of the houses in the neighbourhood did | pot receive enough water through the pipes laid on to their houses. When there was no water to be obtained from the hydrant the Chinese used to draw it from the drain which runs down Peel Street. I do not know where the water in the drain came from, but it was
very dirty.
3. On one occasion no water reached the house in which I was living for 48 hours, and a house in the near neighbourhood was frequently without water for longer periods.
4. There are many four-story houses in- habited by Chinese in which the water never reaches the top story, and the people living there are dependent upon the complaisanos of their neighbours for water.
5. It is hardly to be expected that the im- provement in the water-supply will keep pace with the increase of population, and I submit that the inconvenience caused by these recur- rent water-famines, which may reasonably be regarded as inevitable, is so great and so wide spread that permanent measures should be taken. to reduce it as far as possible.
6. I venture to suggest, but with all defer ence as I have no expert knowledge of the subject, that an increase in the number of street hydrants would be of some effect in procuring a fairer distribution of the water available.-
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
A. W. BEEWIN;
Registrar-General.
Minute by the Director of Public Works. Honourable COLONIAL SECRETARY,—
It is undoubtedly the case that many top floors of houses do not obtain a supply of water under the intermittent system, being deprived of it by their neighbours on the lower floors, who draw it all off before it can rise to the top floors. The same thing happens as regards the houses situated on the upper levels being deprived of water by those on the lower levels, and it is well-nigh impossible to prevent this.
To provide street fountains in considerable numbers, in addition to having water laid on to the houses, would mean a greater consumption and waste, and would almost inevitably cause a more frequent or more prolonged application of the intermittent system than at present.
Given the rainfall, our waterworks are about adequate for the wants of the City.
The rainfalls of the pst four years have formed an exceptionally low series:-
1898 1899 1900 1901 to date.
M
inches 57 723 733 54. but notwithstanding this, the intermittent supply has only been in force for 52 days in 1899 and 15 days in 1909. The rainfall this year is no less than 30 inches below the average, and but little has fallen-since August 19th.
I do not, therefore, consider it advisable to adopt extensive temporary measures such as are proposed by the Honourable Registrar-Goneral.
W. C.
Minute by the Governor. Honourable COLONIAL SECRETARY,-
I should like to know from the D.P.W. if there are any means by which the grave incon- veniences cansed by the intermittent supply can be lessened, without unduly increasing the danger of exhausting our water supply before the next rainy season.
H. A. B.
Minute by the Director of Public Works. Honourable COLONIAL SECRETARY,-
In reply to His Excellenoy's query, I would point out that the difficulties in the way of ensuring a supply of water to all houses in a City such as this, under the intermittent system, are very great.
To begin with, the houses in the City vary in level to the extent of 600 feet and at the
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Peak 800 feet. The maius are of comparatively small diameter, being designed for a constant supply, and the resultis that the houses on a lower level are able to draw off the whole supply and thus prevent water reaching those on a bigher level.
The water, in passing to the low-level zone of the City is employed in working motors to pump up the supply to the high-level zone. When the constant system of supply is in force, practically the whole of the water supplied to the lower level zone is used in working the motors, but, when the intermittent system is in force, the bulk of the water has to be allowed to flow through bye-passes, without working the motors, which are too slow in their action to allow the large quantity required to pass through them. Consequently, the motors can only pump a very limited quantity under exist- ing conditious.
Fortunately, the steam pumping-engine, which is used for the Peak supply, can be utilised instead, otherwise the high levels would be practically without water.
From what I have stated, it will be gathered that the intermittent system involves much arrangement and trouble to get it into proper working order, and this has been the greater on this occasion on account of the personnel of the staff employed in connection with water- works having been entirely changed within the past two years. There is also the fact that enormous extensions of the City have recently 'been made both on the high and low levels.
Every endeavour has been made to ensure a supply to all houses, with, I believe, large, though evidently not complete, success.
The case of Mr. C. S. Sharp, which recently appeared in the newspapers, well illustrates the difficulties I have represented, as a neighbour of his, whose house is closel. adjoining and at a higher level, I am informed, received a share of water daily.
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461
He said-With reference to the motion I may mention that the object of [the amendments sought to be effected by (a) and (b) is to do away with the distinction between general and special meetings. There seems to be no plausible reason for keeping up that distinction. With rega.d to (c) amendment in rule and order 9, it is only in consouance with the practice that has been carried out in this Council. It has not been the practice of the Council to have the orders of the day read. With regard to paragraph (d) of the motion, that simply improves the language in rule and order 10.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
STATUTE LAW REVISION, The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled An Ordinance to amend the Statute Law Revision Ordinance, 1901.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
+3
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The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I beg to move that the standing rules and orders of the Council be suspended in order to enable the Bill which has just boon read a first time to be carried through all its stares at this meeting of the Council. The Statute Law i evision Qr. dinance 29 of 1901, was drafted mainly by Sir John Carrington, but I think that notwith- standing the very great care which he always displays in the draf ing of any measures there has just crept in an amount of ambiguity which it is desirable to remove by the present Bill. In clause 5 of Ordinance 29 of 1901, it is enacted that all enactments passed before the commencement of the Magistrates Ordinance, 19, be repealed. The doubt which has arisen is as to the meaning of the word "enactments in section 5. Of course enactments" either to the whole Ordinance or some particular may refer enacting part of it, and undoubtedly it was the intentionof the draughtsman of this Bill that this particular section should only cover that part of the Ordinance which enacted the method of procedure in the recovery of a fine or the imposition of a penalty or prescribed a period of impris nment, as the case might be. It has been pointed out to me that there is just that doubt as to the meaning of the word enact- ments," and it is very desirable to remove that doubt owing to the fact that some of the most important of our criminal laws in force in this In the case of tenement houses, the landlords Colony would come within the meaning of the should insist upon the ground-floor tenants word "enactments," assuming the word "enact contenting themselves with a reasonable allow-ment to be considered by the Court as refer- ánce of water so that the upper floor tenants may stand a chance of obtaining some.
Judging from the diminution in the number of complaints reaching me, I infer that the arrangements are now working well. I regret that I should have appeared to treat complaints with indifference or discourtesy, but it would have been impossible for me to reply to them without almost entirely neglecting my numerous other duties.
With regard to Belilios and other Terraces, from which complaints have also appeared in the papers, the difficulties I have referred to are. aggravated by the fact that. in most cases, all the houses are supplied through one service, the result being that those served first, obtain all the available supply and prevent it reaching their neighbours. I have given instructions for a fountain to be fixed in this case in order to enable the upper honses to obtain some water.
W.
ALTERATION OF STANDING ORDERS.
C.
ring to the whole of the Ordinances and not merely their enacting parts dealing with the mode of procedure as regards the recovery of a fine or penalty or the imposi- tion of a period of imprisonment. It is for that reason that the standing rules and orders should be suspended in order to enable this Bill to pass through al its stages at this meeting of the Council.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
The Council then went into Committee and
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENENAL submitted considered the Bill clause by clause. the following motion :-
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On the motion of the ACTING ATTORNEY-
That the Standing Rules and Orders of thisENERAL, seconded by the COLONIAL SECRE- Council made in pursuance of Article XIX of the Royal Instructions of the 19th day of TARY the second and third readings were carried. January, 1888, and dated the 9 h day of June, 1896, and amended by the Legislative Council on the 11th day of June, 1900, be further amended as follows:-.
(a.). That the present Rules and Orders 1 and 2 of the said Rules and Orders be omitted and that the following Rule be substituted therefor to be numbered 1: The meetings of the Legislative Council shall be held on such day and hour as shall from time to time be ordered by the Governor "; and that the subsequent Standing Rules and Orders be renumbered accordingly.
(b.) That the present Rule and Order 3 be amended by deleting the word "special" before the word "meeting."
B'ETHS AND DEATHS EGISTRATION. The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-With regard to the next item, Second reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinance to amend the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance, 1896," I do not propose to proceed with that item to-day. There is a question in connection with that Ordinance now under consideration.
.
LAW RELATING TO DANGEROUS GOODS,
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I beg to move the second reading of the Bill entitled an Ordinance to further amend the Law relating to Dangerous Goods. The objects and reasons for this Bill have been circulated among hon. members.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded and the (c.) That the present Rule and Order 9 bemotion was agreed to. amended by deleting the words" After which The Council then went inte Committee on the the orders of the day shall be read by the Clerk." | Bill. ·
(d.) That paragraph 5 of the present Rule and Order 10 be amended by inserting the words "on receipt" between the word "shall" and the word "be" and by substituting the words, "of the Council," for the words " receipt," after the word "Clerk."
Qu
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On resuming, the Bill was read a third time on the motion of the ACTING ATTORNEY- GENERAL, seconded by the COLONIAL SEĆRE- TAEY.
The object of clause 2 of this Bill is to in. clude phosphorus amongst dangerous goods, and