318
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Chinese high school and other
improvements in educa
tional system....
20,000.00
27.000.00
Bacteriological Department 7,760,00
Victoria hospital
Ecclesiastical
Military expenditure A....
Sir
Public works, recurrent, chargeable to
general revenue
114,000.00
A meeting of the Legislative Council was held on the 20th inst. in the Council Chamber. Present:-
THE GOVERNOR,
HIS EXCELLENCY HENRY A. BLAKE, G.C.M.G.
Hon. Colonel L. F. BROWN, R.E. (Senior Officer Commanding the Garrison).
Hon. F. H. MAY (Colonial Secretary). Hon. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Treasurer). Hon. Commander R. M. RUMSEY, R.N. (Harbour Master).
Hon. W. CHATHAM (Director of Public Works).
Hon. F. W. CLARK (Medical (ffic r of Health).
Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, C.M.G. Hon. WEI A YUK.
Hon. C. S. SHARP.
Hon. C. W. DICKSON.
Hon. G. W. F. PLAYFAIR. Hon. R. SHEWAN.
Mr. C. CLEMENTI (Acting Clerk of Councils).
COMMITTEES.
HIS EXCELLENCYy-I find, gentlemen, that inadvertently, in naming the various Com. mittees. I removed from the Law Committee a gentleman who for several years has been ou it -the Hon. Wei A Yak. I suggest to keep him on the Law Committee and ask Mr. Playfair to take his place
the Public Works Committee, if he has no objections.
Hon. G. W. F. PLAYFAIR-Not at all, sir. I am only here for u short time anyway.
on
Public works, recurrent, chargeable to
water account......
*4
(October 25, 1902.
I say, credited to income; and these accounts are consequently misleading, because in one year you may have large land sales and at the en i of that year people will think the Colony's 178,967.60 | income is booming while it may not be so, 200.00 and the ordinary income may be perfectly 95,466.00 normal. In the same way with regard to capital expenditure, in one year there may be very large items-items for water-works, or expensive fancy sites for Government offices and all these swell the expenditure, whereas the ordinary expenditure may be per- fectly normal. In fact the position is a little chaotic. You may be likely to starve for necessities in the midst of plenty. That is the reason why I would ask the Government if they would not alter the accounts so as to keep the ordinary expenditure separate from what I have called-it may be a misnomer-capital expenditure and income. There are many cases, I am sure, in which requisitions have been declined on this score--that there was no meney. I am not one of those who think that the Colony is at all bankrupt, but if you have & heavy capital expenditure in one year it makes people think that the Colony is verging on bankruptcy when it may not be so. I think if I ask that a retara be made for the last ten years showing the difference between extraordinary and ordinary expenditure and income, it will support my argument.
51,000,00 Total increase $1,242,981.74 Deduct decrease 192,356.94 Not increase $950,621,80 * $120, 000 provided for in 1902 estimates. Nett in- crease, $341,371.80. With regard to the item 'exchange com. pensation," it is necessary to explain that the large sum mentioned is due (1) to the grant of exchange compensation on the whole of the salary instead of half at the beginning of this year, (2) to fall in exchange, and (3) to the fact that the exchange compensation due to each officer now appearson the estimates, whereas formerly only such sum was shown as was estimated to be sufficient to pay the exchange compensation due to officers in the Colony, the loss in exchange in paying the salaries of officers on leave in gold being debited at the end of the year to loss in exchange. The actual amount which will be paid this year in the Colony in exchange compensation is estimated at $334,000. The actual increase therefore is only $127,373.80. With regard to the items in the estimates which figure as "sterling salaries," I would beg leave to offer the following remarks. The suggestion to fix salaries in sterling emanated with the Governor of Singapore, the object being to grant an increase of salaries while at the same time effecting a compensating saving in leave pay The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and prior to July, 1897, are fixed at 1s. and and pensions, which for officers appointed
3s. 8d. to the dollar, and for officers ap- dollar. As the Secretary of State desires as pointed subsequent to that date at 3s. to the
far as possible to treat Hongkong as if it were one Service with the Civil Service in the THE TRAMWAY ORDINANCE. The COLONIAL SECRETARY-Sir, in the
Straits Settlements, the suggestion was referred to this Government, but, as was natural in absence of the Hon. Attorney-General, I beg
dealing with such a matter, coufidentially. more the second reading of the Bill While the matter was still under consideration, entitled an Ordinance to amend the Tramway Ordinance, No. 10 of 1902. The object of whole instead of half the salary of those officers the grant of exchange compensation on the the Ordinance is to afford protection to tele-entitled to it was made, with the concurrence graph cables and lines owned by the Admiralty of and War Departments as well as to such as may be owned by the Colonial Government.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
FINANCIAL.
the
The COLONIAL SECRETARY laid on table the report of the Finance Committee (No. 13), and moved its adoption.
the motion was carried. ·
PAPERS.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY laid on the table a return of Supplementary Votes taken to date during the current year.
to
The Council then went into committee on be Bill, and, there being no amendments, it was, when the Council resumed, read a third time and passed, on the motion of the COLONIAL SECRETARY, seconded by the COLONIAL
TREASURER.
THE ESTIMATES,
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-Your Exc 1. loucy has already explained to the Council that the ordinary expenditure will exceed the ordinary revenue by $131,206, and that the excess of public works extraordinary over land sales will bring the deficit up to $712,306. it is satisfactory to note, however, that the revenue, exclusive of land sales, is estimate to exceed the revised estimates of 1902 by $260,564. The estimated expenditure, however, for 1903, exclusive of public works extraor- dinary, exceeds the estimated expenditure for 1902 by $950,624.80. This large excess is made up as follows :—
Charge on account of public debt Pensions ............... Personal emoluments-
Exchange compensation Stipulated increments and in-
$ C. 461,373.80*
creases to salaries
15,087.07
Increase due to salaries being fixed in sterling, and to fall in exchange
52,101.12
New appointments $46,018.34
do. (plague staff) 51,393.00 116,95 +65 do. (Vic. hospital) 7,908.00
do. (Bacto. dept-) 11,631.31.
Items transferred from miscel-
Allowances
laneous services
Other charges→→
General
4 162.50
5,688.00
........... 81,567,60
Plague account ............................................. ....142,040.00
$27,585.00 20,400.00
655,363.14
+
|
|
The COLONIAL TREASURER-Any one who understands the accounts will see that the ordinary is kept apart from the extraordinary income, and so with the expenditure. Land sales are put down by themselves. It is very casily seen how much is ordinary and how much extraordinary revenue and expenditure in any one year.
As regards the return the Hon. Mr. Playfair asks for, I may say, sir, one has been already prepared and it will show all the items so that people reading them can easily under- stand them.
Playfair that revenue derived from land sales Hon. R. SHEWAN-I agree with Hon. Mr.
should be capitalised, because you are selling the future. It is not really revenue upon which you can count every year. With regard to the other points in the estimates, I believe that I shall be in order, sir, in criticising the revenue as well as the expenditure side?
HIS EXCELLENCY-Certainly.
Hon. Mr. SHEWAN. resuming, said-Then there is a suggestion I should like to make, the Unofficial Members of Council, and it is with reference to the report which was That was at the end of December last. The made by the Commission on Chair-coolies and in receipt of exchange compensation on a effect of such grant was that it placed offic.rs Ricksha coolies. If I am right, I understand the chair-coolies pay a fee of only $2 per annum sterling basis as regards their salaries. The whereas ricksha-coolies pay $72 per annum. I Secretary of State then adjusted the sterling would sugest that some revenue might be salary scheme, which was laid on the table of derived from increasing the fee of chair-coolies. Council at the first opportunity after its receipt The Commission reported-"The evidence also in the Colony. The effect of the scheme will shows that the coolie will pay a considerable sum be that ultimately, when all officers come under for the goodwill of a public ricksha."
Now, if it, a slight saving will be effected in salaries. in addition to paying $72 per annum he will pay The aggregate of the maxim of salaries a considerable sum for the goodwill of a ricksha, published in the scheme is £54,153, against it seems to me that the chair-coolie also should £55,438 for the dollar salaries of the same pay a considerable sum for his licence without officers, converted into sterling at 3s., the rate regard to the goodwill It was stated in at which exchange compensation is drawn. evidence that a chair-coolie could make from $60 Whether there will be a saving in pension and to $80 a month, and one coolie, I believe, admit- leave pay depends on whether the officers who ted that over and above his living expenses retain the privilege of 4s. and 3s. 8d. join he made a profit of $10 a month.
If that is so, the scheme; ultimately, as these officers die I quite see why no coolies care to do private off, there will be a saving. There will be chair work. If you offer them $9 a month to no increase in pensions where there is no pay for living expenses while outside they can increase in salary, for the sterling pension on a get $10 over their living expenses, there is no dollar salary at 33. will be found to be the sane inducement for them to work for private people; rate as the sterling pensions on a sterling so I would suggest that you should raise the salary of equivalent value. With these few fees of public chair-coolies very largely, that remarks, I beg to move the second reading of the there may be less inducement for them to work Bill, and when the Bill has been read I will publicly and more inducement for them to go move that it be referred to the Finance Com with private people. As for the official salaries, mittee, when any further explanations or in- I have never been one of those who object to in- formation that may be desired will be given. crease of salaries. I quite agree that you should Hon. G. W. F. PLAYFAIR-I should like, pay good salaries for good men, and I do not sir, to take exception to the principle on which think that the salaries put down in the estimates the Colonial accounts are based. For years
are at all too large, but I cert iuly think the past what may be called capital expenditure-Government should ୫୧୫ they get good that is to say, re-productive expenditure-has work in return. The only objection I been debited to revenue, making this present make 10 tl is item is that I do not generation pay for future generations. imi- larly with land sales, they have been credited to income, and some years ago they were very heavy. The proceeds of these sales, instead of being credited to outstanding indebtedness and to directly pay for capital expenditure, were, as
agree that the salaries should be paid in sterling. The currency and revenue of this Colony are in silver dollars, and I do not think you should take any cognisance of any other currency. If you like, have your currency in the Colony in sterling and then