સિદ્ધ ક
August 15, 1903.1
162
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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121
that petition was sent to the Secretary of State | wick's report. Mr. Chadwick's report was a long- by the Officer Administering the Government. with his remarks upon both the Ordinance and petition of the Chinese hous holders his been one and I fn 1 in Section 13 he says: --“Since the the patition. O the 3rd of September the under consideration a telegram has been received signed petition was seat forward by the to the effect that the Chinese community! Off or Administering the Government wi ha despatch which said that it was sigsed and I suggested when last in Hongkong to mit
to ridļr-maios. This is an arringsment whic practically unanimously supported by the the evils of the intermittent supply of water. pricipal Uhiness landownɔ 8, merchants, traders, | always serious, but more so when the systen and shopkeepers, O the 6th of Sptembr another despatch was forwar led conveying the
of distributory pipes is not as in the present suggestion that an amount of money should be distibution." Taen be summarised the advan- oise expressly designed for this system of water authorised for the purpose of supplying strast tages of the rider-main system and iu Section 18 fountains, but that if the Bill which hil boon he say "I cannot remember whether seut home was not approved, that money had any part in drafting the Ordinance would not be required. I returned to the Colony in question, as regards the text at least. ou the 9th of September, and on my return the papers were sent up to me simply for my ioform. During the latter part of my visit. I was fully
Its date is subsequent to my departur atiou. I saw that an Ord nincs-this Water employed in Ordinaucs-had been passel, and I thought it S.mpson and other officers of Government in conjunction with Profess12 was au excellent Ordiusace. I did not real it, the chaid ration of the Sanitary and Buildings and know nothing more than that it was an Ordinance for the purpose of preventing waste admit that the ena tment, if I am responsible Ordin lao 14. Ba this as it may, I am free to of water. On the 31st of October I received the for its draughts nanship, is lacking in precision." elegram:-" Referring to your despatch No. Again in Sectio 1 23 6981ys: “I observs that 393 and 4 14 (despitches by the Officer Adminis- the petitioners accept the rider-min system, a tering the Government. I consider that in resolution which is confirmed by telegram. I view of the influential signatures action will recommend that immediate steps b taken to be suspended. It is my intention to consult introduos it at the earliest possible date. Mr. Chadwick and Prof. Simpson. Is compro. mis possible? Please forward your views the evils of th, intermittent systoni, sud Its affect will be two-fold It will mitigate Well, now, I think that on the last occasio 1 on secondly, it will be a permanent improvement which H. E. the General Officer Commanding inasmuch as it will facilitate the detection of the Troops spok's on this subject, he sail the answer to that telegram should have baan "No; voluntary introduction of msters Any tens waste. Tuirdly, it will grantly facilitate the for we know no other way of preventing wiste but the way recommended by Mr. Chadwick seas may ramia connected with the prin
ment wishing for a constant supply at all. the expert you yourself sent out." I almire cipil main. It might eve be well; to giva firmness very much, and I have no doubt it is a instructions to oa ry out th, ri lər-majas withou: very pleasant feeling to uw and again to by able waiting for the submission of this report or for, to call the tune while your neighbour pigs the its triusmiss on to the Colony." Now, as is piper. For the first tim, after I re oived that usual, those pipars ward lid on the table despatch. I got a copy of the Oeliuus) and for the information of the members of the I examined the Ordinance, I examined the Ex outive Council, ba, as I s id, this had been petition, and I examined Mr. Chadwick's report hung up pending the raply to these reports of the 10th April, and I did not think that the sad despacha. Tas the mitter got into answer should b," No," bзonuss, having re d the the hands of the D.rector of Public Works. Ordinance for the fist time, and als bea for the purpose of consi lering how the principle other documents, I came to the conclusion that of the rider-mains cɔu'd best be adoptel; sad a compromise was desirable, very desirable. I it was not until the month of August that it communicated with the Chinese community, and on the 14th of November the representa
cam› back and was in point of fact re.dy for consideration by the Exeontire Council: Now tives of the Chinese met, and they forwarded to in ordinary cases it would have been considered 19 the following resolution: Resolve 1.- by me in Executive Council and it was so in- That this meeting approve of the syst mtended but was brought on here with other Bills of rider-mains; (2) that the cost and expeuse that were ready for this Council; an in in connection wi h the laying of rider the face of such raporis as thee, I have mains be met by a special tax on the landowners no doubt in my mind and I think I am safo of Chines houses, and that the increased cost in saying, the Excutive Council wou'd have of maintaining such service be met by accepted the principles so clearly laid down by Mr. Chadwick. I share in the surprise of His Excellency the Major-General Command- ing the Troops at the apparently sudden ohinge to thess rider mains. At the same time I in he feelings of Mr. Chadwick with reference
cannot go beyond the fact that in the letter of 10th April he had recommended these rider-msins and that it was from his, recommendation that the original petition hal been framed. I think it right to tell you so much, because I think it is wall to make
not see any necessity for its being taken out of my position in this parfectly clear. I do the hands of the Legislativa Cutoil sad I simply put the motion that the Bill be read- a second time.
eventually after about half-a-dozen meetings, those members who were against it came roun1 and gave their adhesion to it and then it ! passed to the Ləgislative Council with the result, I think I am sife in saying-I am speking from memory-that, imma lately, the Legislative Council, knowing that it had been thrashed out most thoroughly in the Executive Council, were willing to let it go freely and without opposition. Then I think I am right in saying that yur Excellency your self when you came bick the Colony described it as a most excellent Bill. The present Bill came to me the other day and Its first reading was an absolute surprise, as I had happened not to have looked at it. I got an order for the Council to assemble 48 hours before it did assemble and I happened to look over the orders of the day only a few hours before the Council. Then I read with surprise that the Bill was to be read a first time, doing away with a Bill which I had taken a vast deal of interest in and without my kn wing a single thing about it. The coas quence was I was in a dilemma. I got up. Perhaps I wis out of order; the Attorney-General said I was out of order speaking on the first reading and must make a motion and in order therefore to do so I moved that the Bill be not read a first time, not with the view of stifling discussion, which has been one thing I have had always in my mind, but to give as free and full a discussion as I can; and I simply had no other way I knew of to attract the attention of the Council to the extraordinary words that Mr. Chatwick spoke to me in my house last year. I was really under the belief that the Council was unaware of these words. It was after the CouncI had passed the first reading that for the first time I received the whole papers connected with it. I saw that much that I rose to say I should not have said. I saw that a number of suggestions I hal made -that the matter should be passed to Mr. Chadwick and Professor Simpson-had been adopted, but I was absolutely uniware of thes, and although I studied in the short time these papers that were sent to me and read every word of them I cannot say that I have thorough- ly grasped it yet. And it is a subject which I must say is a most important one for Hong- kong. Perhaps, having gone through that anxious time as I did, I may exaggerate the importance of it. I am just about to leave the Colony and it cannot affect me personally, but all I can say is that the matter of the waste of water, in this tricky climate, and in view of theprecarion, curious way that the seasons do not follow one another, depending as we do on rain-water, there is no subject we can bring before the Council that is of the sime im portance; and therefore I respect ully say that before it goes into the second reading I would like to propose as an amendment that it ba postponed until it can be thoroughly discussed in the Executive Council as I should like, myself, to ask several questions that I think bear upon it and would be better asked in the Executive Council than here. When it has passed the Executive Council, then send it to the Legislative Council, and, whether they go in for it or not, they will have the feeling that it has been passed by a number of men, among whom the unofficial members are repre- sented, who are in possession of facts which the Legislative Council are unable to use. I do ot know whether anybody will becon.l me, but the amendment I propose is that the se ond reading of this Bill be postponed until the whole Bill can be discussed therughly by the Executive Council,
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permanent tax of 1 per cent. an the rateable value of Chines; houses'; (3) that should the owners of Europ an hues desire to adopt rider-mins, they should pay a special tax; an I (4) should owners of property refuse to pay a special tax and adopt the rider-main system, they should be band to adopt the meter system." Well, when I received that resolution, I forwarded telegram to the Secretary of State, saying that the Chinese community agreed to the adoption of the rider-main system, the entire expanse being borne by owners of property affected, and that I considered this system silisfactory, The matter was then hung up. We waited for communication from home. The first communication recsivel fron hom was re- ceived
in the month of March. 'Tant communication was enclosing Mr. Chadwick's report. I may say that a month later we The amendment was not seconded,
received a despatch enclosing previous HIS EXCELLENCY-Although no one has letters from Mr. Chadwick from the Crowe seconded the amendment proposed by H.E. the Agents through whom the matter was referred General Officer Commanding the Troops, still to him for report, and this is his letter, written I think it is as well to place the Council in on 12th February: -"In reply to you letter of possession of the facts of my position in this yesterday's date, 1 have the honour to state that matter, regarding which there is some mis- I am engaged in writing my report on the conception. Undoubtedly the usual course Hongkong Water Ordinance and that I hope with this Bill would be to place it before to have it completed in the course of the Executive Council, and I may tell you that as a matter of fact the papers have already been before every member of the Executive Council, who are all here. However, I should like to tell you in as few words as I can, what has taken place with regard to this Bill. On the 29th of August a petition was sent forward in referenos to the Ordinance of last year. unsigned copy of
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The motion was agreed to.
The Bill was left in the Com pitte stage.
EXPORTATION OF LIVE STOCK.
The ATTO NY-GENERAL Moved the second reading of the Bill entitled an Ordinance to provide for the Regaliton of the Export of Cattle and other Live Stock from the Colony. He said-This Bill is the result of represen tions that have been mad as to cruelties, whether intentional or not, inflicted on cattle and other live stock in the course of their transport from this Colony to p'anes outside tiry Colóny aby ships and vessels trading betweɔn this Colony and other ports. The object of the Bill in to ensure that arrangments shill bɔ made whereby the sufferings of cattle and other liva exported from this Colony shall be lessened såd so far as possible minimited“ „The Bill provides that the regulations which will ausot tis export of these animals from this Colony' may be made by the “Governor in-Connoif" in such msuner and at such tims 3 as may 50303-
week or so. I may say that the Ordinance as it stands is not ons to which the Royal assent should be given, anl with your permission I will consider the alterations that are necessary to make it a really workable enact- ment. I doubt whether any time will te gained by submitting a report on the Ordinance with out some suggestions as to its amendment." The other document I received was Mr. Chad