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202
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was held on the 14th instant in the Council
Chamber:
PRESENT :- HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR MATTHEW NATHAN, K.C.M.G.
HON. COLONEL L. F. BROWN (Commanding the Troops).
Hon. F. H. MAY, C.M.G. (Colonial Secretary). Hon. E. H. SHARP, K.C. (Attorney-General). Hon. L. A. M. JOHNSTON (Colonial Treasurer).
Hon. A. W. BREWIN (Registrar-General). Hon. Captain L. A. W. BARNES-LAWRENCE, R.N. (Harbour Master).
Hon. P. N. H. JONES (Director of Publio Works).
Hon. Sír C. P. CHATER, C.M.G. Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, C.M.G.
Hon. WEI A YUK.
Hon. R. SHEWAN,
Hon. GEESHOM STEWART.
Hon. W. J. GRESSON.
Mr. S. B. C. Ross (Clerk of Councils).
TAKING THE OATH.
Colonel Lonis Faulkner Brown, as Senior Military Officer in Command of H. M.'s Regular Corps, Mr. Ernest Hamilton Sharp. K.C. and Mr. Gershom Stwart were duly sworn and took their seats as members.
FINANCIAL.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY laid on the table Financial Minutes (Nos. 41 to 47) and moved that they be referred to the Finance Committee. The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was adopted. IMPORTATION AND INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, The COLONIAL SECRETARY moved the following amendment of bye-laws made under section 16 of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance, 1903: The Bye-law No. 1 under the heading "Importation and Inspection of Animals' has been amended and reads as follows:-No cattle, swine, sheep or goats shall be landed at Blake Pier, Queen's Statue Wharf or Murray Pier, and no such animal shall be landed at any wharf in Kowloon except the Police Wharf at Yaumati, and swine at the Hanghom Pier opposite the Slaughter-house. No such animal shall be landed at any wharf whatever between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL Seconded, and the motion was agreed to. SISTERS' QUARTERS AT THE CIVIL HOSPITAL. The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS laid on the table the following report of proceedings of the Public Works Com- mittee at a meeting held on the 19th July.
The Chairman, Hon. P. N. H. Jones, said that, at Sir Paul Chater's request, which was made at the last meeting of the Committee held on the 12th inst., he had asked for an explana. tion of the position from the Government, and the following statement, which he read out, made it quite clear:-The correspondence shows clearly that the Nursing Institute dis sociated itself from the Government Nursing Establishment altogether, and shows that Government offere i to build a four-roomed house for the nurses of the private institution (Hongkong Nursing Institution), but that no site was fixed on. Subsequently the Hongkong Nursing Institution obtained a grant of $12,000 in lieu of the provision of such quarters, and there the matter rests. The Government has not promised any particular site to the Hong. kong Nursing Institution. Sir Paul Chater said it was as well to have this on record. The Chairman then put to the vote the matter of the extension of the present Government Civil Hospital Staff Quarters for the sisters, at an estimated cost of $26,000, and it was unani- mously agreed to.
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THE REVISED ORDINANCES. The ATTORNEY-GENEBAL Moved as follows: "Resolved that the thanks of the Council be conveyed to Sir John Worrell Carrington, CMG formerly Chief Justice of Hongkong, for his services in carrying through and completing the revised edition of the Colony's Ordinances." He said-Sir, I have very great pleasure in proposing this resolution_standing in my name, that the thanks of the Council be
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[September 19, 1904.
1. The matter is one for the discretion of the Magistrate acting as Coroner. Ordinance No. 5 of 1888, section 7, provides that in cases of sudden or violent death the Magistrate may, if he considers an inquiry to be necessary, inquire into the cause of death either with or without « jury, and make such order with regard thereto as he shall consider necessary.
2. The facts are as stated. An inquest has been held.
3. The European police are instructed in cases of illness or accident to send for the nearest surgeon or to convey the sufferer to hospital. The Indian and Chinese police are instructed to convey any person whom they may find dangerously wounded, seriously ill, or suffering from any grave accident, to liospital and to report the matter.
conveyed to Sir John Carrington for the ex-injured people whom they may pick up? cellent work he has done in the revised edition The COLONIAL SECRETARY=replied as fol- of the Ordinances. It is difficult to realise the lows:---- amount of care and judgment and labour which is involved in a work such as this. Sixty years' Ordinances have had to be considered, and all those Ordinances which have expired by time, or which have been expressly repealed, or which have accomplished their purpose-all Of the rest those have had to be omitted. large numbers relating to the same subject have been collected and consolidated, and for the purpose of consolidation have often had to be to some extent amended. Naturally this work has taken time. I think the Council authorised the revision in 1900. Hon. members who were in the Colony with Sir John Carrington will remember what a large part of his leisure he devoted to the undertaking. Since his retirement he has given two years of his leisure at home to its completion. But it has been no doubt to Sir John Carrington A labour of love. His only possible return will be the public-spirited pleasure of doing a useful work and serving this Colony. Sir, I do not think we should forget the wish he expressed when he volunteered to do this work. He said he thought when the Ordinances had once been thoroughly revised that they should be kept up to date by a new edition about every ten years. Considering the growing needs of this Colony, and the unavoidable amount of new legislation, I do not think ten years is too short a period. No doubt the work in future will be compara. tively light with this foundation to build upon, as Sir John Carrington has had the system to evolve and all the Ordinances to deal with, whereas future editors have the lines laid down and only new enactments to consider. This was fortunate, as the Colony could not hope to find a succession of editors as competent and as ready to give their services as Sir John Carrington. (Applause.)
TREE-CUTTING,
Hon. R. SHEWAN also asked the following questions :-
1. Is the tree-cutting at present going on on the Island of Hongkong authorised by Government ?
2. If so, will the Government give its reasons for such tree-catting?
The COLONIAL SECRETARY replied as follows 1. Yes.
2. The tree-cutting is part of the scheme of forestry by which the Government intend to maintain for future generations the same ad- vantages as are now enjoyed by the present one from the beauty, salubrity, water conser- vancy and timber productionof the pine plants- tions. If the mature trees were not gradually replaced by young ones these advantages would soon be lost. The methods employed are those usually practised for the maintenance of closely planted coniferous forest. In order to plant it is necessary to fell, but every possible con- The COLONIAL SECRETARY- Sir, in second-sideration will be paid each year to the interests
of the residents at the time. ing this resolution, I can only say that hon, mem- bers, or at any rate many of them have, in the course of their avocations, to make daily refer- ences to the Ordinances, and will no doubt appreciate the great debt of gratitude they owe to Sir John Carrington for the work he has done. (Applause.).
The resolution was carried unanimously.
THE TRAMWAYS. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved as follows:- Resolved that until further notice the Hongkong Tramway Electric Co., Ltd.. shall provide the following number of cars every morning and evening, at such hours not being | later than 7 a.m. or earlier than 5.30 p.m. as the Company shall think most convenient, for artisans, mechanics and daily labourers, at fares not exceeding 2 cents for the single journey and 3 cents for the return journey :-
Morning.
From Kennedy Town to the Central
Market
2 Cars From Quarry Bay to the No. 2
Police Station
Erening.
From the Central Market to Kennedy
Town
From the No. 2 Police Station to
Quarry Bay
FIRST READINGS, On the motion of the ATTorney-GenerAL, seconded by the COLONIAL SECRETARY, the following Bills were read a first time: -A Bill entitled an Ordinance to amend the Wild Birds and Game Preservation Ordinance, 1885; a Bill entitled an Ordinance for enabling the Tung Wa Hospital to acquire, hold, mortgage and sell land and hereditaments in the Colony of Hongkong; a Bill entitled an Ordinance to amend the Prepared Opium Ordinance, 1891; A Bill entitled an Ordinance to amend the Pro- tection of Women and Girls Ordinance, 1897.
INTERNMENT OF REFUGEES. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled an Ordinanc› to regulate the internment of refugees belonging to the Russian and Japanese forces.
The COLONIAL SEÖBETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
The ATTORNey-General then moved the suspension of Standing Order No. 38 so that He the Bill might now be read a second time. said-Sir, the objects and reasons attached to this Bill will show it is one of urgency although
2 Cars the Bill is purely formal in character. Some refugee combatants being in the Colony, it is 4 desirable that regulations should at once be
made regarding their internment.
He said-Sir, this resolution is to decide the number of workmen's cars which, for the present, the company shall run every morning and evening. The Court is empowered to do this by the Tramway Ordinance."
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the resolution was agreed to.
PAPERS.
The COLONIAL Secretary laid on the table the Report on the Assessment for 1904-5 and a Report by the Government Bacteriologist on Plague.
THE RECENT FATAL ACCIDENT IN PRAYA EAST,
Hon. G. Stewart asked:
1. Under what circumstances are coroner's inquests dispensed with?
2. Is it the case as stated in the public papers that a member of the community was picked up injured on Tuesday night, the 2nd August, and placed in a cell at the Police Station, where he was left for the night with out medical aid being called for, and that he died the next day?
3. What standing instructions have the Police as to calling in medical assistance for
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
The Bill was then reed a second time, and after passing through Committee was read a third time and passed.
The objects and ressons attached to the Bill are:-The object of this Bill is the regulation, in accordance with the principles of interns- tional law, of the internment of any person belonging to the forces of Russia or Japan who, during the present war between those countries, may seek refuge under the British jurisdiction, and may come within this Colony. The immediaté occasion for the Bill is that certain officers and men of the Russian torpedo boat destroyer-Burni (which was lately strand- ed on the coast of China) sought refuge at Wei-hal-wei, and came thence to Hongkong, and are now interned here in accordance with the principles aforesaid, and with the instruc. tions of the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
THE OPIUM AMENDMENT BILLEY The ATTORNEY-GENERAL before introdu. cing the Opium Bill mentioned among the
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