148
*
[September 8, 1906.
This year I had hoped to
it on the 6th. As members are aware the tenders for the Opium Farm were, however, only opened on the 31st August and as the revenue to be derived from the Opium Farm affected considerably the estimates for the coming year it was necessary to carefully reconsider these estimates and to delay for a week the intro Iuction of "the Supply Bill. Another bill which will be introduced later is the Prepared Opium Bill in substitution of the one passed in 1904. The oll Ordinance will be repealed and re-enacted so as to include morphine under its provisions and also with a provison to enable Government to have some check on the importation of that drug. Later on, it is proposed to introduce a new the Trades Marka Ordinance, to transfer registration of trade marks from the Colonial Secretary's office to that of the Registrar of the Supreme Court, to which offles it more strictly pertains and at the same time to introduce certain modifications into the Ordinance which have been introduced into
Act based ou the Home
the decisions of judges in the Courts at hom. Lastly, Widows so i it is proposed to introdnes a Orphans Pension Fuad Ordinance. Members will remember that I promised such Ordinsace this time last year. It was then intended to transfer the fund from the directors who now administer it as a separate fund to the Government and to merge it in the general accounts of the Colony. This proposal did not find favour with those partionlarly interested in the fund. 'The Bill which will be introduced this session does not transfer the fand. It simply introduces some provisions which will be favourable to those who con.
tribute to it.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
displayed, we read, a truly remarkable; time to-day the first, an ordinance to amend the addition to these six bills I shall ask the Couuoil indifference to the financial situation Code of Civil Procedure, has been introduced at to pass during the_present session the Supply
Bill for 1937. in South Africa after the peace; the the desire of the Chief Justice. His Honour
Last year the correspond- bill was introduced on the 7th Directorate of Supplies was characterised by originally suggested that in place of an ordin- ing "inexcusable carelessness and extraordinary should be passed to empower the judges to make introduce
ance amending certain parts of the Code one | September. ineptitude,"; and the Pay Department was amendments from time to time. Remembering deplorably unintelligent--a sentiment that having read of the satisfaction with which the man in the street expresses much more the present Ordinance was received in 1901 ng tersely. Laxity which perhaps only the giving some finality to this Code, the class feeling saved from being called by recommendation of the Chief Justice did not another name--amounting in one case to a
seem to ine one to be followed, and I ascertained | breach of "the spirit and letter of the that this was also the opinion of the legal pro- fession in the Colony: they considered it would KING's Regulations cost the ation an
be better that any amendments necessary unnecessary million pounds. The commis- should be made by direct legislation. Of sioned officers of the Supply Department, the necessity for amendments contained it seems to us, will hardly breathe freely in the bill now before you. I am scarcely because the "widespread corruption on a able to judge as they are of so technical minor scale" was attributed to the N.C.O's; A nature, but the bill will be referred before that state of things could exist, there in due course to the Law Committee who will must have been gross neglect on a major with regard to it that they might receive from no doubt pay attention to any representations scale amongst their own number. Lord
the barristers and solicitors of the Colony. KITCHENER, whose example to the British The second bill, an Ordinance to amend the officers generally almost inclines us to Lunacy Ordinance of 1906, is merely to effect a hero-worship, selected Major ARMSTRONG verbal alteration, directed by the Secretary of as Financial Adviser to prevent waste and State, on the bill recently passed. The words High Court of Judicatare were employed extravagance. Major ARMSTRONG found difficulties put in his path, and asked to instead of "Supreme Court of Jadiosture," have his position regularized. The Com-hich ought to have been used. The bill for amending the Merchant Shipping Ordinance of mission reports that if his request had 1899 consists of two effective clauses, of which received attention, there would probably the first is to prevent junks or launches have been no occasion for any enquiry. lying alongside or off ships without the But the War Office-that inept aggregation | permission of the master in the same way of influential incapables-obstructed in all
they are now prevented from lying sorts of ways the men it should have crowned alongside or off wharves without the permission with bays; and insisted in foisting in one
The second provision of the bill is intended to revise the junk regulations 90 88 officer, lacking both experience and capacity, to lessen the attendance of junk inssters at the on the ground of "
"Seniority It seems & Harbour Office and generally to simplify pity that Mr. HALDANE, instead of abolishing the procedure ia connection with the Guards, did not think of abolishing the various permits that junk masters are War Office and its menagerie of pets whose required to possess. At the same time it "sheer stupidity", the Times thinks, was
is proposed to do away with the system of perhaps worse for the nation than intelligent believed to give rise to irregularities prejudicially securities that at present prevails, as it is dishonesty would have been.
affecting the Chinese junk masters When the bill comes up to be read a second time the Harbour Master no doubt will give a full explanation of its provisions. The bill for the amendment of the New Territories Land Ordinance is for the purpose of making a claim for real "s proceeding relating to land" so as to give the Land Officer exclusive jurisdiotion in cases of such claims under $500. The Land Officer has all the records at his disposal and bas a personal acquaintance with the district and with the ways and customs of its inhabitants, It was the intention of the original Ordinance that he should have this jurisdiction, but it was held in a recent case that claims for rent were not proceedings relating to land and so did not come under the provisions of the New Territories Land Ordinance of 1905. It is now desired to bring them under the provisions of that Ordinance. The object of the bill for the transfer of certain sums forming nart of the Praya B Hon. Mr. W. Chatham (Director of Publicclamation Fund to the General Revenua is to Works).
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council was held on the 6th instant in the Council Chamber at 2.30 p.m.
PRESENT:-
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR MATTHEW NATHAN, K.C.M.G.
Hon. COLONEL DARLING, R.E. (General Officer Commanding the Troops).
Hon. Mr. T, BERCOMBE SMITH (Colonia Secretary).
Hon. Sir H. S. BERKELEY, K.C. (Attorney. General).
Hon. Mr. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Trea- surer).
Hon. Captain L. A. W. BARNES-LAWRENCE, R.N. (Harbour Master).
Hon. Dr. Ho Kâi, M.B., C.M., C.M.G.
Hon. Mr. WEI YUK.
Hon. Mr. E, OSBORNE. Hon. Mr. E. A. HEWETT, Hon. Mr.W. J. GRESSON. Mr. A.. G. M. FLETCHER (Clerk of Councils)
MINUTES.
BA
of the owner.
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PAPERS.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of His Excellency the Govßrnor, laid on the table
the following papers: Report of the Director of Public Works for the year 1905, and Report‹ of the Assessment for the years 1906-1907.
FINANCIAL MINUTES.
The COLONIAL SECRETAKT, by command of His Excellency the Governor, laid on the table Financial Minutes Nos. 44 to 64, and moved that they be referred to the Finance Committee.
The COLONIAL TREASURER secondei,
His EXCELLENCY—Fin10cial Minute No. 44 for $170 is necessary owing to provision having been made in the estimates in error for only removing the hulk Hygeia to Stonecutters Island and not for also moving it back into
its usual position. Financial Minute No. 45 for $10 is required owing to incidental expenseя in connection with the Lunstic Asylum having been underestimated; larger sum has been provided in the estimates of 1907 than was provided in 1906. Financial Minute No, ‘46 for 8900 is in aid of the vote for education and is necessary owing to it not having ben avoid paying 20 per cent to the Imperial auticipated that Mr. Bird. the unior Hon. Mr. F. J. BADELEY, (Captain-Super-Government on the Bums rafurnel to the assistant Euglish master at Queen's Collega intendent of Police).
Colonial Government on the final adjustment would go in for his final language examination of the Praya Rclamation Fund. The bill has during this year. Financial Minate No. 47 for been approved by the Secretary of State: 88,000 is required owing to more compensation the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, and bhaving been awarded than was anticipated for the Army Council have also expressed their scavenging lanes in the rear of houses to be concurrence. The last of the six bills erected or re erected on land held under recent | on the Orders of the Day is 10 am-nd
grants; these laues had to be resumed by the Regulation of Chinese Ordinance 1888. Government under section 180 of the Public and is due to the recommendation contained Health and Buildings Ordinance. Financial in the last annual report of the Registear Minute No. 48 for $50 is to provide for payment General, which was laid on the table of this to Sergeant Gerrard, one of the Polise Council, that the registration of householders Sergeants in the New Territories, for ex should be extended to Old Kowloon. The Roamining into the defalostions of an absconding gistrar General has stated that he has talked this over with various representatives of the Chinese community and that they were in favour of the extension. The police consider that the Ordinance is most useful in identifying bouseholders and the Crown Solicitor advised that it is also useful to the mercantile community. It occurred to me that as we were going to amend the Ordinance it would be better to take general powers for extending the provisions to any part of the Colony to which it might be considered to extend them from time to time instead of only restricting the extension to Old Kowloon. In
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
NEW MEMBERS.
Colonel Darling took the oath as a new member of the Council and assumed his seat Mr. F. J. Badeley also took the oath and assumed his seat.
HIS EXCELLENCY'S ADDRESS,
HIS EXCELLENCY-Gentlemen: The work to be done during this Autumn session is to vote sums of money in accordance with financial minutes Nos. 44 to 64, which I shall explain to the Council when the Colonial Secretary moves that they be referred to the Finance Committee, and also to pass the six bills which appear in the Orders of the Day and four others which will presently be added to those Orders. Of the six bills which it is proposed to read for the first
shroff there. The examination was subsequently verified by the local auditor. It was expodi- tiously and accurately carried out, sad was out- side Sergeant Gerrard's regular duties. Finsa- cial Minute No. 49 for $2,000, is to provide for evening extension classes at Queen's Colle ze. The Council will remember that last year a desire was expressed by one of its members that larger proportion of the revenue of the Colony should be expended on education. This desire coincides with my own, but as I pointed out on that occasion the difficulty is to find how s larger expenditure can be profitably incurred.