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July 6, 1908,]
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council was held on July 2nd in the Council Chamber.
PRESENT:- HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR FREDERICK JOHN DEALTRY LUGARD, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O.
His Excellency Major-General BROADWOOD, (General Officer Commanding).
Hon. Mr. F. H. MAY, U.M.G., (Colonial Secretary).
Hon. Mr. W. Rees Davies, K.C., (Attorney General).
Hon. Mr. L. 1. M. JOHNSTON (Colonial
Treasurer).
Hon. Mr. W. CHATHAM, C.M.G. (Director of Public Works).
Hon. Mr. E. A. IRVING (Registrar Goueral).
Hon. Commander BASIL R. H. TAYLOR, R.N., (Harbour Master).
Hon. Dr. Ho KAI M.B., C.M., C.M.G. Hon Mr H. E. POLLOCK, K.C.
Hon. Mr. WEI YUK, C.M.G.
"
Hon. Mr. MURRAY STEWART.
Mr. C. CLEMENTI (Clerk of Councils),
MINUTES.
The minutes of the previous mee.ing were read, and confirmed.
FINANCIAL MINUTES.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of His Excellency the Governor, laid on the table Financial minutes Nos, 31 and 32, and moved that they be referred to the Finance Committee. The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the resolution was agreed to.
FINANCIAL.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of His Excellency the Governor, laid on the table the report of the Finance Committee (No. 11) and moved its adoption.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the otion was agreed to.
PAPERS.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of His Eroellency the Governor, laid on the table correspondence relating to the transfer to the Government of the Widows' and Orphans, Pension Fund,
THE FLOODS IN SOUTH CHINA. H18 EXCELLENCY-Gentlemen, I rise t propose a resolution which 1 much regret has not been in the hands of hon. members earlier.
The matter is of 80me urgency, and the draft has only been received from the printers in time to place it ou the fable at this meeting.
The resolution is: -- "That the Legislative Council of Hongkong desires on behalf of the community, to convey to the Governor-General of the two Kwang provinces, its deep sympathy in t'e appalling calamity which has overtaken a large part of the population of Kwan fung and Kwangsi. It is further resolved that a sum of thirty thousand Dollars be disbursed from the General Revenge of the Colony as a donation from the Colony of Hongkong to the Fund for th relief of the sufferers from the recent floode in the Kwangtung and Kwangsi Provinces." Hon. members will have seed in the local press, and may have heard T daresay from other sources, of the terrible calamity which has overtaken the inhabitants of the neighbouring provinces in South China, with whom this Colony has always maintained close relations. I have not an authentic information to lay before the Council derived from official sources, but I wrote several days ago to the British Consul General in Canton for confirmation of the reports which have reached us. It is, however, sufficient for us that the Chinese community in this Colony is fully convinced of the extent of the calamity. and of the enormous loss of life and great distress which has been caused by it. They have come forward themselves already with that generosity and sympathy for distress which we are used to associate with them, and which forms such an admirable trait in the Chinese character.
The
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
ood is probably one of the greatest in history, The sudden burstingof the embankments caught the people absolutely unprepared. The number of those who were drowned is `enor- they now find themselves in a worse condition, mous. Some escaped to elevated spots where as they can do nothing but wait for death." They asked me to invite the European firms and merchants of this Colony to assist in relieving the sufferings of the thousands of our starving neighbours. I discussed with the Executive and we considered that to open a subscription Council the steps we should take in this orisis,
oiroumstancer, would at the present time be list as was done in 1903 under konfewhat similar
influential and wealthy European inhabitants unsatisfactory owing to the large number of
not I think adequately represent the gym. who are absent from the Colouy. It would
the Two Kwang Provinces in their distress. pathy which we feel for the inhabitants of
Hongkong suffered
Hon. members will recollect that when
from the
J
disastrous typhoon in September, 1906, the Gover nor-General of the Two Kwang Provinces sent a handsome donation; to my pre. decessor for the relief of the sufferers in that typhoon; though in all probability the numbers then affected were much smaller than those affected by the present distress. The resolution which I have read proposes hat $30,000 should be devoted from the revenue of the Colony towards the relief of this distress. I wish that the sum
we è much larger but looking to the difficulties in which, as Hon. members are aware, we are placed in regard to our finances at the present time, I trust the extent of the gen rosity and sympathy think it is as much as we can well afford. I
of the European community with however that the Chinese in their trouble will not be measured the Colony is reinforced by its absent members by the extent of this donation. Later on, when
with more satisfactory results than would be we may be able to open a subscription list
members, by voting this resolution unanimously, likely to accrue at present. I hope hon. will show that we genuinely sympathis, and that we at any rate give this installment at (hear, hear, and applause). once on the principle that bis dat qui cito dat
Hon DE. HO KAI-I bave much pleasure in seconding the resolution which you have put to the Council. Although we have not what may be called official confirmation of the calamity and its extent still I think we may get some idea of it from the memorandum which has been sent by the Viceroy of Canton to the Chinese Government. It has been published in the native
papers and I believe in some of the European papers as well. There the present flood is the Viceroy reported to the Throne that the most calamitous that has taken place during the last or 20 years, and he asked the Thr no to 15 devote a sum of money for the relief of the sufferers in the Kwangtung and Kwangsi provinces.
official
Thus we have some confirmation of the fearful disaster which has overtaken
provinces by reason of the recent flood. Sir, the poor people of these as you have stated just now the Chinese Government in 1906 show d its sympathy with the inhabitants of Hongkong when they suffered from the disastrous typhoon, and sub scribed a sum of 92,000 taels towards the relief" of the sufferers, and by voting this $30,000 I think we are in a measure returning the kind. ness and sympathy shown to us at the time of the typhoon. I am sure that hon. members and every member of the community will, with. out distinction of nationality or race, endorse the action of the Government. As you say, ir, the amount is not very large, but it practically shows to the Canton Government and people our sympathy with them in their calamity. For that reason I have much pleasure in second. ing the resolution.
The motion was agreed to.
►
WIDOWS' AND ORPHANS' FUND. The COLONIAL SECRETARY moved the first reading of a Bill entitled An Ordinance to provide for the Transfer to the Government of Hongkong of the Widows' and Orphans' Tang Wah Hospital Committee Pension Fund and of the Management and recently-the day before yesterday,
I Control of the Pensions of Widows think-sent a letter to the Registrar-General | Orphans and to consolidate the laws in rela- in which they s'ated that "the presentation thereto.
C
and
He added-In connection with this Bill I beg to lay on the tabl› by direction of your Er. cellency correspondence relating to the transfer to the Government of the said fund. That subject which I shall be happy to supplement correspondence contains fall information on the
Bill has not been in the hands of hou, members on the second reading. I regret Sir, that this earlier. The amount of printing at present has been very heavy and I trust hon. members will excuse the short notice in considering this they will read the Bill for the first time to-day Bill As the first reading is only formal I trust The ATTORNEY-GENERAL seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
•
EXPORTATION OF OPIUM ORDINANCE. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that Coan- Ordinance to prohibit the Exportation of oil go into Committee on the bill entitled an
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and Prepared Opiam to Chins. the motion was agreed to,
HIS EXCELLENCY-This Bill has been held over for some weeks because I was unwilling to proceed with it until I should have seen the Imperial Edict under which the Government of China undertakes to reciprocate our action. I accordingly wrote to the British Minister at Peking who replied in a letter which I received yesterday that the Imperial “rescript he had informed me had been issued was in which
fact an "Ediot," and should have been so described. There is therefore no further need for delay.
**
The Bill passed through Committee with slight amendments and was afterwards read a third time.
THE PUBLIC HEALTH ORDINANCE, The ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the Council to allow the bill entitled an Ordinance to amend the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance 1903, ment Ordinance 1908, to be recommitted, as end! the Public Health and Buildings Amend-
desired to move there were certain amendments which he
the motion was agreed to.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved an emend- ment to clause 4. He said Clause 4 dealt with the constitution of the Sanitary Board, and as the method by which the unofficial members of posed to amend the clause so as to preserve the Board were elected had been altered, he pro- the tenure of office of unofficial members of the Board. Therefore it would be necessary to provide for that in olause 4, and he proposed to insert the words "Shall not affec: the tenure of office of the present unofficial me nbers of the Sanitary Board, each of whom sball continue to be a member of the Board until the expiration of the current term of his office. " He had also to move a farther amendment to section 9 of the principl Orliasace which the electors would be such persons as were referred to ratepayers. In lieu of ratepayers required to serve on common juries, etc.
These amendments were agreed to.
lause 85 of the Bill, sing the last meeting of The ATTORN«Y-GENERAL-Io regard to
letter from His Honour the Chief Justice in the Council Your Excellency has received a reference to this clause. The letter reads:-
Chambers,
!
Supreme Court, Hongkong,
1st July.
your Excellency has acted on the suggestion -I-bars aotised in the uswepapers that which I had the honour to make to your Excellency in my latter of 18th Juns last in connection with the new Buildings Ordinanc So far as I am able to judge from the pos paper reports, the constitutional point which I raised is mt by the amendment. I think it my duty however, to point out that the deletion of the sentence who made it obligatory on the Governor in Executive Council to submit a ques- tion of law to the Fall Court when requested by the opposite party might possibl lead to a conflict between the Court and the Governor- in oanoil, though not on a constituțional ques- tion. I observed that the Attorney-General said that he should advise the Governor in Executive Council, in the event arising, to remit the ques- tion when request is made by the opposite party. But in the event of refusal very awkward caution, I questions might arise to which, for greater.
801 ontent to draw Excellency's attention before the bill becom