October 12, 1908.]
Council that the Government would not ask for the third reading of the bill on that day because this particular amendment effected an increase in taxation. I myself, in committee, explained that that increase in fees for medical examina- tion was made in order to recoup the cost of the additional staff, amounting to between $5,000 and $9,000 per annum, rendered necessary by the bill for the supervision of assisted immi- grants. I don't know a more public way of doing a thing, Sir, than of doing it in this Council where the whole of the proceedings are published in the Press, and I fail to see how the Government could possibly bring to the notice of interested parties increases of taxation of this nature otherwise than through the official organ, or through the Legislature.
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The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS-With your permission, Sir, I will just refer briefly to the points of criticism with regard to matters concerning public works. The first point mentioned, Sir, was the question of the width of roads for the New Territory, which the hon. member opposite feared were going to be made too narrow for wheel traffic. It is designed, Bir, to make the road from Castle Peak to Ping Shan of a width of six feet. That will admit of any ordinary vehicle traversing the road, and it will be a simple matter to provide for the passing of vehicles by widening the road in places. in many parts of Engla d, as I have sometimes experienced, roads are of such a width that it is quite impossible for two vehicles to pass each other. and in some cases I have known of vehicles having to go back for a considerable distance if they had the misfortune to meet at certain lengths of the road. With regard to the maintenance of roads on the island, the roads to which the hon. member refers are not surfaced in any way except with ordinary materials from the hillside, Therefore they are peculiarly liable to suffer from the effects of this very trying climate. Whether it is that the conditions in the matter of rainfall have been more favourable for the propagation of defects to which the hon, member referred, I am unable to say, but certainly from a waterworks point of view the rainfall has been exceptionally favourable during the past two seasons. During the wet season it is almost impossible to keep these roads free from the growth of weeds and grass, but so long as they are reasonably main. tained I think that is all that is necessary. Possibly the hon. member has wandered farther afield, or been more frequent in his wanderings, since he returned to the Colony, and these defeols have been more patent to him. The only other point raised was by the hon. member at the end of the table as regards the Kowloon waterworks. These works have undergone very considerable enlargements since they were initiated, and the capacity of the reservoir has been increased to an extent of some 100 million gallons, as it was found that a very much larger catchment area could be made available by the OOL struction of a catchwater. It was considered
much more economical to raise the dam to the maximum height that it could be raised in the first instance, rather than to defer it to some future period: That, Sir, is the explanation of the great inorease in this item.
b 18 EXCELLENCY-Gentlemen, Before I review briefly the remarks which have been made by the hon. member for the Chamber of Commerce, which represents the views of the unofficial members, I think the Council will agree with me when I say that the narrow escape which we have just witnessed of one of the members of this Council is a matter on which we may all congratulate ourselves most sincerely. The bon member од my right referred first of all to the very large deficit which we shall have to deduct from our reserve at the end of this year, $581,000, as being due to the working of the past year. I explained very fully how that was made up, and I would merely remind you that some $200,000 of that was due to very exceptional expenditure for the purchase of a dredger, and a vote for. the relief of people in South China. The other items may be considered to be ordinary expenses of the Colony. Passing from his general review on the finances of the Colony, the general tone of which I have nothing whatever to complain ct, I would just allude to the remarks which Le made on the question of the military contribution. From a phrase which fell from the hon. mem.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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be only pedestrian trafio—and 2 link of connection, having regard to the fact that we have a limited amount to spend each year, Personally I think this the better course: we propose to make a road six feet wide, the bridges to be built the whole length of the road. The money we have available is sufficient for that purpose and for the land resumption. We do not propose at some indefaite period to build that road, but we will build it without delay. The road is not, as was presumed by the hon. member, a feeder to the Failway. It is undoubtedly a most important point that feeders to the railway should be constructed as soon as possible, but it has seemed to me that this particular road was more needed and was more immediately desirable than any particular feeder which can be ma ie. are, however, ia these estimates providing fo: roads which will be more directly feeders to the railway, as for instance the amount which has been assigned for the forming and kerbing of streets and form the cons trustion of nuliana in the vicinity of Yagmati station, I am, myself, an enthusiast on the question of introducing animal transport, and I think the hon. member may rest quite assured that so far as I am possibly able to do it with the fands we have available, such roads. whether feeders to the railway or others, a constructed in the New Territory, will be made suitable for bullock traffic. With regard to the Hongkong roads I have only one remark to make, and that is to call attention to what I said on this subject, namely, that osoli year as new roads, new telegraphs, дег drains, new telephones are constructed, the vot for public works recurrent mnet continually increase. The hoa. member pointed out that the amount on the estimates was the same as last year, and that therefore, it the roads were not in equally good condition, the conclusion was that the money had been worse spent, I don't think that is a necessary conclusion. Turning to the observations re- gadding a more adequate collection of the stamp revenue, that is a mätter which for some months past has had my most careful consideration. have perhaps been accused of undue optimism by the hon. member in some respects but in this particular respect I decline to be as optimistic as he wished to be. On the forecast put before him and before me on the whole I decided not to be too optimistio on this vote though I hope during the coming year we shall exceed the amount put down. We are taking every possible step we can think of to see that the receipts from this source are adequately
ber that I had not confided the difficulties to : one instance of the very careful scrutiny given which I alluded in respect of the scheme which other charges that a large retrenchment I said had been engaging my attention, it would has been made in the Bacteriological In- seem as though there had been in my mind stitute upon which I laid such stress some idea that I did not wish to take the when speaking on the last occasion. Council into my confidence in the matter. At turn now to the remarks which were made on the time I wished to make it clear that I did not the question of roads. These have already been go into details of the somewhat complicated replied to by the hon. Director of Public calculations because I had on that occasion Works, but I would add in addition to what much to say on other subjects connected with he said a few words regarding the construction the estimates, and time would not admit of of the road from Castle Peak to Pingshan. As my going into say very intimate details on any
my speech, the method was study of the subject is as yet imcomplete, as 1 one particular subject; and moreover, my due to my own initiative, it may be considered am "obtaining farther Agures in order to see
an open question whether it is advisable to
whether my suggestion is feasible or not. The
construct a few hundred yards of public road which begins at an emporium of trade and ands hon, member too, spoke somewhat emphatically nowhere, or whether it is better to push on one point. He said that unofficial" members | through the whole read so as to improve it—
may action of the Imperial Government in the matter to form were unsaimous in their feeling that if the | it
of opium should result in wrecking the estimates before us, that they would then feel that a very strong position had been created for an appeal to the Imperial Government for some remission of the military contribution. I don't think the military contribution is precisely ejus dem generis with the opium question. Whether or not we may hope for any financial considera- tion from the Imperial Government if the flasnoes of this Colony should prove to be overtaxed by the Imperial policy is another question. I saw a day or two ago in a local paper a telegram saying, I know not with what truth, that Japan had consented to join the other Powers in prohibiting the import of morphis into Chins provided Chias would agree to the Trade Marks Convention. reply of China was that trademarks had nothing to do with morphia, and that position, I feel, is somewhat analagous to the question of the military contribution and opiam revenue, But undoubtedly the most serious point which has been brought forward this afternoon by both unofficial members who have spoken is the question of possible retrenchment.
I can assure the Council that during the past year it has been most vividly before both myself and those who, with longer experi- ence, have advised me in these matters, that the financial position was one of very great difficulty and that every smallest application for an increase, either in the matter of payments or in the matter of other charges, should be most carefully scrutinised, and unless it was proved to be absolutely essential, it should not be allowed. Whether or not it may be possible to cut down minor charges in the various depart ments will continue to receive my most earnest consideration during the coming year. The question of the Sanitary Department was brought forward as 8 case in point. The savings on the Sanitary Department amount to sum of $36,000 or $37,000 in the estimate before you. That is in spite of an increase due to fall in exchange of $12,000. In other obarges which were specially referred to by the speaker there is a decrease ander twenty-two heads, practically under every one. The speaker pointed out that the reports which have reached us of investigations by the Indian Plague Commission, had demonstrated that disinfection and other methods, upon which much money had hitherto been spent, were largely, if not entirely, futile, and he pressed upon the Government that they should not neglect the lessons which are to be learnt from these reporta. I think I may ask the hon. member to whose initiative it is that those reports havS been of late so prominently brought forward. I think at present that it is largely and chiefly due to the energy of the new head of the Sanitary Department, Mr. Messer,— (hear, hear)-who has taken, to my know- ledge, an enormous amount of personal trouble in investigating various journals of hygiene, Indian Plague Commission reports and all other documents available on the subject. In some cases he has made précis of them for distribu- tion, some of which, I hope, will be translated into Chinese. It is due very largely to his perseverence and energy, that we are all to-day somewhat of experts on plague And it is due to him also, that so many of the votes in his department are decreased. I think the largest increase is the one for rat poisoning, and I think hon. members will agree with me that it is one on which the greatest possible stress | should be laid—(bear, hear), I may quote as
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collected and at the same time to avoid as far as posible such inquisitorial methods as may irritate without bringing in an adequate resalt I will not go into detail sa regarda what was said as to the outlook of the future. I claim no suthority for what I said on this subject. It has been suggested with bated breath thất this port might suffer in its prominence is
■ great free port by direct trade being done between foreign countries and the ports of China. M answer to that is the answer I gave thin time last year, that in my view Hongkong should endeavour to do its utmost to become nót only the mart for Chins but an industrial manufacturing centre, for the geographical
mert position suits it an wall as it does for an exchange
It was hinted too that possibly increase in the trade of Canton and othe Chinese ports while we suffered from depressida indiasted that it was quite possibis that their suposms might mean our decreams. I notion however in the abstract of statistios of sắ