Mr. RYBIE said he only wished that the Go- vernment should say they had received the protes that it had been handed in at the Conncil.
The ACTINO COLONIAL SECRETARY said that Mr. Ryrie had no right to band it in to the Council. According to his view it ought to bave been handed to the Governor. He wished, however, now to withdraw his motion, as, upon re-consideration, and again reading the rules, be found that as this was a question of order, it should be decided by the Administra. tor.
The ACTING GOVERNOR said it seemed to him a question of order, and he was certainly not disposed to receive the protest. What the Hon. Member desired was that it should go to the Secretary of State, and go it would. At the same time the attention of the Secretary of state would be drawn to the views of the Hon. Member.
Mr. RYRIE desired it to be put upon the minutes that it bad been received, and moved that it be so,
Mr. ROWETT seconded the motion.
The ACTING GOVERNOR said it now came to ¦ a point of order, and the decisiou could only he
the same.
Mr. ROWETT then remarked that there was then no possibility of getting the opinions of the members of Council upon it. The subject then dropped.
The following is the protest in question :- Minute of Protest by Phinena Byrie, an un- official member of the Legislative Council of Hongkong, written notice of which was given to the Clerk of the Councils at the meeting held on 15th October, 1874.
On the 1st day of October I, the said Phineas Ryrie, addressed a letter to the Colonial Secre- tary, as follows:-
SIR,-Having as you are probably aware taken a great interest in the Fire Brigade 1 awaited the termination of your correspondeuce with the Hon. Mr. Rowett, in hopes that some explanation would have been given of the reason why the alarm Ball was.not rung and the Brigade not turned out on the morning of the 23rd ultimo, no explanation being given. I now beg to notify that, with His Excellency, the Governor's permission I shall at the next meet. ing of Connell put the following questions -
1st. Why the Bell at the Central Station was not ruug on the morning of the 23rd ultimo, when intimation was received of a Fire in the Native partion of the town.
2nd. Why the Police Volunteers were not called out to assist in subduing the Fire.
3rd. Why the nsual notification of a Fire occurring was not conveyed to Mr. May, the Superintendent of the Fire Brigade, and to the Assistant Superintendent, Mr. Russell.
If the information I have received be true, the City narrowly escaped the terrible calamity which befel Yokohama about eight years ago, ; when a typhoon and a fire happened simultane. ously, and the fact that such a calamity has been averted is in no way due to the exertions of the Government Fire Brigade (acting as such) on which so much public money has been expended. This is, in my opinion, a great scandal, and calls: for immediate investigation."
On the 15th day of Octöher a meeting of the Legislative Council took place and after having. received permission, I put the questions as de tailed in the above letter, and rec ived, by orð r of the Administrator of the Government, the following answer
In reply to the question of the Honourable Member, I have to state that the Fire Bell we not rung nor were the other members of the Fire Brigade summoned on the occasion referred to because, in the opinion of the Captain Super- intendent of Police, such a proceeding would bave been inexpedient in face of other requisi-¡ tions likely to be made upon the reserve Force of the Police, and secondly, because the staff detailed for the service was expected to be suffi cient, as the result proved. Having made full enquiry into this matter, prior to the notice of these questione, Governor Sir Arthur Kennedy considered it right to express his approval of the conduct of the Captain Superintendent of ¡Police."
I, on behalf of the Owners of Property and Taxpayers generally within this Colony, on my own behalf as one of the ature-mentioned, and in the performance of my duty as a Member of this Council, protest against the above answer as not meeting the questions put, for the follow- ing reasons:→→→
1st. That the Fire Bell at the Central Sta- tion is intended to convey to the inhabitants generally as well as to the members of the Fire Brigade, intimation of a fire occurring. By this means many of the Citizens who have property in parts of the town away from their ordionry dwellingsare enabled to take measures for the re- moval or protection or otherwise of such as may happen to be in the neighbourhood of the Fire. Therefore the Captain Superintendent of Police, even were he justified in keeping the men in barracks, which I deuy, had no right to neglect ! ringing the Bell, and by this neglect be com- witted a breach of Regulation 1 for Government of the Hongkong Police Force.
2nd. That the Police Force of this Colony is surely not so weak in number that one man could not have been spared for a few minutes to ran to the abode of the Chief Superinten. dent of the Fire Brigade and apprize him of the Fire, that the said Superintendent of the Fire Brigade was the proper officer to decide what force was to be sent for the suppression of the Fire, and the Captain Saperintendent of Police nsurped the functions of the above named officer, und acted in contravention of the Fire Brigade Ordinance No. 4, 1868, which gives the entire control of the Brigade to its Superintendent; and the Owners of the property in the Colony view with alarm the approval by the Governor of this proceeding, as in the event of a couffict of opinion between these two officers, great des- truction of property might be the result.
Srd.That it is not stated what requisitions were likely to be made on the reserve force of the police. It is known that the Captain Sape. rintendent refused to comply with requisitions for men to save life and property from ship- wreck, and also from fire. There could therefore be no otherdanger to be provided against, unless it was the pillage by disorderly persons in force of houses along the sea front or Queen's Road, Such a danger was, however, very remote indeed, as all these establishments have a number of European residents in them, and most, if not all of these residents, were up on the night of the typhoon looking after the protection of their own or their employer's property. But even admitting that thero was such a danger the way to meet or avert it was not to shut up the reserve of the police in the Central Station. The men should bare been marched to the neigh- bourhood of the expected danger, and there put ander shelter, which could easily bave been done. But even a wiser course than this should have been taken, and that was to apply through the proper channel to the Military Authorities for aid. Had be done so I feel assured that it would have been granted immediately.
4th. The reason for keeping the men in Barracks, given in the answer which I have referred to above, is totally at variance with that assigned in the Captain Superintendent's first report, dated 24th September, which was called forth by Mr. Rowett's first letter. report is as follows:
The
"Sir, I reply to H. B. the Governor's minute on C. S. O. No. 2702. I have the honor to report that I did refuse to risk the lives of the Police under my command by ordering them to leave the Barracks in the height of a Typhoon at 1 a.m. on the 23rd instant.
"Mr. Rowett entirely overlooks the fact that the danger did not so much arise to persons liv. ing on the Praya going outside their doors to render aid, as to a body of men taken through the streets of the City, when, in the words of a local newspaper,-the atmosphere was princi- ! pally composed of tiles, brickbats, jalousies, verandah beams, and foliage.
At 2.50 a... however, when the barometer showed that the boaviest blasts of wind had pass- ed, I did turn out the men, and we went over all parts of the town, in some places over our waists in water, and experiencing the greatest difficulty in passing along the roads.
"I have further to observe that at least 36 of the crew of the steamer Albay had been already saved when the report was made, and that the danger of a second steamer was a mere conjeo- turo.
"I bare bod a good deal of experience in ty- phoons, and I have not the slightest hesitation in saying that I should have been guilty of the most wanton rashness had I ventured the lives of the Police, before I did, on the night in question.
As to any ideas of risk to my own life, I will content myself with saying that in a pre- vions typhoon, when a fire in the city was re- ported, I went myself, but would not allow the
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