46
(20)
should be forwarded at once, together with copies of your letter of the 11th June and of this reply.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
(Sd.)
H. L. DENNYS,
Secretary.
Acting Colonial Secretary,
Hon. F. STEWART,
&c., &c., &c.
City Hall,
Hongkong, 4th August, 1880.
Sir, I am directed by the Committee of the City Hall to ask if you would kindly inform them whether their despatch addressed to the Secretary of State sent to you on the 13th May last has yet been forwarded.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
To the Hon. F. STEWART,
Acting Colonial Secretary,
&c., &c., &c.
No. 963.
Your most obedient Servant,
(Sd.) H. L. DENNYS,
Secretary,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 10th August, 1880.
Sir,
In reply to your letter of the 4th instant, I have the honor to inform you that the letter of the 13th May has been forwarded to the Earl of Kimberley.
H. L. DENNYS, Esq.,
&c., &c., &c.
I have the honor to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
(Sd.) FREDERICK STEWART,
Acting Colonial Secretary,
Printed at the China Mail Office, Hongkong.
to deal with what ought to be the water supply of the Colony. I have already obtained many reports on a subject connected with the water supply of which every one will see the importance, and that is, the formation of public baths in the Colony, so that the Chinese, and especially the poor Chinese, may have the opportunity every evening of having a little warm water. It is the custom in Chinese towns to have such baths where they can obtain water by paying a small sum for it, and we will do the same here. That will require water; and we also require water for drinking and washing purposes, but I cannot give my consent to any scheme whatever that would mix the question of water supply with the question of house sewage. The house sewage must be removed in accordance with the Chinese custom, which is a sensible custom.
The question then would be what actual reduction can be made in the Estimate of the Surveyor General in accordance with what I have said. Some time ago the Colonial Secretary asked him to state the number of gallons per head per day that would be required, but I don't know that I have yet received the answer to that question. No doubt, in a short time I shall receive that information, and when we get it we will have an opportunity of considering what ought to be the water supply of the Colony; but you will all admit my first duty is to sweep away that idea of having the privy or house closet system permitted in Hongkong. So far for the water supply. I can only assure you it is engaging my best attention and that of Her Majesty's Government. And even if I had elaborated a scheme, if I could have got the gentlemen concerned to do so, owing to the pressure to which I have alluded we could not have gone on with the work. I may mention, speaking of that pressure in connection with the Praya Wall, that I thought it my duty before I went to Japan to inform the Surveyor General I should be very happy, as there was this great pressure, to give him at that time another Assistant Surveyor General or any other assistance to elaborate these Plans! However, as the matter stands, you will have before you the correspondence showing how these delays have occurred, and I am inclined to think that, as in the case of the Central School, the delays, having led to a full discussion of the whole subject, have not been unfortunate.
Now, as to the accumulating surplus, I will only say to my honourable friend this much: He thinks a small accumulating surplus a good thing, but does not like to see a large one. Well, what is a large one, and what is a small one? What is our surplus? Why, at this moment it is not one year's income. Surely you may allow a Colonial Governor to have a surplus within one year's income. It is what any prudent man of business would have. But there are reasons, which I need not dwell much upon, but which I am sure my honourable friend appreciates, why we should have a reasonable surplus. There are the works I have touched upon. But there is another question. What was done in this Colony, up to 1878, for the defence of Hongkong? Little or nothing. Under the instructions of Her Majesty's Government certain steps have been taken. Her Majesty's Government have informed me that the Colony will be expected to pay a proportion of the cost of the works undertaken for its defence. We have in the harbour at this moment an efficient iron-clad turret ship, the Wivern; that ship is here for local purposes. The Admiral will not carry her away from us; and if it be necessary to have one or two other ships of the same class, I believe they may be efficiently employed in the defence of this Colony. As you are aware, forts have also been constructed. No doubt, you are also aware a considerable quantity of torpedoes have been prepared. In other words, steps have been taken for the defence of this great centre of Eastern trade, and I know very well my honourable friend would be the last to find fault with the steps that have been taken, and I know he will admit that the ratepayers of the Colony who are so protected are bound to contribute to these works. Up to this time we have contributed nothing except the small sum, $2,400 a year, that I appropriated to the Volunteers, but a time will come—it may come at any moment—when we shall be called upon to pay a proportion of the expenses already incurred." That accounts for my anxiety to accumulate what I call a fair and moderate surplus,
CITY HALL MUSEUM.
In the course of his remarks in the Legislative Council on the 10th of September, 1880, His EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR said:—I have endeavoured to deal with what my honourable friend called the omissions in the Estimates before us, and I think he will admit I have given substantial reasons why the Central School, the Fire Tanks, and other works to which he refers do not appear on the Estimates. But there is one omission in the Estimates which I thought would have attracted the notice of my honourable friend, and probably would have received attention from him, but on which he has not said anything on this occasion. It is a small sum; it is only $1,200, but is an omission in the Estimates of this year, and my honourable friend has not said a word about it. Now, how does it come to pass that he has not said anything about it?
Honourable W. KESWICK said he did not know what the omission was to which His Excellency referred.
His EXCELLENCY—The Central School and Fire Tanks are omitted, and the usual vote of $1,200 to the Curator of the City Hall is omitted.
Honourable W. KESWICK—I thought it was in the Miscellaneous Services.
HIS EXCELLENCY—My honourable friend is an old member of Council and too shrewd a man of business not to know that in our Estimate for last year, and for several years, there appeared the item of "$1,200 for the Curator and Librarian of the City Hall." That has appeared in our Estimates for many years past, and of course my honourable friend saw that it was omitted on this occasion.
lec.