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be necessary, and by any accident the surveyor- General's department did not repair the road, there would be interminable delays in getting the thing done. By the way in which it was provided in the Bill, the initiative belonged to the company,
and when they executed any work it had to be carried out under the control of the surveyor- General. The company were practically bound to do everything which the surveyor-General or- dered and all it had to do was to recover the money afterwards from the Government.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY said that was the main objection.
The Hon. F. B. JOHNSON said the company would do the work quite as cheaply as the Go- vernment, and then they would have the road under one authority, which was practically the Surveyor-General. He had heard the objections urged by the Colonial Secretary, but having a majority of the committee in favour of the Bill, and as he believed the practice was in harmony with the practice at home, he did not see why it should be altered.
The COLONIAL TREASURER said he thought the Hon. F. B. Johnson had overlooked section 14, which had been passed the previous day, and which gave the company authority to repair that part of the road on which the tramways were constructed, and that portion of the road with which the company did not deal was a very important one, because it embraced the gutters and rain channels. These were made of granite, and were things on which a great deal of money might be expended by the use of stones of a more expensive or a less expensive nature. It seemed to him that section 14 entirely met the necessities of the case. The company repaired that part of the road on which the tramway was laid, and the surveyor-General the other part. What the company had to do with that five feet of road which lay on either side of the tramway, and which was given to the public, he could not sec. He thought the Surveyor- General could be trusted to deal with that part of the work. This must be an entirely experi mental matter; no one could say whether the tramway was going to be a success, and if it was found in six months that it was really desirable there should be only one authority over such an important road as Queen's-road, there would be no difficulty in inducing the Government to re- consider the question. He was of opinion that the views of the surveyor-General of the Colony ought to be supported, and the Tramway Com- pany left to undertake the maintenance of their part of the road, and the surveyor General the remainder.
The Hon. F. B. JOHNSON said the objection to Mr. Bowdler keeping the govemment road in repair was that it would entail the existence of two authorities over the maintenance of the road, which was a thing that would not work. The public interests required that the roads should be kept in perfect repair, which could be best ensured by the whole maintenance of the road being undertaken by the Tramway Company who would receive an annual sum from Go- vernment for the repair of that part of the road laying on either side of the tramways. The hon. member read a passage from the evidence given by Mr. W. Danby before the select Committee in
which that gentlemen quoted a passage from the report of the select Committee of the Lords and Commons, on the Metropolitan Tramways in support of his view.
The COLONIAL, SECRETARY said with reference to tramways in the Metropolis, where they had large drains underground in which the pipes of gas, water, and telegraph companies were kept, the case was very different to their own. Here, he considered the work ought to be done by the Tramway Company, which ought also to remove the gas and water pipes, and those of the tele- graphs and telephone to one side of the road. He considered further that the work should cer- tainly be under the supervision of the surveyor- General. It appeared to him to be absurd that all the other companies in Hongkong should be under the control of the Tramway Company with respect to opening of the road. The control ought to be in the hands of the surveyor-General.
The Hon. F. D. JOHNSON said that if they were to do the work under the control of the Surveyor- General, they would not be able to move hand or foot without his approval. It was merely a question of who should take the initiative.
The ACTING COLONIAL TREASURER said he might be allowed to observe that the quotation which had been read from the report of the
Select Committee of the Lords and Commons referred to a state of affairs very different from that which existed here. It referred to England, where the roads were vested in the parishes. If the hon. member could tell him of any parish in England seven miles long, it might apply, but here the Government had control of the road throughout its whole length, while there it ran through several parishes and at every quarter or third of a mile there might be a different man- agement; so it was necessary there should be one authority, because it would be a question not be- tween the company and the Government but be- tween the company and several parishes.
Hon. F. B. JOHNSON said that would make no difference as to the portion of the road the tram-
way was on.
The question that the clause stand part of the Bill was then put and lost, the ayes being three and the noes four.
The three following clauses were then taken up. The ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY spoke in favour of the Company being compelled to take up all the telegraph, gas, and water pipes and relay them at the side of the road.
Hon. F. B. JOHNSON objected to this on ac- count of the great expense it would entail.
After discussion a clause suggested by the sur- veyor-General was inserted in place of the one in the Bill as it stood, which made certain altera- tions in detail as to the carrying out of the work when repairs to the pipes were necessary.
The COLONIAL. SECRETARY brought to the notice of the Council certain matters of detail such as the question of certificates for the ser- vants of the company who were to be employed as engine drivers, and the fares to be paid
Hon. F. B. JOHNSON said these matters would be dealt with in the bye-laws.
The ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY said there was another question with regard to the payment of taxes by the Company. He presumed they would not be allowed to run all night. They might either let the coaches run under the Car- riage Ordinance and charge so much a carriage, or charge the Company as ratepayers for the amount of land they covered.
Hon. F. B. JOHNSON said the promoters would prefer to be under the Carriage Ordinance.
The ACTING COLONIAL TREASURER said that under the old Carriage Ordinance the charge would only be $1 for each coach; there- fore the matter would have to be dealt with in the amended Ordinance, which had been read a first time.
His EXCELLENCY said he thought as far as taxation went, they should deal as leniently as possible with the company, and not try to make money out of it. The tramways would be a great convenience to the Colony, and he thought it would he sufficient if they charged $1 a vehicle.
On the schedules being taken into consideration. the Attorney-General asked what view the Committee had taken as to certain ob ections which had been made by owners of property.
The ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE said that with regard to the objection of Mr. Ede to the terminus near his house at Victoria Gap, and to two ob- jections by Chinese property owners to the line in Queen's-road, the Committee found the pro- perty of the objectors would not be interfered with in the actual construction of the lines or stations, and if they sustained any injury they had their remedy in the Supreme Court.
His EXCELLENCY said he was on the Committee which sat on the Metropolitan railway. There was great objection by some parties, but it was found that on the whole property was increased in value by the proximity of a station. The schedules were then passed.
His EXCELLENCY-The Council has now ap proved of the Bill in Committee and I have to put the question that the Bill do pass. In doing so I think I ought to congratulate the hon. member who has had charge of this Bill and the other promoters of the Bill. It is one of great importance and I think will do great good in the Colony. I may say, with reference to that which has been in the minds of the Council from time to time, the great pressure of the traffic in Queen's- road, that I have some hope of being able to have a very large work undertaken in this Colony which would have the effect of obviating that pressure. The work I refer to is one to which my attention was drawn some time ago by the two deputations, one of European gentlemen and one Chinese. Representations were made to me by the Chinese to the effect that the lot-holders along the sea front-
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