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should be given before we can. so to speak, white. wash the Permanent Committee. If people have legal rights against the Permanent Coin- mittee, do not let us be parties to depriving them of those rights; if they have no such rights we will hear no more about it; if they have let them fight it out.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-There is a great difference between the case of Taipingshan and the action of the Permanent Committee in cloa ing the houses mentioned in the shedules to this Bill In the case of Taipingshan you take property altogether. while in the other case you take it for a short time only. What the Permanent Committee did was this--where a modical certificate was given that a honge was aufit for habitation it was closed until it was made fit. If the owner would make it lt it was offered back. It is astonishing that any man can ask for rent for having a house in filthy condition taken away from him and put right, A. very good plan might be to make those people pay for the damage they have done to other people. I would not have been opposed myself to a Bill which would have en abled the families of those stricken down by the plague to ask for compensation against the Owners of the property. Resume the property altogether and you must pay for it. It is ano, ther thing altogether if you take it temporarily. When you have a certificate that a house ig nafit for habitation and you take possession of it temporarily, put it in ardor, and hand it back in a better condition than it was before-I say, having done that, the Permanent Committeshaço no business to be harassed by an action at law. It is an uopleasant thing to be taken into court even if you win; and I do not suppose any one would have much chance of success against the Board; bat I think the Board should be protected against people who want to go to law. I shall myself vote in favour of this section. It is only giving that right and pro tection to which the Board is entitled,
The Acting COLONIAL SECRETARY—I have turned up the latest copy of Hanard and if I may be permitted, I will just read what the Acting Attorney-General said on the subject of pompensation. It is on page 61 -
"It has been suggested that because this Or. dinance does not provide for compensation of owners for rents lost, the Government intends to give no such compensation at all. I wish at once to remove that misapprehension. The question whether the Government shall provide compon- sation or not is under consideration, and if a scheme is hereafter formed it would have to re- peive the sauction of the Secretary of Stata, either in the form of a draft scheme sent home and approved previously, or in the from of an Ordinance, with a suspending olaqsə.”
Hon. J. J. Keswron-I think that confirms the remarks of my hon. friend opposite (Hon. C. P. Chater).
Hon. C. R. CHATER-I think it doos.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-This has been under my consideration for a long time and I cannot understand how any one can think of - compensation. Certainly I am not going to re- commend compensation for what is done under this Ordinance.
Hon, C. P. CHATER-The hon. and learned Attorney-General missed the mark in what he said just now. He pointed out that in Taiping shau it was a case of resumption. That is so, but the Bill provides also that seven per cent, interest shall be allowed to the owners from the date their houses were closed to the date the money is paid over to them. That is where I say you are treat- ing one set of landlords differently from the other. If interest is given the Taipingsh in owners for three months, why not treat the other landlords in the same way I know it is said of the un- official members, "Oh, you are interested in pra- perty," I take this opportunity of saying that
in all this property neither I nor the Company in which I have the honour to be interested has Buy interest whatever. All I say is, all landlords should be treated alike.
The HARBOUR MASTER-I think if we pail the landlords under the other Bill too much it is rather a pity we did it, but I agree with the Attorney-General that because we paid them seven per cent, there is no reason why we should pay those people seven per cent, for bringing on the colony the trouble we had some months ago. A division was then taken, when there voted in favour of the amendment the Hon. A. Me Conachie, Ron. E. R. Belilios, Hon. J. J. Kes wick, and Hon, C. P. Chater. All the official members voted against it. The Hoa. Ho Kai did not vote. The amendment was therefore Jost, and the section as it stood was passed.
Sechon
Section 17.-The Sanitary Board empowered to close wells.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that this section stand a part of the Bill.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS seconded. Hon. E. R. BELILIOS-Your Excellency, in moving the deletion of clause 17 from the Bill, I should like to say something on this subject of closing wells in the colony. I think that a decision to close the wells in the city should not be come to hastily. There are many consider- stions to be taken into account before resort- ing to suck a measure. For my own part I sm entirely opposed to it, and for reasons I will give, Qar water supply is already limited, and our population is increasing. Before taking steps to reduce the water supply we should soo that it is equal to all requirements. I would not for one moment have it supposed that I advocate the use of contaminated water for pot- able purposes. Far from it, though as a matter of fact the Chinese do not use water until it has been boiled, which precaution practically dea- troys ail germs. What I went to suggest is that the wells afford a valuable adjunct to the reservoirs for purposes of oleans, ing and for use for suppression of firas In the early days of the colony they were the sole dependence of the city of Victoria, as they are now of Macao, and, be it remembered, the neigh- bouring colony, with a supply of well water paly, escaped the plague visitation of last sum- mer. Almost every house in the large cities of India has its well, but the water is never used for household consumption; it is reserved for cleansing purposes. The children are taught to avoid drinking such water. It is regarded as a useful addition to the ordinary supply that can be utilized for cleaning and scouring. Foreigners do not use and are not likely to use well water for potable purposes. Many of the wells are not contaminated and may still be used with safety, if not for household purposes, then for the other purposes I have mentioned. I would, however, bave them tested and those wells found to be contaminated might be treated according to their value. Those that yield a good supp ly and are conveniently placed might be cleaned and deepened or rendered proof against future contamination by cementing the sides. In all cases I would have them povered, and in the case of inferior wells which it was desided would not be worth such expense; I would suggest that they might be looked up and the key entrusted to the principal tenant with orders only to allow the well to be used for fire and drain cleansing purposes. A notice should also be painted up that the water was not to be used for drinking or cooking purposes. The water from the wells could further be ntilized for the upper roads and for the supply of gardens. So far from closing the existing Wells I would advocate the sinking of new wells in any desirable locality not likely to be con taminated by sewage or sullage. I contend that any wholesale closure of wells would be merely flying from tho ills we have to others that wo know not of. The failure of the water supply last spring was, I believe, one of the primary causes of the plague becoming epidemic. The poutamination of the wells certainly had ng direct influence on its development. Fox
the reasons I have given, deal with wells in future as you have done in the past; do not make it compulsory by law to cloze walls, but leave it to the option of owners to close them or not as they please.
Hou, C. P. CHATHE seconded.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS-I should like to call attention to the manner in which the subj set has been dealt with by the Sanitary Board. There is not the slightest doubt wolls which are in an insanitary condition are a serious danger to public health and where the ground is so slosely built over as in this solony it is practical- ly impossible to sink a well that is not liable to become seriously polluted and a public danger. As to patting in force the various restrictions my hon, friend has alluded to, I may say very con- siderable difficulty would be found in obtaining compliance with them.
A division was then taken, when there voted in favour of the amendment the Hon. A. MoCon- achie, Hou. E. R. Belilios, Hoa, J. J. Keswick, and Hon. C, P. Chater. All the official members voted against. The Hon. Ho Kai did not vols. The amendment was therefore lost.
Hou. Ho KAI-I beg to propose another amendment, that the following words be deleted, "or is likely to prove injurious to health." This has been disenssed in the Sanitary Board before and I think the opinions were very much divided on the point. After farther consideration, I
think
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