# HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
1897
16:
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council was held at the Council Chamber on the 18th September. Present:-
His EXCELLENCY the Governor, Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON, G.C.M.G.
Colonel ELSDALE (Officer Commanding the Forces).
Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART (Colonial Secretary).
Hon. W. M. GOODMAN (Attorney-General).
Hon. T. SERCOMBE SMITH (Colonial Treasurer).
Hon. W. CHATHAM (Acting Director of Public Works).
Hon. Ho Kai.
Hon. C. P. CHATER.
THE INFECTED MILK ORDINANCE.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I have, sir, to move the second reading of the Bill entitled an Ordinance to prevent the spread of infectious diseases arising from the consumption of contaminated or unwholesome milk. It is, of course, of the utmost importance to secure a pure milk supply in this colony. No doubt the public are indebted to those who have undertaken to supply such milk, and a company has been formed with the object of supplying milk of a high standard. At the same time, the high price of milk acts as a great temptation to unscrupulous persons to increase the quantity of milk by addition of water or by adulterating it in other ways. The report of the Government Analyst shows that last year there were several samples which he analysed in which he found that water had been added.
We cannot be at all sure as to the source from which the water so added is derived, and as one cannot help feeling, after reading the analyst's report, that there are a very large number of actual cases where water has been added to the milk without being detected, it naturally follows that some provision should be made to ensure the purity of the milk supply. The Bill before the Council deals principally with one danger, namely, dairies where animals are infected or where persons, while suffering from an infectious disease, are engaged in work, such as milking cows or handling milk.
I would like to call your attention to the objects and reasons which I have appended to the Bill and which are as follows:-"It has been found necessary in England to confer powers upon the Medical Officer of Health to inspect dairies and in case he should be of opinion that any infectious disease was caused by the consumption of milk supplied from any such dairy, he is required to report his opinion to the local authority. Thereupon, the local authority is empowered to call upon the dairyman to show cause why an order should not be made by such authority requiring him not to supply any milk from the dairy till the order should be withdrawn."
These powers were conferred, in England, by section 4 of The Infectious Diseases (Prevention) Act, 1890. The present Ordinance, suggested by the Medical Officer of Health, proceeds on similar lines, having regard to local circumstances.
Section 5, which is based upon the Dairies, Cowsheds, and Milkshops Orders of the Local Government Board in England, provides a penalty in the case of a man allowing any infected person to milk animals, assist in the conduct of the dairy, or reside in such part of the dairy as may be used for the housing of cattle or storage of milk.
It is hoped that the fact of such an Ordinance being brought into force in this colony will enable the Medical Officer of Health to exercise more effective supervision over the milk supplies of the colony and cause dairymen to exercise greater vigilance to prevent the possibility of contamination of the milk sold by them.
As to the term "local authority," we have not got a local authority here in the sense in which it is used in the English Act, the nearest approach to a local authority we have here being the Governor in Council. I do not anticipate that in the case of some of the milk supplies there will be much occasion for these powers to be exercised. There is no doubt that these powers will act as a wholesome check on dairymen and they may have to be used in the case of a few dairies, the milk from which is sometimes not altogether free from suspicion.
With these few remarks, I beg to move the second reading of the Bill.
Present at the meeting were:
Hon. F. H. MAY, C.M.G. (Captain Superintendent of Police).
Hon. R. MURRAY RUMSEY (Harbour Master).
Hon. C. P. CHATER, C.M.G.
Hon. Ho Kai.
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD.
Hon. E. R. BELILIOS, C.M.G.
Hon. J. J. BELL-IRVING.
Hon. Wei A Yuk.
Mr. J. G. T. BUCKLE (Clerk of Councils).
MINUTES.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
TRAMWAYS FOR KOWLOON.
J. J. BELL IRVING-I rise, sir, to move the first reading of a Bill entitled an Ordinance to authorise the Hongkong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, Limited to lay and maintain tramways over certain public roads at Kowloon, in the colony of Hongkong and to confer upon the said Hongkong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, Limited, certain other rights, powers, and privileges. Any remarks that may be necessary I propose to make at the second reading.
Hon. C. P. CHATER seconded.
Bill read a first time.
SUPPLEMENTARY APPROPRIATION ORDINANCE.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Finance Committee.
His EXCELLENCY-I do not know what was done in the Finance Committee. You have had the estimates before you a long time, you know.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-The estimates have been in the hands of hon. members for three weeks. All the items, with the exception of the military contribution, were agreed to unanimously. That was objected to on principle.
His EXCELLENCY-Was there anything...
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His EXCELLENCY-Was there anything Hon. C. P. CHATER-No sir, absolutely nothing. We voted against the item to be perfectly consistent in what we had done. We have petitioned and we have protested, and the Secretary of State absolutely took no heed of our doings but ruled that the Ordinance should be passed. We recorded our vote against it, but it was passed by the official majority, and we want to show that even now the unofficial members are not in favour of it.
The COLONIAL TREASURER-I rise, Sir, to move the second reading of the Bill entitled an Ordinance to authorise the appropriation of a supplementary sum of three hundred and forty-one thousand and twenty-five dollars and thirty-seven cents to defray the charges of the year 1896. The sum which the Council is now asked to vote, namely, $341,025.37, represents the nominal excess of the actual expenditure for the year 1896 over the estimated expenditure.
The real excess comes to $226,467.69, the difference between the nominal and the real excess being $114,557.68. It is owing to the fact that credit cannot be taken for the savings effected in the various establishments nor in the public works extraordinary or public works recurrent that the difference between the actual excess and the nominal excess appears.
The savings on the public works recurrent amount to $18,278.60, on public works extraordinary to $82,705.21, and in ordinary expenditure to $13,573.81; total, $114,557.68, as already stated. Although the Council is asked to vote this sum of $341,025.37, the actual surplus of revenue over expenditure, if we exclude the amount chargeable on the loan account for public works extraordinary, is $134,968.57.
His EXCELLENCY-That can be done now just as well as next week?
Hon. C. P. CHATER-I think so, sir.
A vote on the third reading was then taken with the following result:-
FOR.
The Acting Director of Public Works.
Hon. J. J. Bell Irving.
Hon. E. R. Belilios.
Hon. T. H. Whitehead.
AGAINST.
Hon. Wei A Yuk.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
Bill read a second time.
Council went into Committee on the Bill which passed through all its stages without amendment.
THE FIRE BRIGADE ORDINANCE.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-As regards the Bill entitled an Ordinance to further amend the Hongkong Fire Brigade Ordinance, 1864, I ask your Excellency's permission to postpone the second reading for the present. I would like, however, to make one or two observations...
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