that he did not receive a reply.
us to prevent it ard to the "Bill" so isunderstanding as to its nature and ni The object of the Bill is to enable rus
Hon. T. 11. WHITEHEAD-I had two inter- views with the Ambassador when he passed through the colony and at the second one I ex- pressed my sorrow that he did not avail himself of the Governor's invitation, and his explana tion was the one I have just given,
The CHAIRMAN--There may Jave been some misunderstanding, but that is a matter that can be very easily cleared up from the pa- pers on the subject. If the hon. member had given me private notice of his intention to ask the question I would have looked into the mat- ter.
did not entail quarantine at Singapore. To Ordinance was passed by this Council after the protests had gone home, and a vote of 174 per The CHAIRMAN-I am not thoroughly accent. of the revenue, excluding land premia, is eenhitions and departmental orders to quainted with the facts of the case, but if you the military contribution fixed by the Ordin and also to enable the Superintendent of desire to know what took place, the information ance, the object of which was to prevent the can be obtained. So tar as I understand. pre-recurrence of debates year by year on the sub- Fire Brigade himself to inflict perollige not sing Slo er confinement to the statou-parations for the luncheon, were made because ject. It is impossible for us, sitting in Finaudo imprisonment for not exceeding seven it was thought. His Excellency would land and Committee, to repeal that Ordinance, and
would be most absurd, having passed that ss, and with the result that if mehers of be entertained.
Ordinance, to say that we would not vote + Brigade refuse to pay the pelty inflicted hem or to undergo the contement to
money. We must be consistent. they shall be liable to dismissal That As the laws stands at the present time abhty of a member of the Fe Brigade is Jus of 25, instead of SI mentioned in Jill, and to enforce such a fins a man the taken before the Agistrate. This sought to be not highly conducive to dis- ne. It must be borne if mind that when
rmer-Fire Brigade Olinanes was passed; Snearly thirty years ago there were good many volunteer hembers of the Five rigade. There were any gentlemen who teered their services in time of need in the ide and naturally hey might have strongly ted to being punished by the Superinten at himself, preferfing perhaps to go before Magistrate. I think, fechaps, there is some misconception in this. It has been lost sight of that since that fine the constitution of the I am in- Bricade has very materially altered.
that the present time there are 4dy any uropean tuembers of the Brigade are no members of the Police Force are poleemen who get extra pay each month Belonging to the Fire Brigade, and there
is very differently constituted Brigade
it was. However, there is no violent out this matter and I would ask your Aey to allow the second reading of the
staud over for the present
second reading was therefore postponed,
ADJOURNMENT.
Council adjourned until next Monday,
FINANCE COMMITTES. Finance Committee considered the mentary estimates. Hon. J. H. Stewart
rt (Colonial Secretary) presided. CHAIRMAN said he would follow the sarse and take ench item as it occurred - rdinance.
PENSIONA.
he item Pensious, $13,064.71,
2. T. H. WHITEHEAD asket how the scale ious in this colony compared with the o other Crown colonies." It seemed to at pensions were always on the increase, CHAIRMAN, in reply, said that so far as
́s acquainted with pensions in other
i
The item was recommended.
THE POLICE SCANDAL,
On the item, Police, #8,941.71.
Dierce,
Hon. C. P. CHATA-My object in sacording is just to be, as the hon, the Attorney Gener has expressed it, consistent. The bill he refers o was passed against the unofficial vote. It waN agreed to by the official majority and on the present occasion we want it to be kept on record that it has again been put through, as it doubt will be, by the official majority.
Hon. Ho KAI-For the sain reason I sop- port the hon. member for the Chamber of Com
The military contribution of 17% per cent was passed by the official majority against the unofficials, and it is no use to say that that Ordinance in law. No doubt the Ordinance becomes law because the official majority is know whether the evidence tak u by the hon.ainst us, but it is no law as far as the un- The repre the Captain Superintendent of Police and official minority is concerned. the Crown Solicitor in connection with the sentatives of this colony are still against the charges against inspector Stanton and other per cont, whether it was passed by the As long as the wishes official majority or not. members of the l'olice Force was submited to the hon. the Attorney General for his opinion as to its sufficiency before cetion was taken thereon, and whether His Excellency sanctioned the dismissal of Tuspector Stanton sud the other members of the Police Force with the advice of the Executive Council or on the sole recon- mendation of the Captain Superintendent of Police,
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-I would like to
The CHAIRMAN-1 do not see what this has to do with the vote nader consideration. It appears to me that the proper course to adopt is for the hon. member to give notice of the question in the usual manner in Council.
Hon. . H. WHITEHEAD--It is quite in accordance with Parliamentary practice to ask for information concerning a certain department when a vote in connection therewith comes up for consideration.
The CHAIRMAN--In this case the expendi. tore, which was incurred in 189, has nothing to do with the matter alluded to by the hon. member. It is not from ang desire to withhold information, but it would be more regular to give notice in the usual manner, when no doubt the hon. member will receive an answer to bis question.
Item recommended.
THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTION,
On the item, Military Expenditure, 882,913.45, s they were practically on the same foot- Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-I move that this We have discussed this ques- the pensions in this colouy. The scale itemi be omitted. sions, so far as he knew, was the same intion of the military contribution from time to Zastern Crown culonies and, he believed, manch time very fully and I am still of the opinion same in the West Indies also. A man in the ; that it is quite out of proportion to the reconne ervice had to serve until he was 55 years of of the colony. It is a monstrous and a wost fore he was entitled to a peusion unless unjust charge and it acts most injuriously upon invalided before he reachedthat age. The the welfare of the colony. shus of the Police were dealt with by a
al Ordinance.
CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT of POLICE be scale of police pensious in Singapore he same as in Honkong.
HARROUE MASTER pointed out that as colony got older and public servants left
by year it necessarily followed that the; ion list must increase.
3-item was recommended.
LE HUNG-CHANG'S LUNCTION,
a the item. Governor and Legislature, 42.19.
pu. T. H. WHITEHEAD asked why was this diture incurred when the Ambassador's tance of the Governor's invitation to lag- was only conditional that his landing in koug did not entail qusrentine at Singa and the Government was not in a position ve any satisfactory assurance as to that #ion.
he CHAIRMAN-So far as I remember, the ernment was not aware of the fact that he Foing to make his acceptance of the invita conditional. The luncheon was prepared it was believed he would land.
ou. T. H. WHITEN AD-A telegram was
The HARBOUR MASTER--Question. Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-It is higher than any contribution required from any other Colonial Government, and why we should be thas unleted and imposed upon as we are it is impossible to conceive. I therefore move the rejection of the item.
The CHAIRMAN---Does anybody second that? Hon C. P. CHATER--This is a matter with which think it is almost hopeless for us to attempt to do much more.
ļ
The CHAIRMAN--Do I understand that you second the motion?
of the unofficials are not granted so long will they from time to time record their opposition to the military contribution.
The CHAIRMAN thought the simpler plan would be to state that the unofficial members objected to the item.
Hon C. P. CHATER-Take the vote.
The HARBOUR MASTER--The inferwose to be drawn from the remarks of the hon. mensber opposite (Hon. Ho Kai) is that if anybody does not approve of a law that is passed it is not binding on him. This law has been passed and it has not been approved by certain members, and therefore it is not considered binding!
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-The unofficials
voted in accordance with their conscience against the law enforcing 17 per cent.
The amendment was then taken as follows:---
Fox.
AGAINST.
Hon. Wei A Yuk. The Acting Director of Hon. J. J. Bell Public Works.
Irving.
The Colonial Treasurer. The Harbour Master. Hon. T. II. White- TheCaptain Superiutendent
head.
of Police.
Hon. E. R. Belilios.
Hou. Ho Kai. The Attorney-General. Hon. C. P. Chater. The Colonel Commanding.
The Colonial Secretary. The amendment was therefore lost by one rote and the item was recommended.
THE TAIPINGSILAN PROPERTY. On the item, Public Works Recurrent, $24,047.79,
Hou. T. H. WHITEHEAD--Notwithstanding your ruling, Mr. Chairman, I should like to repeat the question which I put at a meeting of the Council a fow weeks ago in regard to the Taipingshan property, an asset which cost the ratepayers the best part of a million of dollars The question I put last month was-"What steps do the Government now propose to take with a view to the speedy disposal of the Crowe land available at Taipingshan, and what were the causes of the Failure of the Goverment to obtain a bid for any lot at the recent sale by public auction?" Mr. Chairman, you replied as follows-The Government propose to allopt the usual course and to wait for applications to sell the land by action. With regard to the latter portion of the question I regret that it Hon. C. P. CHATER-1 am coming to that is not possible to state to what causes the directly. We have done what we could in this failure alinded to by the hon. member was due." matter. We have protested, we have petitioned. That answer in regard to this property, which and we have pointed ent to the Secretary of cest the ratepayers nearly a million dollars, is State for the Colonies that we should like to be no answer at all. It is an evasive reply. I cer placed on the same footing as our sister colony, tainly think the rats payers are entitled to know Singapore, but to all the protests and peti.why no bids were received for the property. tions we have had the one answer, that the vota Possibly the Director of Public Works can et must be made. Yet to show the Secretary of lighten ns. If he is not in a position to do so State that we do not willingly pass this vote II have no doubt the senior unofficial member second the resolution of my hon. friend the could enlighten the Connoil, because there is member for the Chamber of Commerce,
not another man in the colony in fact there The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-As regards the greater part of the vote it has been settled by knowledge and experience of property out the are no half dozen me in the colony whose was passed to management thereof are equal to the senior The unofficial member's. Several ratepayers bate
to Shanghai and His Excellency Li Hung-Ordinaren 21 of 1896 which
ng replied that he would land if the land. save coutinual debate on this question.
+
urged me to get information from the Govern- ment in regard to this asset as they are anxious to know whether we are going to derive anyth ing approaching the mon y expended upon it.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-There is one thing I should like to say in regard to this matter. As Attorney-General I naturally had a great deal to do with the numerous applicants ho came before the Committee asking for pensation when the land was resumed, and according to them the value of the land was really extraordinary. It was perfectly marvellous how valuable the property was. They thought they were being dealt with very hardly in having this valuable property token from them, and my humble endeavour on behalf of this colony was to cut down as many as these claints as possible. Aided by Mr. Sercombe Smith we succeeded in reducing the claims, i but in the end the amount paid was no doubt a very large one.
Then we were dealing with the seller. Now we have to deal with the buyer, who tells a very different tale. We say it is valuable property. "It is uaught, it is naught," says the buyer. So you see the other side of human nature. The buyers say Why do you demand such prices f Why don't you let us have the property very much cheaper?" That is the kind of human nature which always The presents a difficulty in the matter. reason why those people did not bid was because they wanted to get the property much cheaper than the price the Governmost were prepared to sell it at, and they tried to make out it was not worth so much. Ask the people who did not hid what was their reason. Surely the Government are not expected to tell what: was in the minds of these people when
If they did not hid.
the Government * take my advice they will hold the property until they get a reasonable g price for it. In time the demand will be so great that people will be prepared to give a fair price for the ground. am not a prof sional man as to values, but I should think the senior anofficial member will be struck with the idea that a good many people wanted the property much cheaper and they would not hid because they thought they would in a way hoycott the Government and make them soll a great deal more cheaply. That is the best answer I
11 give.
The property ought to be worth a good deal more now than when the Government took it over, in ita insanitary state as it has been properly drained and put in good order. I do not think the Government are to be blamed because they did not rush at the buyers and insist upon oir taking the property on their own TOY
torius.
10
Hon. Ho Kat said that perhaps the preo was fair, but the Crown rent had been raised, it being now about ten to twenty times what it was formerly.
After other remarks the CHAIRMAN said that the question had no direct bearing on the vote before the Committee. Hon. members bad every opportunity of bringing this matter before the Council in the usual way.
Hon. T. H. WAFTERAND-I submit that it is quite in order. On a mouey vote before the House members according to "May's Parlia- mentary practice are entitled to the fullest amount of information, and I submit that the Government should now give us some explana- tion as to their failure to obtain any bid whatever for the lots put up in the month of May. 1 have listened with a good deal of attention to the remarks of the Attorney-General, but I am just about as wise now as when I asked the question. I shoult like some information before this item is recommended.
The CHAIRMAN then put the item to the Committee and it was recommended.
ADJOURNMENT,
The Committee then adjourned.