601
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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
amount spent on our Education is only 3 per cent., of the total income-not an excessive amount and any other calls your Excellency wishes to make upon the Colony to encourage the education, super- the Chinese vision and training of children of the Colony will be gladly supported by the unofficial members--the more so as during the last twelve months we have seen and heard how much harm has been done in China by the strenuous German propaganda carried on there. The only way to counteract that is to encourage the education of the Chinese children in this Colony, in such a way that they will be taught, by unbiassed masters, the difference between right and
wrong.
The Kowloon-Canton Railway Another point which I wish to refer to is the railway. At the present, the net revenue of this railway is merely rather less than 1 per cent., on the invested capital. That is not taking any notice at all of the interest we have to pay on the £1.100,000 borrowed, primarily a loan to the Viceroy of Wuchang, to be invested in the railway. We make barely one per cent, on our railway and in addition to that have to pay interest on this enormous sun. Now, so far as we know, from the very first, when the railway was started, the Government has been endeavouring to have the railway Inked up with the We know that Kwangtung main lines. the Government here are working to that end to the best of their ability, and w think that further time should not be lost. Most strenuous representaions should be made in the proper quarters by this Government that these railways must be of the The linking up linked Kowloon-Canton line with the main lines of China would be far more advantageous to the Chinese than to ourselves.
They We under ought to understand that. stand that the opposition to that railway is largely due to the opposition of a few mistaken officials in narrow-minded or Canton, who are too short-sighted to see what the result of their obstructive policy amounts to.
up.
The German Charitable Institution
With regard to charitable services in the Colony, unofficial members have dis cussed this question at some length. They
are strongly of opinion that under exist- ing conditions the Hongkong Government should take over entirely these three German charities, for which, I think, a sum of $15,000 has been asked, and that they should become Hongkong charities. The names of these charities should be soon as possible, the staff changed as should also be changed, and they should once and for all Hongkong become
It would be cruel Government charities. and wicked to close these institutions entirely, and to throw these helpless little children upon the world. These charities- having been started in the Colony we hav got to see that they are continued to the end.
|
I think your Excellency laid down a rule by which you proposed to continue them, at all events for the present, but not to admit any more children, and se forth. With that we entirely agree. The unofficial members agree also that once hostilities are terminated we should not any longer have German charity existing in this Colony, even if it is forthcoming, any more than we should allow Germans themselves to come into this Colony. We believe we are voicing the feeling of by far the greater portion of the British residents in this Colony in saying this.
War Services Acknowledged
In making your remarks, your Excel- lency referred to the valuable services rendered by the Special Police Reserve and, I think also, one Government official. Mr. Jaffé, for public services rendered. We entirely endorse what you have said, and go further. We think that there are other people whose names should be recorded in this debate as people to whom this Colony owes thanks for voluntary services rendered during the hard times that have fallen upon us during the last Mr. 15 months. Referring more particularly
the Censorship Department, to Dealy, and afterwards Mr. Irving, of the and finally Mr. Alabaster. Government service, Alabaster-particularly Mr. who has given up his private time and practica to public work in regard to the
work of important
censorship be mentioned. telegrams-should There are others who have done good work, particularly in connection with the censorship of letters, whom it would perhaps be invidious to mention. Especially would 1 mention Mr. Charles Lafrentz, who has given a great deal of
very
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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
time to this work though in control of a big business single-handed, and has devot- ed himself whole-heartedly to his parti-
cular section of work.
an
The Form of the Balance Sheet
a
a
us
85
I believe
Sisters should not be reduced. that the class of probationer purse engaged locally has not the aptitude for the work required of them, and that a scheme which might be suitable to other Colonies is not so here. One more point I would like to mention. Some years ago I believe that a substantial sum of money was handed over to the govern- With regard to the balance sheet, Iment by the Nursing Home, or Nursing referred to that very fully in the debate Institute, on the distinct understanding of 1911, but nothing resulted from that that two nursing Sisters would be pro- from the Government Civil debate, except a stereotyped reply from vided
I under- my friend on my left (the "Colonial Hospital for outside work. Treasurer). It has again been considered stand that only one Sister is now avail- by unofficial members, and we wish to able, and I should like to be assured that put it on record that the ratepayers of further definite steps have been taken by
have Hongkong ought to
proper the Government to carry out the under- balance-sheet put before them, The pre-taking given to provide two nursing sent document put before shows Sisters for the work outside the Hospital,
entirely fictitious credit balance. According to this document there is
credit
of balance
$2,900,000, on which we propose to draw this year. As a matter of fact there is no credit at all. No notice is taken in this total of liabilities of the permanent loan of the Colony, which represents a large sum of money-about a million and a half sterling. Unofficial members have asked me to refer to this again, and to express their dissatisfaction with the answer which was given to us some years agu. Surprise was expressed then that. after so many years, the question should have been raised, and that, in any case, the balance-sheet as put before us is hased on some ancient order issued by the Secretary of State. That is not sufficient | shee. for us. We consider as business people that a business community should have placed before
a them
business-like balance-sheet, and we ask that our views should be put before the Secretary of State to see if we can get that obsolete With these remarks, order cancelled. Sir, I now beg to move my amendment, which is:-"That the item in the Budget, namely, $140,000 for the part purchase of private moorings in the Harbour, on of 35 of the Estimates, and $10,000 on page 31, for relaying moorings, be deleted from the Estimates."
page
HON. MR. SHELLIM-Sir, under the head Medical Department." your Excellency has informed us that six pro- replace two bationer dressers are to nurses at the Government Civil Hospital. We hope this is merely a temporary measure due to the war, because we are of opinion that the number of nursing
THE COLONIAL TREASURER-In reply to the hon. member who represents the Chamber of Commerce, I may say that I really have nothing to add to what I said in 1911, The unofficial members have apparently had that reply before them. The Secretary of State in his despatch on the Estimates that year sug- gested a somewhat fuller explanation, but without the despatch to refer to I cannot state its terms precisely.
HON. MR. HEWETT Then
we shall continue to have the same old balance-
THE
COLONIAL SECRETARY In regard to the remarks of the hon. member who represents the Chamber of Commerce, on the subject of quarters for the Govern- ment servants. I am not quite clear as to what he referred to when he said that quarters were remunerative. these I can shortly state what the policy of the Government has been during the last three years. The Government have erected in Victoria 22 quarters which are occupied free of rent by certain sub- ordinate officers. and eight small houses in Kowloon which are also occupied by subordinate officers who have to live on that side of the water, and last year it decided and the proposal was approved by the Secretary of State-that oparters should be erected for other officers who draw a low salary, which could be rented by them at a rent which
was