Londosura 3.
(a)
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
nior European Staff has for Some the past occupied my attention, and I have been in communication with the Serrary of State on the subject. It is imposible to the present time, while a state war exists, to consider anything in the nature of a general revision of salaries, But after very careful considera tion I have arrived at the conclusion that some relief is urgently called for: and since the principal item in the high Cost of living here for senior officers is that of house ent, the Secretary of State desires that this Government should adopt a similar principle to that applied to the Subordinate European Staff by providing quarters, at moderate rentals, for the Senio European Staff also. It is of course impossible to build houses forthwith for the many officers concerned, and any scheme that may be evolved will necessarily be spread over a number of years. In the meqtime it is proposed to grant rent allowances to officers who are in separate ocupation of a house or flat, and the sum of $30.000 mentioned in the minute is to provide such rent allowances for the whole of the current year to some fifty officers. The next inute, the recommendation
Exportation of Raw Opium
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY moved the provisions of sub-section (5) of section the following resolution: Whereas by 10 of the Opium Ordinance, 1814, it is provided as follows:-No person shalt export or atd or abet the exportation of any a opium from the Colony, if such the fatte in pursuance of any resolu- exportation shall have been notified in tion of the Legislative Council as being illegal. Now it is hereby resolved that is illegal and it is further hereby the exportation of raw opium to Mexico resolved that a notification shall be made. in the next issue of the Gazette to this effect."
THE COLONIAL TREASURER second- ed, and this was agreed to.
Questions by Hon. Mr. Pollock
THE HON. MR. H. E. POLLOCK then put the following questions:--
ud or turning up the mud with their hands on the foreshore between Arsenal Stet and the North Point Hotel?
8. Will the Director of Public Works state hat steps, if any, have been taken. and, ie, when, for the construction of the promised Road to connect Nathan Road, Koinon. with Coronation Road? flas any Antrnet been signed for the work, and, so, when! When is i estimated that such connecting road will be completed i
$40,000 for the purchase of Lysholt, 1. Will the Government take steps to is in pursuance of that policy. The sub-prevent the Chinese from digging in the ject matter has only arisen daring the last day or two, and the sum you are asked to vote has only been arrived at this morning. The Government was a bidder, through Mr. Henry Humphreys, for the property known as "Lysholt " nt the Peak, and the purchaser was Mr. Hn Kom Tong. When I informed him that he had been bidding against the Government, he said he was quite un- aware of the fact--and he could not have been aware of it-and he very generously offered to stand aside and let the Govern inent acquire the property which i eminently suited for this purpose, and the sum mentioned in the Financial Minute is therefore desired to be voted in order to acquire this property.
Finance Minutes
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid on the table report of the proceedings of the Finance Committee, No. 6, and moved that it be adopted.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER second- ed, and this was agreed to.
The COLONIAL SKRETARY, replied as fol lows: Legislation would be necessary to stop the practice ferred to, as there is a common law right to take shell fish. A nuisance is undoubtedly occasioned by the odour which emanates from the stret- ches of foreshore between Arsenal Street and Causeway Bay which ale exposed at low tide; but this nuisance is mainly due to causes other than the digging or shell fish. It will be finally abated when the reclamation scheme, now under con- sideration, is put in hand. As regards the remaining stretch of fore.boro referred to the Government is not satis fed that any nuisance calling for spech legislation existe.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Local Defence Corps for Hongkong
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-Tende.s for the work involved | Secretary of State that, if no such reduc- have been called for in the tilt of the regular garrison could bo Bertie of the 20th July. Nego-made, I was of opinion that the most ' tiations for the resumption of satisfactory course to all concerned would certa land required in connec be to adopt compulsion for Military tion with the scheme were under Service outside the Colony. In March taken in Atil last and have not I received authority to impose compul yet reached a conclusion.
sory military service for local defence. (b)-No contract has yet been signed On the 11th of April, I informed the
for the work.
Secretary of State, in reply to enquiry, (r.) It is anticipated tha the work that conipulsory service for local defence can be completed in three months would not increase the numerical from the date of signing the strength of the existing Volunteer contract.
Forces, but that increased efficiency would result from A re-organisation under compulsory service, which the General Officer Commanding and I were engaged upon. On the 11th of May, I was informed that the War Office had decided against a further reduction of the already much reduced garrison. On the 8th of May I was asked by the Secre tary of State what was the total of recruits who have gone home from Hong- kong for military service, and what number was still available. On the 19th of May, I replied that 373 men had gone from here to the front and, after con- sulting the Military Service Commission, I added that under the policy hitherto adopted of reduction of staffs to А minimum, but of non-interference with any existing business, irrespective of nature and imperial importance, about 75 more men of British parentage fit for active military service might be obtain- ed, and I added estimates of larger numbers under varying degrees of stringency involving increasing degrees of interference with established businesses. The estimate of 75 Was +
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the firal reading of a Bill intituled, "An Ordi- hance to make provision with respect to military service and to provide for the establishment, maintenance and con- trol of a local defence corps. In doing Bo be said: The objects and reasons of this Bill give a full explanation of what it is tended to do, but I wish to give notice that at the next meeting of the Council
move 1 propose to amendment to the last clause of the Bill, There is a balance in hand belonging to the Volunteer Corps Fund, and it seems necessary to deal with that fund, as the Ordinance under which it was created is being repealed. The amendment will be an amendment to provide that the balance of the Volunteer Corps Fund shall be applied for the purposes of the Defence Corps in such manner as your Excellency may determine. I beg to move the first reading.
ed.
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The COLONIAL SECRETARY second very rough one, and I am inclined to think that it was too high. On the 21st of May, in forwarding the report of the Military Service Commission, I endorsed the suggestion of the Commission that compulsion for military service beyond the Colony should be adopted. On the 10th of July I was informed that, while compulsory military service outside the Colony was not definitely excluded, it is not contemplated in the special circum- stances of Hongkong at present. Since the 19th of May, 14 more men have left here for the front, of whom four are Civil Servanta. Deducting this number from the estimate of 75, it follows that in the opinion of those well able to judge there may still be about 61 men fit for active service who could be spared with- out interfering with the business of the Colony and by the local Military Autho rities responsible for the defence of the
H, E. TEX
GOVERNOR Honourable members will recollect the circumstances which led up to the appointment of the Military Service Commission. In the correspondence with the Secretary of State which preceded the appointment of the Commission, I recommended, after consultation with His Excellency the General Officer Commanding, under date of the 22nd January, 1917, that compul- Fory service for local defence should be nposed, that a wider use of the local force should be made, and that a further reduction in the regular garrison should follow to a point at which every member of the existing Volunteer Force must be considered indispensable for the defence of the Colony. Subsequently, under date of the 27th February, I informed the
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