415
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The hon. member went on to make a few remarks of his own. The transfer of military establishment, as the hon. mem ber is well aware, is a matter engaging our attention very fully. The hon. mem- ber quoted a remark of mine with regard to the sale of land on the road to Wanchai Gap. I said: "I may mention that one piece of land opened up by the new road to the Peak sold a few days ago for $80,000, which is exactly the estimated cost of completing the road to Victoria Gap." I think the hon. member rather mis- understood my meaning. The concluding words were used as an illustration rather than as an argument. I was not think- ing that the land in question was on the Victoria Gap side of the road, but, look- ing at the road as a whole, I thought it was a curious and interesting coincidence that the amount obtained by the sale of land on that section of the road was equivalent to the estimated cost of build- ing it. I hope I did not really mislead the hon. member. He knows perfectly well my own views on the road and I am interested at last to find somebody who champions it. I am still waiting to find somebody who will admit that he started the idea.-(Laughter).
With regard to the quarters for Govern- ment officers, I am sure the hon, member did not wish his remarks to be taken as suggesting that Government servants in the Colony were overpaid either in actual cash and passage money or in provision of houses. If he thought so I can assure him he is wrong. The community in this Colony is extremely fortunate in obtain- ing the services of the officers for the salaries it pays them. There is probably not a single man in the Service who could not make twice as much money outside with no more exertion of time and brain.
The question of building houses is one to which I personally attach great im- portance for two reasons. The one was hinted at by the Colonial Secretary, and that was that if you want an officer to preserve his health it is desirable be should have a healthy house to live in. The salaries which are paid to officers in this Colony do not enable them to pay the rent charged for houses on the Peak, and if we charge the rents for the houses which we are building commensurate with the reasonable return on the capital or actual expenditure the same situation would arise. A commercial rent on any of the houses built would, in my opinion be more than any officer could afford and I think, therefore, that the principle of making the officer pay a reasonable amount for his accommodation-a system which is employed in most other colonies where Government houses are being built is sound. If we do not, the only result would be you would have to raise officers' salaries in order to enable them to pay an adequate return on capital, and I would point out that would be objection- able even if the whole rent came back to the Government. As twenty per cent. of such additional return would be handed over automatically to the military authorities, I think you would agree with me that it would not be sound finance (Laughter.)
The Hon. Senior Chinese Member raised one point which has not been dealt with, and that is the question of the recent amendment to the Deportation Ordinance. I understand there is a feel- ing among a section of the Chinese com- munity that it was aimed at them. Of course, the first answer is that a man who is not a criminal has nothing to fear, and that if he is in doubt that the action he is committing, or contemplates committing, will render him liable to deportation his wisest course obviously is to refrain from committing it. At the