44
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
the
80
far
HON. MR. H. W. BIRD- Sir, I wish to fully endorse the remarks that have fallen from the senior unofficial member. It would seem that no matter how irrespon- sible an individual may be, he or she has only to say something derogatory to Hong- kong, and notice is promptly taken of such statements without any attempt being made to find out whether they are true or not.
The Hon. Member said I rise, Sir, to which one Member of the "Advisory Body propose the resolution standing in my is at any rate specially interested-since from time to time cases of disease have name. I need scarcely say, Sir, that it is distasteful to me to go into detail on
been imported into this Colony from this subject, nor is it necessary to do so.
that Port. As an old resident of many &S one who has For months past, Sir, a tissue of libels, years standing and
been outside the Government and occa- which I personally can only describe as malicious, and perhaps inspired, have sionally criticised it, I can say that the been circulated at Home in connection system of registration here is a system with this Colony, both as regards the Muinot to protect vice, but to protect women and children from vice. Finally. so much Tsai system and what is called
has been said and circulated at Home "Social Evil Conditions," the bulk of which, I do not hesitate to state, are
which has been misrepresentation of the not borne out by the facts as we know truth, that we would urge that the Home
Government, them. That there has been growing pub- concerned at any rate, should appoint to the as Hongkong is lic indignation here of these libels has Advisory Body some resident of long stand- been evidenced in the Press and it would ing in Hongkong familiar with the facts, certainly have found voice in public meet-life and conditions here, and therefore cal ings if the present opportunity had not culated to give sound advice thereon. I can- occurred. There is evidence, too, of the mis- not too strongly express the extreme resent- interpretation of facts even by those who ment of this Colony that its name should have were supposed to know them. I would recall been fouled, unjustly fouled, by the state- to Your Excellency's mind and to the ments which have all too lightly been minds of hon. members of this Council made concerning it of late at home. that some three years ago we had a visita- tion from a Commission inquiring into vice in the Eastern ports and a statement was published in one of the most pro- minent medical journals over the name of Mrs. Neville Rolfe, a member of that Commission, who spent some time in- quiring into conditions here, containing assertions which were so definitely con- sidered to be not only a gross misrepresenta- tion of the facts, but libellous in its references to the state of disease in this Colony that a well-known private medical practitioner here took
upon himself personally to contradict the statements, with the result that Mrs. Neville Rolfe
moved to retract the statement. These and many other such statements have led to the incor- poration of Hongkong into the appoint- ment of an Advisory Body to inquire into the maisons tolerees and social hygiene of Hongkong and other places. submit that this is totally unnecessary, so far as Hongkong is concerned at any rate, In the second place I think I express the unanimous opinion of hon. members when I say we resent interference in what we may fairly call the domestic control of the Colony of Hongkong. The Home Govern- ment might with no greater reason have appointed a Committee to advise upon the hospital system of Hongkrong, and we, with equal propriety might have asked that you, Sir, should suggest a Commission of Enquiry into the conditions of vice in Plymouth,--in
was
strongly support the suggestion of my colleague that the Colony should be re- presented on this advisory body by some- one who has close knowledge of the facts that exist here, so that in the event of statements being made regarding local conditions that are incorrect they could With these be promptly contradicted. remarks I beg to support the resolution.
HON, MR. KOTEWALL-Sir, I support the resolution, though I should have been glad to see the word malicious omit- ted, for I am inclined to the belief that the action of those whose activities have brought this Colony so unpleasantly and unfairly into the limelight, has been actuated by excessive zeal for their cause rather than by any unworthy motive. I wish, however, to associate myself in this public protest against such action which has undoubtedly tended to create a false impression of conditions in Hongkong.
C
12
HON. MR. CHAU SIU-KI-I
agree with the remarks made by my hon. friend Mr. Kotewall.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HON. MR. C. G. ALABASTER-In rising to support this resolution I would like to draw the attention of the Council to the fact that during the last five years or so the Secretaries and the Under- Secretaries of State have been called upon to
answer questions relating to Hongkong underlying which there has been an inuendo or slur on the good name of the Colony. These questions, we cannot believe, are asked maliciously by the honourable members who ask them. We are forced therefore to believe that these questioners are mere marionettes dancing vigorously though unconsciously to the wire-pulling of Empire breakers at Home and abroad. It is time that the resentment against these charges should fod expression. The resentiment is not confined to unofficial members; it is a resentment which pervades the whole community, and is shared by officials as well. We also would like to see that those who advise the Secretary of State on this and other important questions have an intimate and actual knowledge of the place on which they are advising. Otherwise there is a grave danger that they will be talking through their toquas. We would like to see some official or un- official who has retired from the Colony and knows it well, on this advisory body. We are not afraid of the results of any enquiry that may be made into the social life here, because we believe that Hong kong is a clean city, socially and mor- ally. It is a town of over a million in- habitants, one of the largest ports in the world, 8 garrison town, a naval station and the abiding place-tempor- arily or permanently-of people of all sorts and conditions and of every race and tongue; nevertheless we are prepared to say that morally it can stand in favour able comparison with any town of its size in the five continents or the seven seas I therefore beg to add my support to this resolution.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR-This motion being the expression of the views of the Unofficial Members, it would be out of place and out of order for Official Members to express an opinion on any point except as to whether it should be forwarded to the Secretary of State, and the votes of Official Members are confined entirely to that question.
The motion was agreed to.
|
can
The Piers Ordinance
45
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled an Ordinance to amend the Piers Ordinance 1899. That ordinance, he said, gives the Governor in Council power to revise the schedule of pier rents contained in the ordinance, but owing to the wording of the section that gives that power no such revision take place before 1950 unless it takes place before the end of this year. We do not wish to revise the rents at present, hut we may have to do so later, and the object of this Bill is to preserve the right to revise the rents and to keep it alive up to the end of the year 1949. Power is not taken to make more than one policy of the original ordinance was that revision before the year 1950 because the
any revision made before 1925 was to remain in force up to the end of the year 1949.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the first reading of the Bill was agreed to.
Supplementary Appropriation
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY--Your Excellency, I beg to move the first read- ing of a Bill intituled an Ordinance to authorise the appropriation of a supple- mentary sun of $2,038,038 and 3 cents to defray the charges for 1923. Hon. Members will observe that the bulk of the sum required comes under the heads of Miscellaneous Services and Public Works Recurrent. Under Miscellaneous Services unforeseen expenditure included the balance of the Government donation to the Univer- sity with interest which was $176,000 over the amount voted, $85,000 as compensation in respect of the Yaumati Ferry Service, $200,000 for the War Memorial Nursing Home, $250,000 for the British Empire Ex- hibition, nearly $200,000 for loss on sub- sidiary coins, and a donation of $250,000 to the Japanese Earthquake Hongkong Relief Fund. The large sum required under Public Works Recurrent is almost entirely due to the heavy expenditure on Typhoon and Rainstorm damage owing to the typhoon on the 18th August and the phenomenal rainfall at the end of October. I am afraid several large sums remain to be expended this year on account of this typhoon and rainfall. I beg to move the first reading.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER second- ed, and the Bill was read a first time.