7
that a large proportion of the bath- ing public, are, for various rea- sons, without motor transport or matshed.
has been demolished for something like two years and during the whole of that period, there has only been a temporary wooden bridge, capable As regards the Star Ferry Kow- of carrying light motor traffic.
loon approach road, the congestion at most times of the day is appall- For all practical purposes the posi-ing and the Association have pre- tion to-day is the same as after the demolition of the bridge two years
ago.
From a perusal of the estimates it would appear that whilst a small increase is expected in business and commercial transactions, a substan- tial increase in immigration from China may be looked for. I note that whilst the fees for marriage licences and the registration of births and deaths may be expected to increase by fifty per cent., the public executioner's fees are expect- ed to increase to a similar extent.
British Products.
A careful consideration of the details of expenditure of the various departments reveals the information that several steam launches, motor boats, motor cars and machinery are to be purchased in the coming year, and it is to be hoped that the selection will be confined to those of British manu- facture and if construction is call- ed for or production possible in this Colony preference will as far as possible be given to this Colony. Similar principles might with ad- vantage be adopted by all Govern- ment Departments as well as by private concerns in this Colony as Our industrial concerns require special assistance in these times.
Kowloon Matters.
pared and submitted to Your which it hopes will meet with Your Excellency an elaborate scheme,
Excellency's approval.
Kowloon Tong.
I further desire, on behalf of the Kowloon Tong Residents' Associa- tion, to draw Your Excellency's at- tention to their request for a mar- ket. There are now 200 completed houses and the remainder will, I believe, be completed next year. This scheme provides homes for a section of our community which has a real call on our assistance, and whilst the Association appreciates the very substantial sums budgeted for the coming year in favour of Kowloon Tong, a market will be a great boon to them.
In conclusion, may I express the desire on behalf of my brother Justices of the Peace whom I have the honour to represent that a new cycle of prosperity is now before us and that the future has in store the old cordial and friendly re- lations with the neighbouring pro- vinces of China and her people, which must redound to the mutual benefit of all, and go a long way to assist in the all round commer- cial prosperity. (Applause.)
HON. MR. R H. KOTEWALL.
Hon. Mr. R. H. Kotewall said: Sir,-The task of presenting the views of the Chinese community on the Budget has fallen on me this year, and my senior Chinese col- league desires me to say that he associates himself with all the views and sentiments I am about to express.
I desire, on behalf of the Kow- loon Residents' Association, to draw Your Excellency's attention to two matters-Bathing facilities and the Star Ferry Kowloon ap- proach road. As to the question of bathing facilities, this matter has been fully dealt with by the Bath- ing Beach Committee, and estimates prepared in connection with their Report. The Association, whilst appreciating fully the general fin- ancial position, so ably elucidated by the Honourable Colonial Secre- tary, hopes that Your Excellency will be able to see your way, year by year, to allocate money in this direction, increasing the amount as conditions improve. Whilst I am informed by people who are able to speak with personal knowledge, that in this Colony far more has been done by the Government to assist public bathing than in Shanghai, Singapore, Colombo and many other places, nevertheless one should not lose sight of the fact that sea bathing in this Colony has increas- ed in popularity enormously in the last few years that it makes for health and hygiene, and is, there- fore, of general benefit the Colony. It should not be forgotten on page
$67,000.
to
((
Arising out of the item Assess- ed Taxes" which appears on page 6 of the draft Estimates, I beg to bring to your Excellency's notice an anomaly which exists in the pre- sent method of valuation under the Rating Ordinance. This is to be seen in, some cases in which the owner of a partially occupied house has to pay a larger sum for the rates for one quarter than the rents he receives for one month. The payment for rates is altogether out of proportion to the rents re- ceived; and I submit that the Or- dinance should be so amended as to give the Assessor discretionary power, which he has not at present, to make a special valuation in these cases. Happily, such few, but where they exist, they con- stitute an obvious injustice.
School Fees.
cases are
The item "Public School Fees " 9 shows an increase of When commenting upon
51