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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
street-fountains, we find ourselves unable to support the request, as we need more time to go further into the question. Meanwhile, we commend the request to the sympathetic consideration of the Government.
The last concession asked for is that the Government should bear the cost of installing and connecting the meters in the case of all unmetered houses in the rider-main districts. We are glad that this concession has been proposed by the Honourable senior unofficial member as representing all the European unofficials, and I desire to express our grateful thanks to them for having so readily consented to support this request from the Chinese, even though they were unable to support their other requests. I desire also to thank Your Excellency for the sympathetic manner in which you have received this proposal.
May I here say that, though we are grateful for the concession which the Hon. senior unofficial member proposes to make to us in his amendment to the original resolution, the three Chinese members will abstain from voting on it because it accepts the principle of immediate abolition of the rider-main system.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY.-Sir, The Council has already been informed that the Government is prepared to bear the cost of installing and connecting meters in the case of all unmetered houses in the rider-main districts, provided that all applications from these districts are received by the Water Authority before the 31st October, 1932. There must obviously be some limit set in this matter and it is considered this date will allow ample margin for all those who desire to have meters to apply for them.
The first four concessions for which the Senior Chinese Member This is an appeals are connected with the payments for water. exceedingly difficult question as it has long been admitted that the payments made for water supplied do not by any means approach the cost of supplying it and we have been continually advised to re-arrange our method to make the water scheme of the Colony financially self-supporting. Very much consideration and careful calculation will be necessary before we can arrange such a scheme satisfactorily and as it is not possible to attack it anyhow else than comprehensively we must for the moment rest content with the known fact that we are all getting our water for a great deal less than it costs the Government to produce it.
The Hon. Members speech however can properly be accepted as a recommendation that the whole matter should be early considered and a promise can fairly be given that such consideration will be undertaken as soon as the costs of completing the large new supplies now in contemplation are known. He must not however take it for granted that such re-arrangement when made will necessarily reduce the cost of water per gallon, although
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