No 779.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONG KONG,
20th October, 1938.
Sir,
Enclosure No. 1.
Enclosure No. 2.
Cidrgăt
I have the honour to forward for the
signification of His Majesty's pleasure the following
Ordinance intituled
2.
"An Ordinance to provide for and regulate the
supply of water".
The enclosed report by the Attorney
General explains the objects and reasons of the
Ordinance.
3.
The Ordinance provides among other things
for the carrying out of the proposals for the reorganization of the water finances originally put forward in a memorandum by the Financial Secretary
published last April as Sessional Paper No. 4 of 1938. These proposals were at first criticised vigorously
in the press and by Chinese representatives, particularly the District Watch Committee and the
Chinese Chamber of Commerce. These criticisms were
partly based on misunderstandings which have since been removed; but the proposals of substance to
which exception was at first taken were the abolition
of the system of free allowances based on the rating
valuation; the continued collection of the 2 per cent
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
MALCOLM MACDONALD, M.P.,
Ex
&C.,
&c., &C.