the project. They contended that it was absolutely necessary they should be provided with an inland dock or basin inside the proposed new embankment for the purpose of enabling them to meet the exigencies of the naval service in respect of the refitting and revictualling of Her Majesty's ships. Moreover the Admiralty stipulated, as one of the conditions of their acquiescence in the project, that the proposed new marine roadway should be carried up on an ascending gradient from the Murray Pier, so that by the time it reached the Naval Yard frontage it should have attained a sufficient height to admit of a bridge over the entrance to their dock or basin which would enable them to preserve their communication with the sea while the roadway was carried overhead. In addition to that the Military Authorities in conjunction with the Admiralty insisted on the embankment being pushed further out into the harbour, into deeper water, thus involving the cost of laying deep foundations. It may readily be understood that such very heavy additions as these to the original simple scheme could not but increase the estimate of cost very largely and these additions will give hon. members a clue to the larger figure of £71,000 set forth in the Address.
While on the subject of the proposed Praya extension I may, perhaps, be permitted incidentally to remark that for the first time in the history of this question we have a General in command of the China Station who, holding liberal views on the matter, is animated by an earnest desire to gratify the aspiration of the colony as to uniting the eastern and western portions of the town by means of this embankment. And even if the Government should be unable at the moment, owing to financial considerations, to give effect to the scheme, it will have been a highly desirable thing to avail ourselves of the present favourable attitude of the Military Department, and to procure its acceptance of the scheme in such a manner as to render it unlikely that it can be afterwards altered or extended, or the cost still further increased.
The hon. member opposite has expressed the opinion that if the Colonial Government had been seriously desirous of having this scheme carried out they would unquestionably have been able to carry it out. I am not aware that any want of such desire can be attributed to the Colonial Authorities. The delays that have arisen are mainly owing to the objection of the Naval Department to being cut off from the sea frontage by an intervening public roadway. It is also entirely owing to the favourable view which General Cameron takes of the project that the Government now for the first time sees some prospect of carrying out the improvement within a measurable distance of time.
As to the remarks which fell from the hon. member opposite with reference to Sanitary Works, the hon. member may be aware, or he may not be aware, that the Government of the colony has been for the last three and a half years assiduously engaged in constructing the main sewerage of this town upon modern sanitary principles. From the returns which I hold in my hand I find that during the last three and a half years in the Western District of Victoria 2,450 yards of main sewers have been constructed, in the Central District 1,900 yards, and in the eastern district 3,100 yards, making in all 7,450 yards of new main sewers, or roughly speaking, about four and a half miles. Besides this many other works of improvement in connection with main sewerage have also been carried out, and these improvements have been pushed forward for the last three and a half years and are still being unremittingly pushed forward from day to day as part and parcel of the comprehensive scheme for the main drainage of the city adopted four years ago.
The main drainage works of Victoria, however, are something like Rome, they are not to be built in a day. At all events the statistics I have quoted to the Council will show that considerable progress has been made in the main drainage works. Having said this much on the subject of the main drainage of the town, I come to the cognate subject of house drainage, and here I am able to agree with any hon. member at this table who may lift his voice against the actual condition of things. House drains are to the main sewers what the veins are to the arteries in a man's body. The Government have been engaged in restoring the arteries to proper working order, and it devolves upon the owners of house property to do the same for the veins, that is for their house drains.
Those private house drains which are the cause of all our present evils are built at the expense of private owners of property, and it should devolve upon house proprietors to imitate in respect of their private house drains the action of the Government in respect of the reconstruction of main sewers. But as this is not being done things are in the state referred to by the Hon. member opposite. What is the remedy for this state of things? Legislation, unquestionably. Legislation that will make it compulsory upon the householder to re-construct his house drains as the Government has reconstructed the main sewers of the town.
And with reference to the subject of this legislation, I noticed a passage in his Excellency's Address which says that an Ordinance in this connection was prepared by myself a year ago. With due deference to his Excellency's statement, I have to point out that that passage in the Address would have been more correct if it had stated two years ago, it being, I think, in 1884 that the draft of the Ordinance was first submitted for consideration. The Bill as then drafted bristled with difficulties and perplexities, and it had the misfortune to meet with some opposition from Hon. Members of the Council, as well as from other high authorities whose opinions are entitled to the highest respect.
It brought most forcibly home to one's mind the fact that the course of sanitary legislation was something like that of true love, and that it did not always run smooth. The Public Health Ordinance was therefore withdrawn, and, I think, judiciously withdrawn, with the object of recasting it into two separate measures to be introduced this session. At the first meeting of the re-constituted and enlarged Sanitary Board the draft Bill was brought forward and placed before new members, and from that time to the present has continued to receive from them that earnest attention and consideration which it so preeminently demands.
As the Bill will be laid upon this table before long it would, perhaps, be premature for me to enter into the question at greater length now; but I cannot help expressing a conviction, which I am sure the hon. member opposite will share, that that Bill will be found an effectual remedy for all the evils and complaints which he depicts, and therefore I trust it will not be long before it takes its place in the Statute Book.
I ought perhaps to add that the Sanitary Board has been animated throughout its deliberations as to this important legislation by the sole desire, as far as the exigencies of the public health will admit, to consult on the one hand the welfare and interests of the masses who are compelled to inhabit the houses of Hongkong, and on the other the interests of the landlords. All landlords, I am sorry to say, who build such houses for personal profit without due regard to drainage, to proper lighting, or adequate ventilation. I repeat I think the evils which the hon. member has depicted in such glowing language will all be found to come within the grasp of the new Ordinance.
Our aim therefore should be to expedite that Ordinance, and place it upon the Statute Book with all possible speed, for in that Act lies the only remedy for the evils which my hon. friend has referred to. The hon. member has made some remarks in what I may term very warmly expressed language about the Central Market. I may state that the management of the Central Market is not in my hands.
Hon. A. P. MACEWEN—I never said it was.
The SURVEYOR-GENERAL—That is so. But as the Government fully intended last year to rebuild the Market, it may be understood why Sanitary reforms may not have been instituted there. The only impediment to the erection of a new market has been the financial impediment. Rather than waste time in discussing matters of the past, and that now no longer exist, I think we should be wiser to go to work in earnest, make an assault upon the old pile, and knock it down during the next year, as soon as this may be feasible consistently with the finding of suitable temporary accommodation for the Market people.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL—Sir, I wish to add a few remarks to what has been said on the motion for the adoption of the reply to the Address. With respect to finance, I think my hon. friend opposite (Mr. MacEwen) said he was disappointed. I don't think we can join in that feeling, as from a statement before me I find the revenue has ever since 1876 steadily and regularly and year by year risen from $870,000, which it was in that year, to the $1,300,000 which we expect to receive this year.
With respect to a large development of public works and a large expenditure by means of a loan my hon. friend has expressed his disappointment no such programme figures in the Address. I don't think we could expect his Excellency the Administrator to trammel the hands of the future Governor by launching out into these great works. Everything cannot be done at once.
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the project. They contended that it was abso- lutely necessary they should be provided with an inland dook or basin inside the proposed new embankment for the purpose of enabling them to meet the exigencies of the naval service in respect of the refitting and revictualling of Her Majesty's ships. Moreover the Admiralty stipu Iated, as one of the conditions of their acquies- cence in the project, that the proposed new ma- rine roadway should be carried up on an ascend- ing gradient from the Ma.ray Pier, so that by the time it reached the Naval Yard frontage it should have attained a sufficient height to admit of a bridge over the entrance to their dock or hasin which would enable them to preserve their communication with the sea while the roadway was carried overhead. In addition to that the Military Authorities in conjunction with the AA- miralty insisted on the embankmont being push d further out into the harbour, sloug deeper water, thas involving the cost of the laying of deep ana foundations. It may readily be understood that such very heary additions as these to the original simple scheme could not bat increase the "esti- mate of cost very largely and these additions will give hon. members a elas to the larger figure of £71,000 set forth in the Address. While on the subject of the proposed Praya extension I may, perhaps, he permitted incidentally to remark that for the first time in the history of this question we have a General in command of the China Station who, holding liberal views on the matter, is animated by an earnest desire to gratify the aspiration of the colony as to uniting the eastern and western portions of the town by means of this em bankment. And even if the Government should be unable at the moment, owing to financial considerations, to give effect to the scheme, it will have been a highly desirable thing to avail ourselves of the present favourable attitude of the Military Department, and to procure its acceptance of the scheme in such a manner as to render it unlikely that it can be afterwards altered or extended, or the cost still further increased. The hon. member opposite has ex. pressed the opinion that if the Colonial Govern ment had been seriously desirous of having this scheme carried out they would unquestionably have been able to carry it out. I am not aware that any want of such desire can be The attributed to the Colonial Authorities. delays that have arisen are mainly owing to the objection of the Naval Depart ment to being cut off from the sea frontage by an intervening public roadway. It is also entirely owing to the favourable view which General Cameron takes of the project that the Government now for the first time sees some prospect of carrying out the improvement within a measurable distance of time. As to the re- marks which fell from the hon. member op. posite with reference to Sanitary Works, the hou. member may be aware, or he may not bo aware, that the Government of the colony bas beon for the last three and a half years assiduously engaged in constructing the main sowerage of this town upon modern sanitary principles. From the returns which I hold in my hand I find that during the last three and a balf years in the Western District of Vio toris 2,450 yards of main sewers have been con- structed, in the Central District 1,900 yards, and in the castern district 3, 100 yards, making in all 7,450 yards of new main sewers, or roughly speaking, about four and a half miles. Besides this many other works of improvement in connection with main sewerage have also been carried out, and thase improvements have been pushed forward for the last three and a half years and are still being unremittingly pushed forward from day to day as part and parcel of the comprehensive scheme for the main drainage of the city adopt- ad four years ago. The main drainage works of Victoria, however, are something like Rome, they are not to be built in a day. At all events the statistics I have quoted to the Council will show that considerable progress has been made in the main drainage works. Having said this much on the subject of the main drainage of the town, I come to the cognate subject of house drainage, and here I am able to agree with any hon. member at this table who may lift his voice against the actual condition of things. House drains are to the main sewers what the veins are to the arteries in a mau's body. The Government have been engaged in restoring the arteries to proper work. ing order, and it devolves upon the owners of house property to do the same for the veins, that is for their house drains. Those private house drains which are the cause of all our present evils are built at the expense of private owners of property, and it should devolve upon house proprietors to imitate in respect of their private
house
house drains the action of the Government in respect of the reconstruction of main sewers. But as this is not being done things are in the state referred to by the Hon. member opposite. What is the remedy for this state of things? Logislation, unquestionably. Legislation that will make it compulsory upon the householder to re-construct his house drains as the Government has reconstructed the main sewers of the town. And with reference to the subject of this legis- lation, I noticed a passage in his Excellency's Address which says that an Ordinance in this connection was prepared by myself a year ago, With due deference to his Excelleney's state- ment; I have to point out that that passage in the Address would have been more correct if it had stated two years ago, it being. I think, in 1884 that the draft of the Ordinance was first submitted for consideration. The Bill as then drafted bristled with difficulties and perplexities, and it had the misfortune to meet with some opposition from Hon. Members of the Council, as well as from other high authorities whose opinions are entitled to the highest respect. It brought most forcibly home to one minds the fact that the course of sanitary legisla- tion was something like tast of true love, and that it did not always run smooth. The Public Health Ordinance was therefore with- drawn, and, I think, judiciously withdrawn, with the object of recasting it into two separate mea- sures to be introduced this session. At the first meeting of the re-constituted and enlarged Sani- tary Board the draft bill was brought forward and placed before new members, and from that time to the present has continned to receive from them that earnest attention and consideration which it so preeminently demands. As the Bill will be laid upon this table before long it Would, perhaps, be premature for me to en. ter into the question at greater length now; but I cannot help expressing a conviction, which I am sure the hon. member opposita will share, that that Bill will be found an effectual remedy for all the evils and complaints which he depicts, and therefore I trast it will not be long before it takes its place in the Statuto Book. I ought perhaps to add that the Sanitary Board has been animated throughout its deliberations as to this important legislation by the sole desire as far as the exigencies of the public health will admit to consult on the one hand the welfare and interests of the masses who are compelled to inhabit the houses of Hongkong, and on the other the interests of the landlords. All landlords, I am sorry to say, who build such houses for personal profit without due regard to drainage, to proper lighting, or adequate venti- Istion. I repeat I think the evils which the hon. member has depicted in such glowing language will all be found to come within the grasp of the new Ordinance. Our aim therefore should be to expedite that Ordinance, and placa it upon the Statute Book with all possible speed, for in that Act lies the only remedy for the evils which my hon. friend has referred to. The hon. member has made some remarks in what I may term very waruly expressed language about the Central Market. I may state that the manage- ment of the Central Market is not in my hands. Hon. A. P. MACEWEN-I nevar said it was. The SURVEYOR-GENERAL-That is so But as the Government fully intended last year to rebuild the Market, it may be understood why Sanitary reforms may not have been instituted there. The only impediment to the erection of a new market has been the financial impediment. Rather than waste time in disenssing matters of the past, and that now no longer exist. I think we should be wiserto go to work in earnest, make an assault upon the old pilo, and knock it down during the next year, as soon as this may bo feasible consistently with tho fiuding of suit- able temporary accommodation for the Market people.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-Sir, I wish to add a few remarks to what has been said on the motion for the adoption of the reply to the Address. With respect to finance, I think my hon. friend opposite (Mr. MacEwen) said he was disappointed. I don't think we can join in that feeling, as from a statement before me I find the revenue has ever since 1876 afosdily and regularly and year by year risen from $870,000, which it was in that year, to the $1,300,000 which we expect to receive this year. With respect to a large development of public works and a large expenditure by means of a loan my hon. friend has expressed his disappointment no such programme figures in the Address. I don't think we could expect his Excellency the Administra- tor to trammel the hands of the future Governor by launching out into these great works. Every. ¡ thing cannot be done at once. The Govern-d
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