reis, before it is called upon
prirane
to meet the bulk of the expenditure
that will be incurred in this
i
work.
I have the honour to be,
My Lord Marquess, Your Lordship's most obedient
humble servant,
Willan Rohingy
Enclosure 1.
The Daily Press.
HONGKONG, JUNE 7TH, 1895.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was held yesterday afternoon. Present:-
His Excellency the Governor, Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON, K.C.M.G.
Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Colonial Secretary.
Hon. A. G. WISE, Acting Attorney-General, H. A. M. THOMSON, Acting Colonial Treasurer.
Hon. F. A. Cooper, Director of Public Works. Hon, Capt. W. C. H. Hastings, Acting Cap- taia Superintendent of Police.
Hon. A. K TRAVERS, Postmaster-General. Hoa. C. P. CHATER.
Hon. Ho Kar.
Hon. E. R. BELILIOS, C.M.G.
Hon. A. CCONACHIE.
Hon. J. J. BELL IRVING.
Mr. J. G. T. BUCKLE, Aoting Clerk of Councils.
NG AND A PONG,
THE RECONSTRUCTION OF T IPINGSHAN.
The DIRECTO OF PUBLIC Works-1 have the honour to lay apon the table the report of the meeing of the Public Works Committes held ou
23rd May last, and to move its adoption. regret to have to report to this Conboil that the members of the Com- mitiee are not unanimous in recommending the Conusil to adopt the proposed project for the recolstruction of the area in Taipingshan
The
bou. member on my left (Hon. E, 13. Belilios) indh res to the belief which he antertained on the 27th Sept. wber last, and expressed in this | Conucil during the reading of the bill for the resumption of Tuplingma. namely, that a project entailing only the pateling and repai ing of the buildings would hav buffiorat. I regret, however, al bón,h such a long tima bas elapsed, that the hou. -- qub r has not furnished the Government, nor, as fes an aware, any member of this Court wib more detailed statement of what such project formed, or how he proposed to carry it out ile, however, af tust meeting expressed himself in favour of sup- porting the Government in the total destruction of the buildings, and saja that such a schagne right not ID somewhat the same manhor as the sacr fice of a god in ancient times. (Laughter). Weil, sir. I am not aware that any anthontic records exist that sneh sacrifice of gods has been attended with any beneficial results whatever, and I think it would be no- becoming on my part to assume that bon, mem- bers of this Council attached any belief in such a sacrifice, which I understand is simply, with the hon. member, a god of wood and stone. Par le it from me for one moment to come to this Council and ask you to vote ang public funds in support of such a superstition. I honestly and conscientiously believe that in what I am asking of you I am serving the best interests of this colony. I belive, sir, that by adopting this re port both from a sacitary and a pasu: iary point of view, we shalt not be going very far wrong. At the time the Taipingsban Ordinance was h fore this Comucil the Government had not any detailed information or knowledge of what was going to be done with the area, or what any project for dealing with the area would have cost. The Council, as I understand from the newspaper reports and further ioforma. Fion 1 have been able to obtain-being away from the colony during the time-i red on the strong recommendations of the
C.O.
12294
IREC
(REG 15 JUL 95
Permanent Committee to the Colonial Secre tary, dated ri Jane, to rest ne the area of Taipingshan, relay the st: sets, widen them, and farther improve them, and a strong feeling existed at that time respecting the effect of such resumption for such objects The po jet I laid before the Public Works Committer : involved the recommendations made by the Permanent Committes so far as it entailed the total destruction of the buildings. the re-laying out the e tire area, and the wirien- ing of the streets. From a pecuniary polar of view I am bound to say that I am of opiniou -au i must say that I think bou, ambers ena hardly oppse it, after reviewing the provi- sious of tum tapingshan Crisance whereby the own es of property have been compensated for th. re umption, not ea the prob b'e fa are vidue of the property but a on the rouls acinally derived from letting of basements. nd hor Is unfit in some cases for pig sties, as inau habitations. This Council has passed to sures by which such coenpation is prohibited in the future, and the Sanitary Board are at the pre sent tion engaged in enforcing these regulations. Bat, sir, that moleaged rental and improved property and im rovanitation will result in the adoption of this project 1 v4 very littl doubt. The total cost of the resumption up to dalo has been a litia in excess of $829, 00. Well. tow, sir, it has been nered by my hon.! friend on my left that tue adoption of a scheme! involving the cutting of a street here and thes cutting of a lane there and the general repairing and patering of the existing buildings would When you prove iure profitable to the colony. consider, sir, it is the duty of this Government to look the act fairly in the faos that this pro perty has been resumed by the Crown, has passed into the hands of the Crown, and that in dealing with it a purchaser would have to com- ply with the provisions of the Building Ordin- ance of 1889 and the recent sanitary legislation There are in the Building Ordinance of 1889, sa hon. members are aware, very important pra- visions dealing with the coustraction of bink yards in all cases where buidings are erected I have on property purobased from the - rasa very little hesitation in saying that the majority of the buildings in Taipingshan at the present moment do not comply with those provisions. and the purebaser-t one could be found-of the patched up and repaired property would still continue to let it for human habitation On the i decay of existing buildings it won;d b⋅ proposed | to constract new bil jugs, and in #lam psition would be bad bine-£?" Wei saa ajority of the lots are of very well dp, some of them I the hon. membər only 32 or 33 feet iù di pik. on my left on. B. R. 1 tina takes away four or five feet which the provisions of the Ordinance require to give sufficient open spacs, what would there be left ? (At this piat the hon. member- was only indistinctly heard). That the Govern- ment can go into property of that description and expect to get anything by it with 3800,00, I think there can be only one opinion. It is practically impossible. On pointing these fre's out to the hon. muniber at the last meeting of the Public Works Committes he anggested bat as this was a special case it might be worth while for the Government to reconsider its legis- lation in regard to this area. Well, sir, thes provisions have been passed, not with the idea of retaining at any cost au idle site, but for the benefit of the public health of the colony it bas been considered by hon. members absolutely Becessary.
It is therefore utterly impossible, i think, hat say member of the Council should now say We find that these provisions which we think urcessary for the health and the safety of the public are going to touch the public purse and therefore we will have notbin to du with that." I am sure sir, that such a position would be practically impossible to maintain, and I trust that no hon. member of this Council will bring such a motion as that before the Council.
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