The Daily Pu
ress.
HONGKONG, APRIL 12TH, 1895.
C. O.
14530
RESP
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL E 19 JO95)
A meeting of the Legislative Council was held yesterday. Present:
His Excellency the Governor, Bir WILLIAM ROBINSON, K.C.M.G.
Hou. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Colonial Secretary.
Hon. A. G. Wise, Asting Attorney-General. Hou. A. M. THOMSON, Acting Colonial Trea-
surer.
Hon. F. A. COOPER, Director of Public Works. Hon. R. M. RUMSEY, Harbour Master.
Hoa... P. CHATER.
Hon. Ho KAI.
Hon. J. J KESWICK
Hou. E. R. BELILIOS, C.M.G.
Hon. A. McÚONACHIE.
Mr. A. Seth, Clerk of Councils.
THE ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL.
The Hon. A. G. WISE was sworn in as a member of the Council, and took his seat for the first time.
REPORTS.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY laid upon the table the Harbour Master's Report for 1894, a Medical Report on the spidem e of Bubonio Plagas in 1894 by Dr. Lowson, and the Ra- gistrar General's Report for 1894.
APPOINTMENT OF A MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
The ACTING ATTO «NEY-GENEL BA move the first reading of a Bill to confer er in powers and authorities on the Medical Office. of Health. This is a very short Bill. It is pro- posed to appoint a Medical Officer of Health as a member of the Sanitary Board He will have powers of entry, subject to the Colonial Secre- tary or the President of the Sanitary Board, and he will be, as far as I understand, independent of the Sanitary Board itself or its orders. I beg to move the first reading.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded. Bill read a first time.
THE ARMY ORDINANCE PASSED. Council re umed Committee on the Bill en titled an Ordinance to amend and consolidate the law relating to the carriage and possession of deadly weapons,
Tae ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that the Council had now only three sectious -5, 16, and 1-to consider. It was agreed at the last meeting that a reference to Volunteers should be juserted, and the Bill had been amended in such a m vanar as to orolada Volunteers from It pvado
her was a farther aamul non? Trping the permits. The hon. memb r op.
po don A. MaCouncbie) had moved that! to permits be obtained from the Sap iatesat of Imports aud Exports. He Acting Attorney- Jonerat) had seen several merchants of the jenlony aud also the Superintendent of Imports and Exports, and after hearing their arguments, he was inclined to thin‹ that the Bill shoulá stand as it was drafted. The only argumen' the merchants put fort was that the cffe of | the Superintendent of Imports and Exports waa nearer the water side than the offl be of the Cap- tain superintendent of Police, and it would save five or si minutes if the permits could be ob. tained from the former office. But the objet of this Ordinance was to let the polios kuow where arins were. On the last occasion it was pointed out by the Superintendent of Importe and Exports that a man might go to him and gat su export permit, and before a duplicate could be sent to the Captain Superintendent of | Police the arms might be disposed of in the Bolony It was mac better that permits should | be obtained from the Captaín Superintendent of Police, and fiyə or six minutes' extra wsik could not interfere with Fradore ›mmeros in any way. Hon. A. Mc Coyachts said he doubkuat mas why his amn bagi samið be obj otel to. The permit was gol for only a certain period-24 or 43 hours and anguae in possession of arms after that period, naless entitled by a permit, could be arrested. It would be a very great inconvenience indeed if the purolasera bad to go to the Captain Superintendent of Police for these permita. He understood that the trade was a very large one.
The Harbour Master-$3,000 a year ?
Hon. A McCONACHIS-8 50,000. It would mean a serious loss of time to go up to the Police Station every time a permit was required.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-The purchasers saw na objection to going to the Harbour Master's office, and I cannot see why they should object to going to the office of the
aptain Superintendent of Police,
Hon. A. McCoNACHTE→ The dealers want as few difficulties as possible put in their way. A permit could be obtained just as wil, and more speedily, at the Harbour Master's office. l'he licene could be limited to 48 bonra, and after that period bad expiced the police cold seiz the arms from anyone in possession of them is the same manner as if he had no licence at all.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-Evan then a duplicate would have to be sent to the Captain Superintendent of Police, as he is the only man who can not.
The HARBOUR MASTER--The whole point is, what is the object of the Ordinance! If it were merely to cover arma when they are taken out of the dealers' s'ore until they leave the colony I think it is quite possible that a permit from the Superintendent of Imports and Exports would be sufficient. But the object of the Ordinator is to let the police know what arins are likely to be in the colony, and whether they might, at tim-s, be used to the detriment of the people in the colony. If the permits were obtained from the Superintendent of Imports and Exports the police would not be able to trace all the arms, as some of them might be sent to Queen's Road, an i not out of the colony. But the policu could not know anything about them, and we would then have a very large number of arms in the colony that the police knew nothing about, aud the object of the Ordinance would therefore be frustrated.
Hoa. . McCOSACHIE—The police could know where the arms were if permits were ob tained from the Superintendent of Imports and
xports
The HARBOUR MASTER No, they would not. If the polion issned the permits themselves they would be able to take what steps they pleased to trace the arms, No sooner is a permit issued by the Captain Superintendent of Police than be en, if he choose, say whath r the arms do g› out of the colony.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-For the sake of a very few minates' d f cence of time in going thi phi has sufi int of to the Captain Sapejatendent of police. I am surprised shar any bon, sumber sheult hesitate to do all in new 10 co-operate with the Government on a Bill which has for its object the maintenance of peace and good order in the colony. PexoS and good order are ot far more importance to the commercial interests than preventing a very slight inconvenience.
flon, J. J. KesWICK-On the whole I sea no I under- objection to the Ordinance as it stands, stand that the whole object of this Bill is, as the Colonial Secretary said, to place the authorities in possession of the knowledge where the arms are. in order to prevent a rising of lawless people in the city. The chief inconvenience in this Bl is that very large quantities of heavy guns come here from time to lime for transhipment, and of course, from their nature, they could not be got rid ef, and it is very undesirable that any in- cuuvenience should be caused to those persons who are importing these arms for transhipment. On the whole I daresay the hoa, member for the Chamber of Commerci will be prepared to un- sout to application being made to the Captain Superintendent of Police instead of to the Saporintendent of Imports and Exports. I sen un great objection to that.
Hou. A. Moosacme thought the bou. member had missed the point of the discussion. Tho particular point under discussion was the sale of arms in the colony, not the question of transhipment.
The LOLO AL SECRETARY -- The whole ques- tion is one of convenience and inconvenience, and the inconvenience is so infinitossimal that it is really surprising that we should be detained here to discuss it. Hear, hear). That seems to me to be the point.
The three clauses were passed with slight
amendments.
Connell resumed.
Bill read a third time an? passid.
THE CONVERSION OF CURRENC" BILL. HIN EXCELLENCY-The second item on the order of the day is the second reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinauos to repal rdinance No. 1 of 1864 entitled "An Ordinance to provid for conversion of British Currency in all
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