Provision is made for conferring on the Water Authority the necessary powers to enable him to carry out the above-mentioned proposals.
Meny S. Bucket 18
Attorney General.
Enclosure 3.
291
To
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, P.C., M.P.
His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies.
The Humble Petition
of the undersigned Chinese Inhabitants and Firms of Hongkong on behalf of themselves and their fellow Countrymen
Respectfully Sheweth :-
residing thereat.
1. That Your Petitioners are Chinese Residents of Victoria in the Colony of Hongkong and Firms carrying on business thereat, who, together with the rest of Your Petitioners' Chinese fellow citizens, constitute about seventeen-twentieths of the rate-paying Community of the Colony of Hongkong.
2. That the rates and taxes which Your Petitioners pay into the Public Treasury of this Colony amount to 15 per cent. of the annual rental of Your Petitioners' dwellings and premises, which rates and taxes are not charged and payable separately under various headings but are all included in one general rate which is charged and levied at the rate aforesaid. In this general rate is included the rate chargeable for water at present supplied to the family residences and places of business of Your Petitioners and which is and has for some years past been supplied by means of a system of house service.
3. That owing to the exceptional drought of 1901-2, which extended over the whole of South China, a water famine was experienced in this Colony during the early part of the present year, and, as a result, a Bill entitled "An Ordinance to provide for and regulate the Supply of Water **in the Colony of Hongkong and for the Maintenance and Repair of the Works in connection therewith"** was recently introduced into the Legislative Council for this Colony. The Bill was read the third time and passed on the 13th August 1902, the two Chinese Representatives on the Council dissenting therefrom.
4. That the said Bill made several material alterations in the existing Law with regard to the supply of water, all of which are likely to inflict great hardship on and do injury to the Chinese inhabitants of this Colony.
The chief alterations are:
1.-The enforced use of a meter to every house connected with the Public Water Service supply.
2.-The reduction of the daily allowance of water per head to less than one half of the former daily allowance per head, viz., from about 12 gallons per head per diem to about 5 gallons per head per diem.
3.-An increase of the price of the water to be supplied by meter from 25 cents to $1 per 1,000 gallons, or to a sum not exceeding $1 per 1,000 gallons and
4.-The enforced disconnection of the existing water service and supply from every "Tenement house" - every domestic building let on and inhabited by more than one occupier or family as tenants of a common landlord or as subtenants of a tenant of any portion of such domestic building.
Provision is made for conferring on the Waver Authority the
necessary powers to enable him to carry out the shove mentioned
proposals.
Meny S. Bucket 18
Attorney General.
Enclosure 3.
291
To
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, P.C., M.P.
His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies.
The Humble Petition
of the undersigned Chinese Inhabitants and Firms of Hongkong on behalf of themselves and their fellow Countrymen
Respretfully Sheweth :-
residing thercat.
1. That Your Petitioners are Chinese Residents of Victoria in the Colony of Hongkong and Firms carrying on business thereat, who, together with the rest of Your Petitioners Chinese fellow citizens, constitute about seventeen-twentieths of the rate-paying Community of the Colony of Hongkong.
2. That the rates and taxes which Your Petitioners pay into the Public Treasury of this Colony amount to 15 per cent. of the annual rental of Your Petitioners dwellings and premises, which rates and taxes are not charged and payable separately under various headings but are all included in one general rate which is charged and levied at the rate aforesaid. In this general rate is included the rate chargeable for water at present supplied to the family residences and places of business of Your Petitioners and which is and has for some years past been supplied by means of a system of house service.
3. That owing to the exceptional drought of 1901-2, which extended over the whole of South China, a water famine was experienced in this Colony during the early part of the present year, and, as a result, a Bill entitled "An Ordinance to provide for and regulate the Supply of Water **in the Colony of Hongkong and for the Maintenance and Repair of the Works in connection "therewith" was recently introduced into the Legislative Council for this Colony. The Bill was read the third time and passed on the 13th August 1902, the two Chinese Representatives on the Council dissenting therefrom.
4. That the said Bill made several material alterations in the existing Law with regard to the supply of water, all of which are likely to inflict great hardship on and do injury to the Chinese inhabitants of this Colony.
The chief alterations are:
1.-The enforced use of a meter to every house connected with the Public Water Service supply.
2.--The redaction of the daily allowance of water per head to less than one half of the former daily allowance per head, vie, from about 12 gallons per head per diem to about à gallons per head per diem.
#
3.-Au increase of the price of the water to be supplied by weter from 25 cents to $1 per 1,000 gallons, or to a su not exceeding $1 per 1,000 gallons and
4.The enforced disconnection of the existing water service and supply from every "Tenement house" .. every domestic building let on and inhabited by more than one occupier or family as tonauts of a common landlord or as subtenants of a tenant of any portion of sneh domestic building.
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