COPY.
1.
Vendlosures 2. (BB).
Ihe foreferend
Replies to Questions-in-Legislative Council
by the Honourable Er. H. E. Pollock, K.C.-
65
The exact figure of the annual average saving should be $75,339.
43.
2.
The exact saving is $286,001.57.
118
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
that in my opinion this legislation is desirable, and 1 trust it will be brought into force at once.
Hox. MR. POLLOCK- There is one point in the Colonial Secretary's statement. He said that mothers do not feed infants with their own milk. Is it clearly estab- listed that condensed skimmed milk is any worse than the substitutes employed
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY Chinese infants of the poorer class are as a fact being fed upon condensed skimmed milk. I have no information as to sub- stitutes.
HON. DR. HO KAI- The Lon. Mr. Pollock wants to know if there were no condensed skimmed milk, would the Chinese feed their infants on something worse.
HON. MR. POLLOCK-That's my point.
HON. DR. HO KAI -Chinese used to give their children goat's milk, or condensed whole milk, or fresh milk from native dairies, and soft boiled rice which had previously been chewed by the mother cr nurse, before the introduction of condensed skimmed milk.
Hon. MR. POLLOCK And in your opinion that would i e superior to condensed skimmed milk?
HON. DR. HO KAI-Yes. I think the trade in condensed skimmed milk was brought into existence by the unaccount- able rising in price of condensed whole milk.
HIS EXCELLENCY--It seems to me, gentlemen, that the general opinion of the Council, so far as I can gauge it, is that some words ought to be added to the labels of condensed skimmed milk indicative of
the fact that it it not good for infants. But the point is whether the words we have proposed to aid are too strong. We must, however, add some words to show the difference between whole milk and skimmed milk. Sir Henry Berkeley suggested that we should add to the words already in- serted in the Bill the additional words: Unless supplemented by some fatty food." The question is whether the words we
bave should be retained in the Bill and any other words added.
Hos. MR. EDE-If the word "milk water " could be conveyed by a Chinese character that would get over the whole difficulty.
HON. DE. HO KAI-I wonid suggest the following: The cream of this milk has been removed. Therefore children under one year of age should not be fed entirely on this milk.
HON. MR. HEWETT-Doesn't the word "entirely" take all the stiffness out of the Bill ?
HON. DR. HO KAI-No.
His EXCELLENCY-I would suggest that we say, "The nutritive part of this milk Will having been removed, therefore," etc. you agree to that?
Hos. Dr. HO KAI-I prefer the word
**cream.
THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL--Chinese won't understand what the cream is.
Hon. Mr. HEWETT-I think the word "entirely" ought to be left out.
Hos. MR. EDE- And I should introduce the word "nutritive.”
On a division a majority of 9 to 4 decided to omit the word "entirely."
The Bill was left in Committee, in order that the two Chinese members, the Colonial Secretary and the Registrar-General might frame words in English and Chinese suit- able for insertion in the Bill.
THE ATTORNEY - GENERAL moved
that a fourth clause be added to the Bill watil June postponing its operation Z1st.
HON. MR. POLLOCK moved an amend- ment that the date be October 1st.
His EXCELLENCY--The senior Chinese member has just banded me the following translation of the label which surrounds this
3 and 4. The reply is in the affinative.
5.
6.
Since the average Military Contribution for the past 7 years is
stated by the Honourable Member to have been $1,285,940, its
reduction to 81,000,000 would obviously be a pecuniary gain to
the Taxpayers. The proposal made by His Excellency to devote
half the margin between Ordinary Revenue and Ordinary Expendi-
-ture to the Military Contribution was based on the assumption
of the Military Contribution remaining practically at its
present amount. The principle, however, that the Military Con-
-tribution should be a percentage of this margin instead of a
percentage of gross Revenue was suggested by His Excellency in
order to give effect to Mr. Chamberlain's intention that the
amount of the Contribution should rise and fall according to the
prosperity of the Colony, and in order that it should not
increase in consequence of increased taxation to meet increased.
expenditure. If therefore it were desired that the average cont
-tribution should be decreased by the sum named by the Honour-
-able Member viz. $285,980 this result could be obtained by
devoting about 38 or 39% of the margin to Military Contribution
instead of 50%.
The questions and replies will be forwarded to His Majesty's
Secretary of State as desired.
Tuly
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