HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
206
Carriage of Mails, Gratuities
to Shipmasters
..$3,000
Rent of Branch Office, Repairs to Steam Launch Transport,
26 100 200
Total,
.$3,325
HARBOUR MASTER'S DEPARTMENT.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Two thousand five hundred Dollars (82,500) in aid of the vote Harbour Master's Department for the following
items :---
A-Harbour Office. Other Charges Electric Fans and Light. Paint and Brushes,
....$ 250 250
Lighthouses
Special Expenditure
Installation of Matthews In-
candescent Oil Burners, etc.,2,000
Total...
POLICE AND PRISON.
.$2,500
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Three hundred and fifty Dollars ($350) in aid of the vote Police and Prison Departaments, A.-Police, Other Charges, for the following two items:-
Burial of Destitute Dead, ...3150 Furniture,
200
Total
CORONATION CELERATIONS.
$350
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Forty-four Dollars ($44) in aid of the vote Miscellaneous Services, Illumination of Public Buildings in connee- tion with the Coronation Celebrations.
RECLAMATION.
VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT,
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Fourteen thousand Dol ars ($14,000) in aid of the vote Public Works, xtraordinary, Miscellaneous, Improvement of Ap Liu Village.
MAINTENANCE OF BELLDINGS.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Five thousand five hundr Dollars ($5.500) in aid of the vote Public Works, Recurrant, Buildings, Maintenance of Buildings.
WATER WORKS.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Five thousand and twenty- three Dollars aud thirty-nine Cents (5,023.34) in aid of the vote Public Works. Extraordinary, Water Works, Kowloon Water Werks.
WORKSHOP, DISINFECTING STATION.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Two hundred and ten Dollas ($210) in aid of the vote Public Station, Workshops and Shed for Dust Works, Extraordinary, City Disinfecting
Carts, Ambulances, etc.
REPAIRS TO LIGHTER.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Six hundred Dollars ($600) in aid of the vote Sanitary Department, Special Expenditure, for the following item- Repairs to Lighter,............$600.
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S DEPARTMENT.
to vote a sum of Two hundred and fifty The Governor recommended the Council Dollars (3250) in aid of the vote Colonial Secretary's Departinent and Legislature, Other Charges, Incidental Expenses.
MEDICAL.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of One hundred Dollars ($100) in aid of the vote Medical Depart-
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Five thousand six hundred and twenty Dollars ($5,620) in aid of the vote Public Works, Extraordinary. Miscel-meats, C.-Institutes, Bacteriological In- laneous, Reclamation between K.M.L. 83 and H.M.L. 1, Hung Hom,
stitute and Mortuaries, Other Charges, Fuel and Light.
WR. Daily Bess". November 10th 1911 30707
"HR.
HONGKONG
1.
LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council was hold yesterday at the Council Chamber.
The following were present :---
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR FREDERICK JOHN DRALTRY LUGARD, G.C.M.G., C.B., D S.O.
HIS EXCELLENCY MAJOR-GENERAL C. A. ANDERSON, C.B. (General Officer Commanding the Troops).
Hon. Mr. A. W. BREWIN, C.M,G,, (Colonial Secretary),
Hon. Mr. C. G. ÁLABASTER (Attorney- General),
Hon. Mr. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Treasurer).
Hon. Mr. W. CHATHAM, O.M.G. (Director of Public Works).
Hon. Mr. E. R. HALLIFAX (Registrar. General).
Hon. Captain F. W. LYONS (Captain-Super- intendent of Police).
Hou. Dr. Ho KAT, M.B., C.M.G.
Hon. Mr. W YUK, C.M.G.
Hon. Mr H. E. POLLOCK, K.C.
Hon. Mr. B. A. HEWETT.
Hon. Mr C. H. Ross,
Hon. Mr. E. OSBORNE.
Mr. C. CLEMENTI (Clerk of Councils).
MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.
FINANCIAL MINUTES
The COLONIAL ECRETARY, by command of His Excellency the Governor, laid on the table Financial Miante No. 81, and moved that it be referred to the Finance Committee.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
THE STANDING COMMITTEES. His ExceLENCY On the first meeting after the 1st October I announced the Sta ding Committees for the coming year and said the Hon. Mr. Ede was appointed a member of the Public Works Committee. He has now left our Council, and we are glad to welcome back the hon. member at the end of the table on my right (Hon. Mr. Osborne), and I appoint him a member of the Public Works Committee in place of Mr. Ede.
THE JURILEE FOUNTAINS. Hou. Mr. POLLOCK, pursuant to notice, asked the following question standing in his rame;--- Will the Director of Public Works state what steps are being taken for the repair or restora. tion of the Fountains which were presented and dedicated to the public in 1887 in commemora- tion of the Jubilee of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria?
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, in reply, said Fire fountains were erected in 1887, and there is a record of their being repaired and brought into use on the occasion of the second Jubilee in 1897. During the past 14 years they have fallen into disrepair largely owing to two causes, viz., in the first place, they had been erected as drinking fountains only, and it was found that the cups, chains and fittings were constant- ly stolen; and, in the second place, the conditions of water supply for the City have been so great. ly improved since 1987 that they are no longer Berded. The Government of the day did not give any undertaking to maintain the fountains, and no special fund was signed for the purpose. In the circumstances it is not proposed to spend money in restoring thom.
ARMS AND AMMUNITION AVENEMENT ORDINANCE.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the third reading of the Bill entitt d. "An Ordinance to
amend the Arms and Ammunition Ordinance, 1900."
The COLONIAL SECRETARr seconded, and the Bill was read a third time and passed.
THIS ESTIATES.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY moved the second reading of the Bill entitled, "An Ordinance to apply a sum not excooding Five million eight hundred and ninety-nine thousand seven hund- red and seventy-one Dollars to the Public Ser. vice of the year 1912."
The COLONIAL TREASURER secunded,
Hon. Mr. HEWETT Your Excellency, I have been asked by my unofficial colleagues to reply in the first place to the remarks made by your Excellency three weeks ago in introduelug the budget for the following year. Your Excellency went so fully into the details of the accounts that there are few subjects upon which you have not touched; therefore, for the sake of conveni- ence, I will take your Excellency's speech as n text and follow the questions as dealt with by you. You began by speaking with regard to the general finances of Colony and also dealt with questions
the
of revenue, and later on you referred to what was supposed to be a satisfactory balance to the credit of the Colony. That is a question which I would prefer to deal with later on, and also the question of public works expenditure. Now we come to the question of assisted passages, to which your Excellency made special reference. I may say that this meets with the approval of the unofficial members who are very glad to think that the Government has takeu into consideration the needs of tho junior members of the service, men on small salaries, and that arrangements have now been made to enable them to return at more frequent in- tervals to their native country. This will help them materially and in the long run will benefit the Government service. The next point to which I wish to refer is with regard to the com- pensation received from the Imperial Govern- ment for loss of opium revenne. In the first year we received £9,000; this year I under- stand we received £12,000, and next year to receive a similar sum, making in all a sum of £33,000. This cannot by any man er of means he considered by the unofficial members as satis- factory. We had a sort of half promise from the Imperial Government in carrying out the policy forced upon us-and forced upon them by a more or less catch vote-that we should receive substantial compensation. We bare had to face a very heavy loss, roughly, from $200,000 to $300,000 a year, which will go ou increasing, and all they bave riven us is the miserable pittance of $340,000 in full satisfac. tion of the loss forced upon the Colony. This is unreasonable, and we want to make the stron est protest against such prusimonious. treatment on the part of the Home Gor. ernment. Those people who rightly or wrong. ly considered the closing of the divans was going to stop the opium habit were acting largely on sentiment and a very imperfectkrow. lee of the details of the case, and I think they should have the courage to recommend to the Home ratepayers at least that this Colony should receive adequate compensation for adopt- ing a policy which was forced upon us. I can only repeat the statement made by Sir Frank Swettenham that the case o for BS the Home Government is concerned is "our morals and other people's m ney." The increase in revenue on postage from six to seven lakhs is extremely satisfactory, and 1 trust that the steps taken by the Govsinment to prevent further frand will result in a higher collection. One point in connection with the stamp duties was brought to my notice by my hon. friend on the left, the Colonial Trea- surer) that is, the considerable sum of mousy paid out by insurance companies on life insurance
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