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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HON. MR. POLLOCK The stores must be kept, Sir. That is absolutely no answer to the question at all. It does not follow that because a sum of money is voted that it is used.
I want an answer. Sir.
Civil Hospital, reported as follows:-
Regarding the Japanese Nurses they are very conscientious over their work and learn quickly. When they first arrived they apparently understood but little English, but they already under- stand what is said to them and I can
EXCELLENCY This is actual understand them. They have evidently been well and fully trained. At the pre-expenditure, it is not a vote, sent time I think B Block has as many Nurses and as good ones as any hospital I know of.'
Lo
As to the question of who is in charge of the Nursing in B Block the Japanese staff nurses and not the probationers are in charge.
3. The expenditure in the years 1907- 1915, inclusive, has been as follows: 1907, $9,996; 1905, $11,549; 1909, $11,126; 1910, 11,365; 1911, $11,652; 1912, $10,136; 1913,
9,905: 1914, $10,147; 1915, $9,714.
The present Principal Civil Medical Officer arrived in the Colony on the 15th January, 1913, after the indents for 1913 had been forwarded to the Crown Agents."
HON. MR. POLLOCK Arising out of the answers just given. Sir. I wish to put two more questions. The first is with regard to the answer to clause 8 of ques- tion 1. I should like to ask whether it is not fact that Sister Jacobs
a transferred to the Federated Malay States at her own express request.
EXCELLENCY The Answer
in the affirmative.
was
|
His
HON. MR. POLLOCK Does your Excel- lency mean that all these sums have been expended !
HIS EXCELLENCY -All these sums down here have been spent on stores, drugs and disinfectants.
HON. MR. POLLOCK I should like an auswer to my question, a definite answer to my question, whether the stock kept in store was not considerably reduced I want an answer and before the war.
I shall repeat the question until I get
|
an
answer.
HIS EXCELLENCY What the hon. member wants to infer by the question is that the Principal Civil Medical Officer has unduly reduced the supply of stores, drugs and disinfectants. My reply to that is that he has not done so. I am perfectly satisfied that the hospital has been well supplied with all these articles.
HON. MR, POLLOCK I am not satisfi- ised with that reply, with all due deference to your Excellency, who may not be aware of what has happened. I should like an answer given on the responsibility of the Principal Civil Medical Officer.
HIS EXCELLENCY
HON. MR. POLLOCK With regard to the answer to question 3 1 would beg leave to point out that there has been no answer given to that question at all. We have been inundated with a lot of figures. | you a reply. but the question I put was a very simple one-Was not the stock of drugs and dis infectants kept in store at the Govern- ment Civil Hospital considerably reduced by the present Principal Civil Medical Officer before the war?
His EXCELLENCY You will see by the figures that the expenditure i- 1914 was rather greater than
I have given
HON. MR. POLLOCK I do not want any assurance from your Excellency, because your Excellency may not be quite aware of what has taken place.
HIS EXCELLENCY
aware.
HON. MR. POLLOCK
I am very fully
I want a direct
in 1912. and in 1913 the expendi- answer to the question and I want it on ture was less. I should like to the responsibility of the Principal Civil inform the hon. member that the Principal | Medical Officer. It is very chivalrous of Civil Medical Officer was not respons- your Excellency to come forward in this ible for the indents for the year 1913, as | way, but I want a definite reply to my he only arrived here early in that year. question.
•
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
His EXCELLENCY- I will give you a reply at the next meeting of the Council, and now, may I ask the hon. member one two questions arising out of the questions?
or
HON. MR. POLLOCK---I am not here to be asked questions arising out of my ques- tions, and I venture to say that your Excellency, as President of the Council, is entirely out of order.
51
escaped the imputation you made. With re- gard to the trouble caused by me, as you said, among Government officials, I can assure your Excellency that I am per- fectly certain that I myself have been put to a great deal more trouble in bringing matters forward here in an endeavour to have things put right at the Government Civil Hospital. Your Excellency has altogether reconstructed the staff very recently, and yet has assured the Council that there is nothing wrong, substanti- ally nothing wrong, and nothing requir- ing improvement. It has been implied that I was only a pestilential fellow, putting questions quite unnecessarily. Sir I very much resent that indictment. and I think, Sir, it is very discreditable that a member of the Council who is honestly trying to do his best for the public should be treated in this way when he puts questions to the Government, and I cannot conceive, Sir, that the Prime Minister of Great Britain himself would ever dare to get up in the House of Why Commons and say to a member, are all these questions put! We do not like being worried with these questions, which give a lot of trouble to the
His EXCELLENCY I should like an elucidation. The hon. member comes here meeting after meeting and he inundates the Government with very voluminous questions which take a great real of time in the answering. Now he has asked, for instance, to-day, questions about the know. Į ledge of English of the Japanese nurses. I am rather curious to know if the hon. member has even seen these nurses or ever spoken to them, or whether, in fact, the hon, member has ever been inside the walls of the Civil Hospital during the current year. If not, how does he come to question their knowledge of English?
HON. MR. POLLOCK- I have no inten-, Government." tion, Sir, of replying to that question, and I have no intention of being cate- chised as to my sources of information. I say again that I think your Excellency is absolutely and entirely out of order. I may also say that I regard the action of your Excellency as being in extremely bad taste.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL I rise to a point of order. Is the hon. member in order in using that expression to the Chair
HIS EXCELLENCY The hon. mem- ber has imputed to me words I never uttered. I asked the hon. member simple question and he has given me no answer. Very well, let it stand at that.
a
HON. MR. POLLOCK-I did not do 30, Sir. Your Excellency may have thought so, and it is very unfortunate. I
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY-I rise to a point of order. His Excellency the President is standing and
HON. MR. POLLOCK · He is not, and I am sorry the Colonial Secretary is so short sighted. I wish to say this, I have imputed to you, Sir, nothing you have not said. The previous history of Hansard will show what your Excellency said on the subject.
Hox. MR. POLLOCK I will substitute for the words extremely bad taste" an expression which is the Parliamentary equivalent, I used the words in a Par- liamentary sense. 1 say. Sir. that it is very wrong for
your Excellency to suggest that I am always worrying the Government unnecessarily with questions.
HIS EXCELLENCY -I said the ques- HIS EXCELLENCY I have not sugtions gave the Government officials a great gested any such thing.
deal of trouble, and so they do.
HON. MR. POLLOCK You inferred that they caused a lot of unjustifiable trouble.
HON. MR. POLLOCK Yes, you have, Sir. You have sugggested it now and you suggested it at a previous meeting of the Council. I think it is very uncalled for. I should have thought we had got beyond that, and I think that I should have thing.
HIS EXCELLENCY I did TIO
such
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