615
134
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
that there was an increase of $44,000 in this vote, chiefly due to Mr. Kadoorie handing over the Ellis Kadoorie School to the Government. We have known Mr. Kadoorie for a considerable number of years, and this is yet one more instance of the generosity displayed by him towards his fellow residents. I can only gladly endorse the remarks made by your Excel- lency of his generosity in this matter. Coming now to public work, although the extension of the Central Police Station has entailed a large expenditure on the Colony, we realise the pressing need there was for this work, and it is only to be regretted that it was not carried out earlier. We are glad to see that the Aber deen to Deep Water Bay road has been proceeded with, and we hope before very long the Stanley Road will be made With available for carriage traffic.
apparently very regard to Tytamtuk, good progress is being made. The revised estimate came to $2,400,000, and the estimated expenditure up to the end of this year is $589,000. The estimate for 1915 is $700,000, leaving a balance of $1,100,000 to be expended to carry out the work. I have given the hon. the Director of Public Works notice of what I going to refer to, and I understand he will be able to give us the gratifying assurance that this work will be completed by the
us and also give
the end of 1917,
stimated cost. The revised estimate is refuge for the Mongkoktsui $2,301,600. The expenditure to the end
has been nearly of this
year million, and the grant for next year has been put down at 8212,000, which is about $130,000 under the estimate. I trust that this work will be thoroughly completed for that sum and done next year. If 80, it will be very satisfactory in both senses -in the work being carried out so well in a short space of time, and in the
was
two
somewhat unusual circumstance that a
has estimate
not been Government exceeded. With regard to the New Territories. the improvement in the Kowloon-Taipo Road is very satisfactory, and I would ask the Director of Public Works to tell us when that road will be completed to the frontier, including the carriage bridge over Taipo creek. I have always urged, as your Excellency knows, the completion of the road from Taipo to the frontier, so as to link up Kowloon by a carriage and motor road with the outlying parts of the New Territory, and it seems to me that the value both from a police and a military point of view is
enormous. I trust it will be completed at an early date. There are one or two smaller questions, but a very important one is the question of the development of Old Kowloon City. There is the question of the extension of the road from Nga lu Tau to Kowloon City; from Mau Tau Wai to Kowloon Tong; and from Tai Shek Koo to Tai Pat Cheong. Another subject to which I wish to refer is wireless I think we have already spent some $20,000 on this. The estimate on page 95 is for $80,000, and on page 102 $20,000 for stock.
understand the bulk of this apparatus is already in the Colony, and I have been informed informally-I hope the Director of Public Works will correct me if I am wrong-that before the next seven or eight months this valuable station will be in working order. As your Excellency knows, in my capacity as a member of this Council, as Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and representative of shipping companies, I have for several years urged on the Imperial Government the construc tion of a high-power wireless station in the interests of shipping in this Colony We were put off without any effect at all. with all sorts of excuses that further inquiries and further experiments had to be made. What is the result? We know that Germany has for many years been preparing for a European war, the main object of which was to obtain the British Empire and British trade. She has erected high-power stations in all parts of the world on alien territory as well as on her own territory, stations which enable her to speak across the Atlantic and the Pacific. Now that war has broken out, we find Germany with high-power stations enabl- ing her to communicate all round the world, and we have not got anything worth speaking of. The only station we have here is a comparatively low-power station on the Tamar, and even in Singa- pore, which is the centre of the long line of high-power stations from London to New Zealand, at the outbreak of hostili ties the only station they had was put up in a hurry with apparatus taken from one of the ships. I state, Sir, without fear of contradiction, that it is absolutely a scandal that we as the greatest oversea Power in the world are caught napping. We have no proper-
HIS EXCELLENCY-The hon. member is travelling outside the subject of these estimates.
!
not for a
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HIS EXCELLENCY-The point is that this is an Imperial question.
new
2.
185
HON. MR. HEWETT-I trust you do under consideration. Since then we have moment suppose, Sir, that had paper laid before us by the I reflect in any way upon the Hongkong Secretary of State, but the unofficial Government. I know you have done members have not under existing condi- everything possible. The fault lies with because we considered the time was not tions brought forward any resolution, some Department in London.
opportune, but it must not be supposed that we are satisfied with the present state of affairs, and we trust later on to have an opportunity of again discussing the Hos. Ma. HEWETT--I have very little
subject. I hope hon. members do not think more to say, Sir. As far as I can make
I have been unduly long n out by roughly adding up the figures, I discussing the Estimates, but I have done find there is an increase under
my best to carry out the wishes of my appointments
colleagues on the various points we had in the Public Works under consideration. Department which amounts to
I now beg to state about that when we come to the vote I shall $20,000, and in the Post Office amounting
move the reduction of the Harbour to about $22,000. I wish to direct atten- Department vote by $10,000. I will also tion to this constant increase in the move a further resolution for the adjourn personnel of the Government staff. It has ment of this debate, which, I understand, been going on all the time. I have had is necessary before I have the right to on many occasions to refer to it. Of reply to your Excellency. I do not say Ï course, I know your Excellency and the shall want to reply, but I should like to heads of departinents are anxious not to have the opportunity of doing so if increase in that direction, still the necessary. increase goes on, and they come in under the pension scheme and are a charge on the Widows' and Orphans' Fund. As I said in the early part of my remarks, the financial position of the Colony is such that we ought to conserve our resources in every possible way. With reference to the charge on the public debt, I remember many years ago, when this question was discussed, how various individual rate- payers stated that they considered all these hig public works should be paid for on long loan. Fortunately. predecessors-Sir Henry particularly was one, and I believe your Excellency also holds the same! view-were of opinion that so far as possible all public works, public build ings, and even public works which migħt possibly be remunerative, should be paid as far as possible ont of current revenue or by short loan. That policy has fortun- ately been followed; otherwise, had we not done so, the present condition of the Colony would have been far more unsatis- factory than it is. We would have been weighted down with a heavy permanent debt which we could ill afford to meet. There is one other question which we do not discuss in connection with the Fati mates the Military Contribution-and Ι would like to make remark about it. When dealing with this question it is always brought forward by special resolution, and that was done by me when the estimates for last year word
your
a
con-
HON. MR. POLLOCK-Sir, the very full remarks made by the hon. member opposite will render it necessary for me to occupy the time of this Council for a few minutes only. As my hon. friend has pointed out, apart from the revenue derived from opium, We should be ! in & rather parlous financial
dition in this Colony, and, Sir, it is in bearing that fact in view that I venture to make a suggestion to this Government in connection with the opium question. Blake
I am sure, Sir, that everybody must deplore the fact that there is 2 certain percentage of people who
to smoke opium with very deplorable resulte, And we must equally deplore the fact that when
!
exceas
we come to other stimulants such as alcohol, there is also a percentage of people, possibly a good deal higher percentage, who use those stimulants to
excess.
With regard to opium, we have at all events a
certain amount of solid ground to go upon with regard to the proportion of excess of opium smokers, because your Excellency will remember that a very able member of this service. who has now gone to another Colony, in a pamphlet which was laid on the table of this Council a few years ago, worked out very carefully by statistics the question of opium consumption, and he arrived at the conclusion that the pro portion of opion smokers who smoked to
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.