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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
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excess could not by any possibility amount to more than about two per cent. It is important, I think, that that view should, in view of other influences which may be brought to bear upon the Home Govern- ment, be impressed on the Home Govern- ment at the present time. And also in connection with this subject, Sir, I was informed only yesterday that the Government of the Straits Settlements has recently entered into a contract for a period of five years for the purchase of opium for preparation in the Straits Settlements. Now, Sir, I can only assume that the action of the Government of the Straits Settlements must have been taken with the approval of the Colonial Office Authorities, and it certainly seems to me that we might take a leaf out of the book of the Straits Settlements Government and approach the Colonial Office Authorities with a request for permission to make a contract for five years to purchase opium for preparation from the Indian Govern- ment. It has often been considered in the past that this Colony and the Straits Settlements are more
less sister colonies, and I think we should in this matter follow the lead of the Straits Settlements, especially as it is necessary that we should have this revenue in order to balance our budget, and, as my hon. friend opposite has pointed out, the other sources of revenue have been pretty well milked in the past and are not capable of any very great expansion. Therefore I venture to make the above suggestion for the consideration of your Excellency. There is only one other Department in the budget to which I shall refer, and I shall only say a few words with reference to it; that is, the Kowloon-Canton Railway. I must confess, Sir, that I have looked into the figures in connection with this railway with some little dissatisfaction. It seems to me that our expenditure is going up a good deal. I do not propose to criticiso more than three items in that expenditure, and they are all on the same page, 115, of the draft estimates. I must say, Sir, that the second item on that page. Coal $62,000, seems to me to be a very large item indeed to expend, even taking into account the explanatory note at the foot with reference to the increase in the price of coal. It seems to me tha: even if we put a fairly high price upon coal, that must represent an quantity of coal consumed, and I should have thought an unnecessary quantity.
enormous
I have no doubt that these accounts
are audited, but I presume what the auditors do is to simply pass certain vouchers and figures and check things in that way, and that the question of what consumption is necessary is not gone into by the auditors at all. On the same page, Sir, appears the item Main- tenance and renewals of loco. engines. There again there is a considerable rise, and it seems to me that that matter might be also looked into. It seems a large sum to pay for maintenance and renewals of loco. engines, $30,000 odd. The next item is $19,521 estimated to be spent on repairs and renewals of vehicles for 1915. are the three items under the heading Railway which struck me, and I think it would be worth while for them to be No doubt, under the inquired into. present circumstances we require to cut down our expenditure on the railway as far as we reasonably can, as well as in every other department with which this
Government is concerned.
Those
THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS --Your Excellency, in reply to the re- marks of the hon. member who represents the Chamber of Commerce, the first point he raised was the question as to whether the Stanley Road would be open to traffic this year.
A certain
sum has been expended in improving the corners of the Deep Water Bay to Stanley Road, and also the road from Stanley to Shaukiwan, and in next year's estimate a further pro- vision is made for that improvement. It is probable, I should say, that by the time the new road from the Aberdeen Road to Deep Water Bay is completed, that these corners on the road from Stanley to Shaukiwan will be sufficiently im- proved for a motor-car to go at least as far as Tytam Tuk. Of course, now the dam at Tytamtuk will carry on the top of it the main road, and until that dam is completed the road cannot be said to be finished as far as Shaukiwan. The next item the hon. member referred to is the This year we Tytamtuk second scheme. spent approximately $600,000; next year we hope to expend $700,000, leaving about $500.000 for the two succeeding years, and as far as I can judge now I think the work will be completed within the con- tract time, that is, 1817.
The provision
in this year's estimates for the harbour of refuge should complete that work. and, as the hon. member has pointed out. there will be
a saving Government estimate. In the
the
on
following
year
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provision will have that the one for the New Ter- to be made for the retention ritories is essential, because there money held back from the contractor. are a lot of village surveys which cannot be paid next year as the which require completing. With regard period will not have elapsed. Still, there to the other two, I may say that my will be a saving in the Government esti- department lost the services of one mate. With regard to the remark of the
surveyor this year, so the increase was hon. member about Government estimates only one more, and the other surveyor was being exceeded, nothing is easier than for
called up on the reserve of officers. an engineer to make an estimate so big that it will not be exceeded and avoid ad verse criticism, but if that were done all prices with local contractors would m- mediately go up. Therefore, he oes his beat in all cases to make as near a esti mate as possible and circumstances permit. The next item the hon. member referred to was roads in the New Terri- turies. The Taipo-Fanling road, I think, should be completed in January or Feb | ruary next year, including the bridge, and in next year's estimates provision is made for a road which will connect the frontier at the station at Taku Ling with the main road from Fanling to Shatau kok. There will then be a road from the frontier to Kowloon. Provision is also made in next year's estimates for widen. ing the road from Fanling to Santin (widening to 20 feet), also for construct- ing a bridge over the creek on the Fan- With regard ling-Castle Peak road.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER-The first point was under Miscellaneous Services, subsidiary coins. I think the question was how much subsidiary coins has been withdrawn from circulation altogether up to date. $11,000,000 have been withdrawn since the withdrawal commenced at a loss of 16 per cent. and four million dollars' worth out of the total of $11,000,000 have been withdrawn this year. The only other point is the question of the increase in personnel. So far as the Post Office is con- cerned, the increase is entirely due to the wireless station, The staff required for the wireless station is a somewhat for the expensive one, and accounts $25,000 increase. The staff of the Post Office has not otherwise been increased.
to Kowloon City, which the hon. member
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY-Sir, I mentioned, and he was kind enough to would like to make a few remarks on one send me a petition or some paper he had or two points raised by the hon. member received, I would say that the roads men who represents the Chamber of Commerce tioned in that petition refer to short and the hon. and learned member on my lengths of road which connect all outly-left. On the question of the opium ing villages with Kowloon City. There revenue and that of the re-arrangement is a scheme actually on paper, and a road of moorings in the harbour I have no has been defined on the ground for strik- wish to express any views, but the hon. ing a route from Taikoktsui to Kowlooa member opposite me raised the question City. That road, when constructed, of the assessment and drew attention to would meet the requirements of the peti- the question of reduction of the value of tioners, but at present I am doubtful house property in the Colony, with a view whether development in that neighbour I think, to suggesting that the assessment hood would justify the Government in which has been made is a high one for the embarking on an expenditure on the whole coming year. On that point I should like of that road anyway. With regard to the wireless station, a tender has been accept- ed for that, and I hope by June nevt year the station will be completed. Some, not all, of the machinery, has already arrived in the Colony. The only other point I think the hon. member mentioned was the increase in the staff. The increase in next year's staff amounts to three sur- veyors and two inspectors in connection with the waterworks. Of the three sur- veyors, one is for the New Territories and the other two were requisitioned origin- ally in connection with the Praya East re- clamation scheme. There is no question
to draw the attention of hon. members to the fact that recent assessments made in the Colony certainly show that house property has been under-assessed for at least a year, probably more, and the value of house property has risen so much and so rapidly that it has not been possible for the Assessor to submit figures to the Government which represent the proper assessment. Therefore as property has escaped increased assessment for a year or more it is thought not unfair that the assessments should be made for the coming year at the same figure as
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