:
!
by a notification in the Government Gazette. Of course, one realizes that cer. tain Orders in Council and Regulations in regard to the War and other special matters must necessarily be debated in secret and decided by the Executive Council, but, on the other hand, there are a large number of Regulations to be made under Ordinances which may with perfect propriety be discussed and en- acted by the Legislative Council, What I would venture to suggest, as a first practical step, is this, that your Excel- lency should empower me to informally discuss instances of Legislation by Order of the Governor in Council with the Attorney General, with a view to seeing whether it will not be practicable, in the -case of some Ordinances, to transfer the power of making Regulations under those particular Ordinances from the Execu- tive to the Legislative Council. This is the suggestion which I have to make and I hope that it will be acceded to.
poor
HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
item in the budget of the man out of all proportion to the other expenses of his family. I know of one. case where a Chinese clerk earns $160 per month, and his house rent has been raised to $60 per month; no less than a third of his monthly income goes in rent. That seems outrageous. I know of another' case where since the war there has been no butter in the house for many months So you see it is the poorer classes who ar suffering and who are making the sacri fices. Seven per cent, on the rent of the poor man is a good deal to him, but to the landlord and to corporations it is only an entry in their books. I am nọt attacking landlords, they have earned their money quite legitimately no doubt, but it cannot be denied that they have earned it very easily, and without any very great sacrifices on their part. Many of them are simply reaping the benefits of the foresight of their forefathers, whi were shrewd enough to see how land inf this Colony would become valuable. under good
government. due to their own exertions, and under the And having acquired wealth not entirely protection of the British flag, surely they would be willing indeed to show grati- tude to that flag and bear the burden for their poor tenants, many of whom are their own servants who have helped them to accumulate their wealth. If this rate were 25 per cent. it would be quite a poor sacrifice compared with the sacr fices which are being made at home. If Hongkong would have done enough for it were 50 per cent., I do not think the war. I am pleading with the Govern ment with your Excellency for these poor people, for the small man, the badly paid clerk, the poor shop-keeper, the shroff. the Chinese boy," and the coolie, upon whom such a rate will bear so hard, and
HON. MR. SHEWAN-I have been asked to second the hon. member's pro- posal and I do so because it seems to me a fair and reasonable one. I do not wish to hamper the Government in any way, especially in these times, when every man should support the Government to the best of his ability and power. If secrecy is necessary or even desirable then secrecy should be observed. But publicity is always good, and it is preferable when it is possible. For these reasons I see no objection to Mr. Pollock having what he calls informal discussions with the Attorney-General 00 various points. With regard to the Bill, I do not think anyone would object to a Bill which laid the burden equally on the willing and the unwilling horse. As for myself, I cordially approve of it, and I am only sorry it was not brought in two years ago. But I think that it might be amended in one or two instances. I think you must exempt the poorer classes from the opera tion of the Bill, Of course the poorer people will pay the smaller part of the rates, but what is small to them is even smaller to the richer class who can well afford to pay. Renta in this Colony are notoriously high-they are outrageously high, I think. I do not know why they
except that there
geems to be very few building contractors who get rich very quickly. Certainly, the rents
this Colony form
are,
ID
&n
enormous
appeal to you to put it on the shoulders of those best able to bear it. Dr. Johnson defined patriotism as the last refuge of a scoundrel. We are not no bad as that I hope, but it is a poor patriotism that is sustained by grinding the face of the by all means, but do not let us poor. Tax our rich men in this Colony the poor empty away.
seud
the remarks made by the hon. member whe HIS EXCELLENCY-With regard to represents the Justices of the Peace, would say that I do not think any person in the Colony regrets more than the Chinese do themselves that they were not
48
KO
to run.
Fondlosure
7th June 1917
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Hongkong's War Loan
war.
4.
533
17
ary increase in the rates for the special purpose of increasing the contributions of the Colony to His Majesty's Govern- ment towards the expenses of the present The object of this Bill, of course, it to
Ia
doing 8Q be said: -- impose a special war rate of seven per cent., in addition to the ordinary rates, for the purpose of making an additional contribution to be paid to His Majesty's Government towards the expenses of the principal Rating Ordinance, so that the This Bill is to be read with the usual provisions as to assessment and appeal will apply, with other details. will be moved in Committee, and I think There are a number of amendments which that I need not say any more as to the principle of the Bill. I beg to move the second reading.
war.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of the Bill intituled, An Ordinance to amend further the War Loan Ordinance, 1918." he said: It has
In doing been out by the Crown Agents that the pointed War Loan Ordinance, 1916, akes all interest cease on
drawn bonds from the date of the drawing
The effect of this would be that a bord holder might not be able to claim his principal and interest so promptly as to avoid a certain loss of interest on the amount so clained.
It has therefore been decided to provide that at least fifteen days' notice of the numbers drawn shall be given be- fore the date on which the interest ceases The Bill also provides for the mode of drawing in more detail than the principal Ordinance. 1 was originally ed, intended that these details should be directed by the Governot under section 11 of the principal Ordinance, but it seems convenient to include them in this bill. The provisions are based on the model of the General Loan and Inscribed Stock Ordinance which used in the case of loans domiciled with the Crown Agents. The bill also prrects a discrepancy between the principal Ordinance and the prospectus of the loan as to the date of redemption for bonds not previously redeemed by drawing or purchase. The date adopted to the bill is the 1st Novem- ber, 1928, which was the date specified in the prospectus. I beg to move the second reading.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY second- ed, and the Bill was read a second time.
Countil then went into Committee to consider the Bill clause by clause.
Thefe were no amendments, and, on Courtil resuming,
TE
ATTORNEW-GENERAL moved that the Bill be read a third time.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY second- , and the Bill was then read a third
d-passede
War Finance
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of the Bill intituled, *An Ordinance to provide for a tempor-
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY second-
HON. MR. PULLOCK-Sir, it was a great disappointment to learn, at the proposed voluntary contribution by the last meeting of this Council, that the Chinese of this Colony to the Imperial War Funds had cotte to nothing, seeing that such a contribution had been so much talked about as to be regarded as prac- tically settled. It may perhaps be per- missible to express the hope that, at some future date, the difficulties to which surmounted and that the scheme for a your Excellency has referred may be voluntary gift by the Chinese Com
unity may be revived. Turning now to the Bill before this Council, I should like to say a few words with reference to an mendment which I am going to move in clause 8 of the Bill to substitute the words "Legislative Council by resolu tion for the words "Governor in Coun- eil. The point which I wish to make in this, namely, that there is far too much legislation in this Colony by the Governor in Council, that is to say, by the Execu- tive Council-a body, which sits and debates in secret, with the result that the public has no say whatever, through the Legislative Council, in regard to a num ber of important regulations made under Ordinances, which regulations are some- times more important and far-reachin. than the Ordinance itself and have the in the body of the Ordinance. The conse same legal effect as if they were inserted quence is that the public suddenly has important regulations sprung upon it
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