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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
position chosen for this convenience is well below the road and, owing to that, it was not thought it would be a detri
The ment to the house in question. matter was the subject of sume corres pondence with the Sanitary Board and the Sabitary Board passed a resolution agreeing to the position chosen. 1 ay say I have personally examined various alternative sites and agree with the ex- pert advisers of the Government that the site chosen is a proper one. I beg, there- fore, tu move the resolution.
The Budget
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, moves the second reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to apply a sum not exceeding eleven million, one hundred and seventy- three thousand, two hundred and twenty six dollars to the Public Service for the year 1920."
THE COLONIAL TREASURER seconded.
THE HON. MR. LAU CHU PAK said: Sir, as the senior unofficial member of this Council for the time being, it is my privilege to speak on behalf of the un-
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL seconded, official members on the subject of thin
Bill Except what will be specially stated as the expressions of my own views, the observations I am about to make have the full concurrence of my unofficial col- leagues. In addition to my remarks, the other unofficial members will address this Council either by way of giving utter- ance to their individual opinions, or in amplification of some of my observations.
HON. MR. C. G. ALABASTER—I beg to move an amendment that the question of this site and the two alternative sites suggested by the Sanitary Board be re- ferred to the Public Works Committee of this Council which does not appear to have been consulted in the matter. I understand that the Government site is
1 will now proceed to deal with err in juxtaposition to Barker Road Station tain items in the draft Estimates, taking where the conveniente must necessarily them in the order as they appear therein prove a nuisance to persons arriving at. The first item happens to be one on which and departing from, the tramway station. I have to express my individual opinion, Unfortunately the Ordinance is so word although I believe that my unofficial cof- ed that these people cannot effectively leagues more or less share it. I refer to object except through the unofficial *Assessed Taxes" on paze 8. This item members of this Council. The Ordinance shows an increase of nearly $112,000, and does permit other people to object, that it would be interesting to know whether is to say, occupiers of property in the this increase is due to more new houses immediate neighbourhood, and thore having been built since the current persons have objected. The only house in estimates were framed, or merely to re the immediate neighbourhood is the smallplaints have been made to
assessment of old buildings Several com- me by the house next to Glenshiel. The objection. Chinese that the steady increase in rents with plans, was submitted to the Sanitary has been due to certain houses having Board whe appointed a sub-committer been over Rssessed on account of adjoining consisting of Lieut. Col, Crisp, and Dr. houses of equal value fetching higher Koch who went into the matter most rentals. The assessor was perfectly right carefully and recommended either of two in putting the same rateable value on a other sites. It was suggested that plans | house that produces a smaller rent as on a of these two other sites should be made. similar structure adjoining, which yields but we were unable to permade the Gov. a better revenue to its owner. But the ernment to do so, and I submit that the fact that the higher rent might have been only thing we can do in this Council is forced up by the owner in order to obtain to have the matter referred to the Bad a higher value for his house should not ing Committee on Public Works for their be lost sight of by the Government. The consideration.
owner of the house yielding the smaller rental naturally raised the rent on e- count of the higher assessment, with the result that house rents generally have advanced by leaps and bounds. I admit that the question of assessment in the circumstance described is a difficult prob- lem, but I commend the matter to the
THE HON. MR. E. V. D. PARR seconded
H.E. THE GOVERNOR — The amend ment that the matter be referred to the Public Works Committee has been accepted.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
careful consideration of the Government as one intimately connected with the pre- wailing high cost of living.
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Secretary for Chinese Affairs to be dealt with by the Brewin Fund Committer, who may be able to find work for him or get him a licencer; or, in a rea..y deserving The next item on which I wish to say case, arrange to have him educated in few words is "Assessed Taxes, Special
vae of the free vernacular elementary
We War Rates." The discontinuance of these schools supported by the Chinese. rates immediately on the signing of have not had a reply to this suggestion. the Peace Treaty created at the time nor have I seen any indication that it a very good impression among the Chin- has been adopted. My Chinese colleague es, who said that, although the impost and I realize, as we stated in our letter had to cease automatically as required to the Magistrates at the time, that the by the Ordinance, the Government could problem is intricate and difficult of solu have easily, had they so wished, found|tion, especially when our law does not excuse to continue it by means of an perait of the parent or guardian being amending Ordinance, or by calling the tax punished The only solution that I can some other name. The action of the Gov- think of--and it has recently been ad ernment had a result more far-reaching vocated in the English Press-is the than they bad probably anticipated, in establishment of a Reformatory for the asmuch as it has becoine known as far reception of juvenile offenders. and for as Peking, and was, to my knowledge. teaching them a useful trade. Perhaps. favourably commented upon by one or instead of a Reformatory, an Industrial two Chinese high officials as an example | School or juveniles would even be more To such a sebool could be sent useful. of British rule.
As regards the item “Carriage, Chair, I not only boys guilty of municipal offences, etc.. Licences," the unofficial but also children of the poor, who would are of the opinion that the introduction otherwise go to swell the number of street-urchins. The separation of these of public rickshas on Caine Road and two classes of boys, if considered neces- Bonbam Road is an improvement, which is
sary, is a detail that can be arranged. uch appreciated by residents un that such an institution could be evolved out level, although certain portions of the two
of the existing free vernacular schools, roads are rather narrow for this increas-
or become an adjunct to them. I may ed wheeled traffic.
nention that this suggestion has the sym- pathetic support of my unofficial colle
In connection with Hawkers' Licences," I wish to say a few words cott cerning the punishment now being award- id by the Police Magistrates to boys for hawking without licences. I may say that in May last my colleague, the Hon. Mr. Ho Fook. and I took up this question semi-officially with the Police Magis- trates The present practice is that, un- less at fine is forthcoming, the little offender is ordered to be whipped, or sometimes sent to gaol. Owing to the poverty of the parents or guardians of these boys, it is very seldom that a fine is paid, with the result that the poor lads bave to undergo either a corporal punishment or imprisonment for an offence forced on them by their seniors. We consider it very hard on the boys, and should like to see this state of affairs remedied as soon as possible. The Bug- gestion which Mr. Ho Fook and I made to the Magistrates was this:
When a boy is arrested for hawking without a licence the parent or guardian be sent for, and a small fine imposed. If the parent or guardian could not be found, or could not or would not pay the fine when im- posed, then the boy should be sent to the
agite.
on
There is another matter arising out of this item of revenue, on which I venture to take some observations, ¿e. the number of hawkers' licences to be issued. It bas heen brought to the notice of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, of which I am the chairman, that some of the men who were arrested and fined or sent to gaol for unlicensed hawking during the early months of this year had applied the for but been refused a licence ground that already a sufficient number of licences had been issued. The Chinese ask me to plead on behalf of these poor people for a more liberal policy. Some of these men come to Hongkong with a few dollars (probably their whole fortune) in order to earn an honest livelihood as bawkers. When arrested and fined, with the possible loss of their entire stock-in- trade, they inevitably go to awell the ranks of the unemployed and of rogues and vagabonds; or, worse still, may be driven to thieving. It would be far better to have some mere licensed hawkers. who can be controlled by the police, than that a hardship should be inflicted on
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