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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
spector in charge, even when done twice or three times; while the work executed by certain privileged contractors invari ably received better treatment, Such being the case, the Chinese prefer to have the work done by the Sanitary Depart ment, and to pay for it according to a reasonable scale of charges to be pub lished.
The provision for 10 Vernacular Pupil Teachers in the Education Estimates in connection with a scheme for training young students for the posts of vernacular masters has the warm support of the Chinese. The scheme not only will engure A steady supply of vernacular teachers, but should. if properly worked, produce in course of sime, a class of better quali fied men for this important work.
With regard to the proposed grant of $10,000 to the Confucian Society, which, I hope, is an annual subsidy, I am glad that the efforts of the Society and of a few Chinese gentlemen to give the child ren of the poor at least an elementary education in their own language, have at las: received the support of the Govern uent. On behalf of the Society and of the entire Chinese Community, I beg to thank the Government for this substan. tial grant.
The unofficial members endorse Your Excellency's remarks as to the excellent work done during the war by the members of the Defence Corps, and to the valuable services rendered by Major Morgan as its first Administrative Commandant.
Turning to Public Works. Extra ordinary,' we notice that many items show neither the original nor the revised estimates of the works in hand or contem plated. To give a few items of more or less magnitude. we cite Nos. 5, 7, 8, 11. 12. 16 (k). 16 (1). 16 (3), 17, 23, 49, 50, G8 (b) and 69 (a). Unless this informa. tion is given, it is not possible to tell whether or not the sum inerrted for the first time for a certain work will be all that is required to complete it. In any case, no business man would like to approve of an undertaking without know ing what its total estimated cost is, even though approximately.
We are glad that at last the mortuary on Hill Road is to be removed to a more isolated site. It is at present hemmed in on all sides by residential quarters, and
the news of its proposed removal has berg received with satisfaction by the people living in the neighbourhood. I hope that the work may be completed before the next hot season sets in.
We should like to avail ourselves of this opportunity to call once more Your Excellenry's attention to the necessity for a high-power Commercial Wireless Tele graph-station, which we should like erect-; ed as soon as possible.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
As
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I think they should be, somehow If necessary, we could resort to a short- streets.
or other, fed and given some education term loan to pay for our works of development, many of which, as Your but I am not at all sure that this should In Eng- be done by the Government. Excellency said, would be remunerative.
land, as you know, one constantly sees houses with the inscription "supported Speaking of the Government action in
I know by voluntary contributions " In connection with Item 19, Miscelling with the rice situation. I venture laneous Drainage Works, we call atten the opinion that the monetary loss that the public spirit of the Chinese and I tion to the increase in the number of
may result from it will be more than think Mr. Lau Chu-pak and his wealthy friends might easily attend to this matter. mosquitoes in some parts of the Island.
compensated by the good it has done. It
At any rate. I should like to see many The cause may be found in the staguant
prevented the incipient riots that had
more institutions than there are at pre- water, retained in manholes after rains Broken out from assuming uglier pro-
sent supported by voluntary contribu- or after Aushing operations, which serve portions; it had a decidedly steadying tions. as breeding-places of these insects.
influence on the minds of the whole rom-
for the smuggling of Opium. Junity and, though the Government
it is a delicate question but I think it might not have foreseen it. it helped to
It is quite Had is a purely Chinese one. bring down prices very quickly.
obvious that there are some rich capital- not the Government bought such a large ists behind this smuggling and I think quantity of rice, and become the people's Mr. Lau Chu-pak and his friends could grocers, as it were, the prices of the comprobab give, if they wished, very valu modity would most probably have remain able rmation to the Government on ed on their high levels much longer than this point. At any rate they are more they did, and the public would have had likely to and out about it than foreigners.
The whole matter to pay them anyhow, therefore resolves itself into this: the Government, as representatives of the people collectively, paid high prices for the rice, which. otherwise. the people individually would have had to pay. Aa to whether the handling of the buying and selling part has been done in a busi- ne slike manner or not. I prefer to defer whole matter is judgment until the closed. and a statement of the transat tions is laid before this Council, as un- doubted'y it will be. I should add that the views I have expressed are shared by my unofficial colleagues.
in
set
I would also ask that # site
a fairly accessible locality b apart for a golf-links for the use of the Portuguese and Asiatic communities. Representations have been roade to my Chinese colleague and myself by several Portuguese gentlemen, as well as by the Chinese, as to the want of such
place of recreation for them, and 1 am pleased to state that their request las the support of my unofficial colleagues.
At the second reading of the Budget Bill last year, the Hon. Mr. Landale suggested on behalf of the unofficial meru- pers that the Public Works Committee should be enlarged so as to comprise all the unofficial members of the Council. We do not know whether this suggestion has escaped attention or not, but, in view of the increasing magnitude of our public works, we again press it to the notice of the Government.
As regards the permanent increase in the emoluments of Government servants, the unofficial members will gladly vote for whatever additional amount way be considered necessary. For my part, I should also like to see the pay of the lower grades of the Service, such as the Asiatic Police and Revenue Officers, some- what raised.
of revenue be turned into a deficit,
Should the estimated balance in favour
it is most likely to be, by the additional expenditure necessary for payment of increased salaries and by the expected heavy loss in the Government's rice trans- actions, would have
We
the accrued balances of the Colony to fall back upon
As to the question of rice, I do not think Mr. Lau Chu-pak should be very hard on the Governinent. They had to do their best, as I understand, in the crisis, and they had no Joseph to tell them seven years beforehand what was happen.
going to
There is only one matter which I had the I really meant to refer to. honour of serving on the Civil Service Salaries Commission and 1 was rather surprised when I returned to the Colony to and that no official announcement had I presume been made on that subject, the delay bas occurred in London as the In conclusion, we desire to offer the Governor stated on April 10th. last that the recommendations of the Commission Government our congratulations upon the had then already gone forward to Eng- progress of the Colony as evidenced by land. No doubt there is some good and the figures in the Draft Estimates and insufficient reason for the delay and I am the Financial Statements before us. speaks highly of the administration, especially the work of Sir Henry May, and of the Hon. Mr. Claud Severn, who, for about a year, administered the Gov- ernment with ability and success.
It
THE HON. MR. R. G. SHEWAN said :— Sir, I had not intended as I have only just returned to the Colony-to say any thing about the figures now laid before us, but the Hon. Mr. Lau Chu-pak's re- marks have raised some memories of old days. I quite agree with his remarks T on the education of little children, have long thought that something ought to be done for these urchins, these waifs and strays allowed to run wild on the
not going to trouble the Government with unnecessary questions, but the matter is one of vital importance to hundreds of families in the Colony and the Govern- ment officials at Home perhaps do not realise that "while they are fiddling Rome is burning." As to our recommendations, I think I may say, without revealing any secrets, that we approached the matter determined not to lay ourselves open to any charges of extravagance or over gen- erosity. We meant to be as economical and conservative of the Colony's money as we could possibly be. But I am bound to say that, on enquiry into the matter, we found that the case of the Civil Ser- vants for the redress of their grievances They have was overwhelmingly strong.
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