Council
Next, Sir, I take the objection that this proposed road is not desirable. First, on the ground that it will destroy one of our greatest assete at the Peak, namely, the absolute quiet which we enjoy at night. If, as I understand to be the case, it is proposed to continue this road ultimately on through the Mount Kellett Gap down to Pokfulam Road we are faced with the possibility of a fine procession of joy riders at the Peak at all hours of the day and night. And, even if you call a halt at Chamberlain Road, you canot prevent any- body who can afford the hire of a car from going up to the Peak on a fiue moonlight night, as I presume that the Government does not intend to put up a turn-pike and to issue passes to Peak residents only.
And now I come to my second ground of undesirability which I consider most in- portant, and that is the question of safety of the children living at Magazine Gap and the Peak. The proposed route of the road lies through Magazine Gap itself, and thence along the Craigmin Road to Craig min West, and subsequently it has to Squeeze its way through the small gap between Cheltordale" and "Balgownie and then to run for some distance along the present road past the Peak Church, which road is the approach to the Peak school for all children going to that school from any house to the east of that school. And the question which I wish to put is this: Why should we wantonly and unnecessarily introduce a new danger for children living at Magazine Gap and the Peak by building such a road?
I notice that tenders are now being in- vited for the construction of this proposed road, but I venture to hope that Your Excellency, beforo sanctioning the accept- ance of any tender, will carefully seek for the correct answer to these two questions:-- 1. Is such a road really necesary for the purpose of giving to Peak residents access by motor to other parts of the Colony?
2. Is such a road desirable, having ro- gard to the danger which it will bring to children at Magazine Gap and the Peak, and having regard to the fact that it will destroy the present priceless peaco and quiet at the Peak?
MR. LAU CHU PAK.
The Hon. Mr. Lau CHU PAK said: -Your Excelency, on behalf of my Chinese col league and myself, I beg to offer a few observations on certain items in the Esti- mates. In our opinion, and that of most of those whom we represent, the reduction in the number of hawkers' licences, which is intended to save the Police trouble, will more likely have an opposite effect, inas much as in addition to looking out for unlicensed hawkers, they will have to devote more time and attention to watching the movements of the unemployed and tha vagrants, whose ranks will be swelled by those who tail to obtain licences for hawk- ing as an honest meaus of earning their livelihood. The Chinese population has in reven years grown enormously and will, so long as political disturbances across the border periodically crop up, continue to grow, so that the number of licences for bawking needs to be increased instead of being reduced. From the Chinese point of view it is more in accordance with righteous- ness to give a man a few dollars as capital for hawking so as to enable him to gain a decent livelihood than to leave him un- employed and drift into the ranks of vaga- bouds. I think the objections to hawking would be minimized, if the licences be issued in each district and increased or reduced as they may be in proportiou to the number of people residing therein. The licences may also be classified, so that, in the vicini- tics of markets, licences for selling only commodities other than market products would be issued. In view of the fact that the Chinese community considers it exceed. ingly hard on a poor but honest man to be punished for trying to gain a livelihood by honest means, not because he defies the law by refusing to pay for a licence, but be cause he is denied one when he willingly offers to pay for it, we hope the Govern- ment will reconsider its decision from a more sympathetic point of view. At any rate, all those who are at presont holding licences should be given new licences and an extra number should be given to new applicants in proportion to the increase in the population. As regards the two thou- sand licences which it is proposed to abolish we should also like to know how it is to be done and whether steps will be taken to prevent possible abuses in connection with the issue
A MATTER OF EQUITY.
Water Excess Supply and Meter Rents- Under this heading, it is proposed to charge for excessive use of water in the rider-main districts. It may not be out of place to recail what really led up to the introduction of the rider-main system. The system wag asked for as a concession from the Govern- ment by the Chinese residents and they paid the cost of its construction, which amounted to more than $1,000.000. The conditions under which the Chinese live here, to-day, are the same as they were seventeen years ago when the system was introduced. Their houses are almost all let out by floors, and in many cases a floor is sub-let to several families. The ground floor occupied by shopkeepers and tradesmen uses more water than the tenants of the upper floors. Will a meter be fixed on each floor or a meter on the ground floor only, to serve for the whole house? If so, how will the charges be equitably apportioned amongst the differ ent floors or the different families, as the case may be? And who is to be held liable for payment, when one floor becomes vacant? If the landlord is to be held liable for everything, how is he to recoup himself? Is be allowed simply to add what he likes on to the rent and is guch addition, if count- ed as rent, again taxable 1 These reasong together with several others were, seventeen years ago, laid before the Government by the Chinese community with the request that the rider-main he substituted for the meter system and the Government granted the request on condition that they contri buted to the cost of its construction, Practically speaking, it was in the nature of a contract between the Government and the Chinese house-owners. Now, after so many years, in spite of the fact that the Chinese had until recently anffered much
hardship from short supplies and that they had been made to gned so much money, they are to be charged for what is essential to good health and cleanliness in their narrow and crowded quarters. Have those who have originated the proposal to charge for excessive use of water in the rider-main districts weighed well every condition, under
264
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.