September 3rd, 1921.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT
219
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
REMOVAL OF MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS FROM THE CITY:
THE WAR OFFICE POINT OF VIEW.
EXPEDITING BUILDING PROJECTS.
SHIPOWNERS AND
THE INDEMNITY BILL.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was held in the Council Chamber, on September 1st. There were present: HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR (Sir REGINALD Edward Stubbs, K.C.M.G.) THE OFFICER COMMANDING THE TROOPS (Major-General Sir GEORGE M. KIRKPATRICK, K.C.S.I., K.C.B.). Hon. Mr. CLAUD SEVERN, C. M. G.,
(Colonial Secretary).
HON.
Hon. Mr. J. H. KEMP, K.O., C.B.E.
(Attorney-General).
Hon. Mr. C. Mol. MESSER, O.B.E.
(Colonial Treasurer).
Hon. Mr. E. A. IRVING (Director of
Education).
Hon. Mr. 8. B. C. Ross (Secretary for
Chinese Affairs).
Hon. Mr. T. L. PERKINS (Director of
Public Works).
Hon. Mr. H. E. POLLOCK, K.C. Eon. Mr. P. H. HOLYOAK.
Hon. Mr. LAU CHU-PAK.
Hon. Mr. Ho Fook.
Hon. Mr. H. W. BIRD.
Mr. S. B. B. MCELDERRY (Clerk of
Councils).
Hon. Mr. A. G. STEPHEN (absent).
MINUTES.
The minutes of the last meeting of the Council were approved and signed by the President.
PAPERS.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid on the table the following papers: Report of the Sec- retary for Chinese Affairs for the year 1920; Report on the Botanical and Forestry Department for the year 1920; Report of the Superintendent of Prisons for the year 1920; Report of the Captain Superintendent of Police for 1920; Medi- cal and Sanitary Reports for the 1920; Report on the Finances of the year 1920; Report on the Assessment for the year 1921-1922.
year
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, also laid on the table the following papers: -An order made by the Governor in Council relating to rates of postage on parcels for Meso- potamia and certain places in Persia; an amended regulation made by the Governor in Council under the Ferries Ordinance, 1917; Rules made by the Governor in Council under the Prisons Ordinance; a Regulation inade by the Governor in Council under Section 37 of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1899; and Regulations made by the Governor in Council under the Dogs Ordinance, 1893; an Order made by the Governor in Council under the Post Office Ordinance revising the rates and postage on parcels posted at Hongkong to certain countries.
All these rules and regulations have been published in the Government Gazette. Also Report by the Water Carriage Ex- tension.
THE SALE OF BUILDING SITES. The Hon. Mr. H. W. BIRD asked:
With reference to applications for building sites in non-urban districts, will the Government, in fairness to the applicant who has frequently been put to considerable trouble and expense in selecting his site, consider the advis- ability of disposing of such sites by private treaty instead of by public auction?
replied:
The COLONIAL SECRETARY quently effected in special cases, but the Sales by private treaty are not infre- Government is not prepared to abandon the general principle of sale by auction, that being as a rule the only method which ensures that the community obtains the full value of the land.
SEA-WATER FOR FLUSHING. The Hon. Mr. POLLOCK, K.C. asked:-
Is not the Report of the Committee appointed to go into the question of the use of sea-water for flushing pur poses now ready? If not, when will it be ready? When will such Report be
THE REMOVAL OF THE MILITARY
ESTABLISHMENTS.
The Hon. Mr. POLLOCK in accordance with notice previously given, moved the following resolution :-
That, in view of the shortage of Euro- pean office and business accommodation in this Colony and in view of the short- age of sites for Chinese business pre- mises in this Colony, it is imperative that the Military Establishinents along the Queen's Road should be transferred from their present site in the centre of the City to some other site or sites at the earliest possible date.
The Hon. Mr. POLLOCK said: Sir, at the outset of my speech I desire to remind your Excellency and the Council that I brought up this matter before the Council on the 29th of January last year. On that occasion I moved the following resolution:
"That, with a view to giving facilities for commercial expansion a Committee of the Legislative Council be appointed, eral Officer Commanding, and two consisting of His Excellency the Gen- official and three unofficial members of the Legislative Council, for the purpose of considering and reporting to this Council upon the resumption by the Hongkong Government of the Military Establishments on the Queen's Road, and the terms and conditions of such resumption."
On that occasion I pointed out the great shortage of office accommodation that then existed and, as is well known to the mem- beis of this Council, the shortage of office accommodation which then existed has been since very much accentuated; and I think it is a matter of common know-
tion have gone up considerably in this ledge that since the beginning of this year the rents of European office accommoda- Colony.
premises, I think, sir, that it is equally a As regards Chinese business matter of common knowledge that such business premises are being keenly com- peted for. In order to satisfy ourselves of that fact we need do no more than read from day to day the accounts of the cases which are now being tried before the there is great competition between busi- Puisne Judge, which accounts show that ness premises. The landlord on the one side men for the possession of business is trying to get rid of the tenant and the tenant on the other side is extremely anxious to remain where he is. From
be seen that the desire was to have a the motion which I have just read, which I made on the 29th January, 1920, it will
IMPROVEMENT OF THE HARBOUR. this Council and I cannot help thinking strong Committee appointed, consisting both of official and unofficial members of
published!
The report is printed and has been laid The COLONIAL SECRETARY replied:- before Council to-day.
The Hon. Mr. POLLOCK asked:-
to
What information can the Govern ment give to the Council with regard Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice's Report on the Improvement of the Harbour? Cannot the Government take steps to expedite the obtain.ng of such Report? The COLONIAL SECRETARY replied:- It is anticipated that no complete report can be received until the detailed in- formation asked for by Sir Maurice Fitz- maurice has been obtained and forward
ed to his firm.
engage
This information, which entails:- (a)-A considerable number of borings
in the bed of the Harbour, (b)-Additional soundings, (c) --Extended tidal observations, has
rendered it necessary to additional staff and to indent for the necessary additional One of the Assistant Engineers engaged for this work arrived on the 28th of August and another is expected at an early date. The gear has not yet arrived.
gear.
that perhaps we should have got further on than we are at the present moment if such a Committee had been appointed. Owing to the purely technical reason that some application would have to be made to the War Office for His Excellency, the then General Officer Commanding, to serve on that Committee-a plea which, I having regard to the fact that I had given pointed out, was rather a belated one my notice of motion on the 23rd Decem- ber, 1919, and there had been plenty of time to telegraph in the interval-the
Government could not accept the resolu- tion which was then put forward.
Well, sir, the next stage so far as I was concerned, that happened in the matter, was that I was informed on my return from Canada in the middle of October last year that the War Office had accepted generally the principle of a removal of the military establishments. Then, on the 17th February this year, in view of the increased shortage of office accommodation which I referred to, I put the following question to the Govory-
ment:
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