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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
on
I got the Building Ordinance Officer's report
various properties. Though he says that these premises are "old" he does not put the "cross" against them which denotes dilapidation.
sure the Chinese members will agree-Tarrace. when I say that in the hot weather a very large proportion of the people living in Chinese tenements prefer to live in the streets, because of the heat within doors. In threatening weather you may see them with little tents over their heads. Sleeping in the streets has no connection whatever with this housing question.
HON. MR. KOTEWALL - My Chinese colleague and I would like to bear out the comment just made by the Colonial Secretary. It struck me whilst the Senior Unofficial Member was speak ing that his remarks were somewhat over stated.
any
H.E. THE GOVERNOR I will defer remarks I propose to make until we come to consider individual amend ments in committee. There are only two things I should like to say at this stage: the first is I sincerely trust that this will be the last time the Council will be called upon to extend the operation of the Rents Ordinance; the other is that I should like the Council to understand the immense amount of work which the Colonial Secretary has been personally putting into this matter for weeks past. --Applause).
The second mading was then carried, and on the motion of the ATTORNEY GENERAL the Council went into Committee to consider the Bill clause by clause.
In moving the proposed new clause of which he had spoken, Hox. MR. POLLOCK said-I should like to say with re- gard to what has fallen from the Acting Colonial Secretary that, first of all, am satisfied that it is desirable to have some body which cau be referred to as a committee in this question of re-construc- tion, and that for the reasons I have given in my speech on the second read- ing. I quite appreciate the extraordinary efforts of the Colonial Secretary for the re-housing of tenants, but it is desirable that it should come before a regularly constituted body and that there should be a body which has a certain legal status. The Colonial Secretary, in his position, carries a great deal of prestige and in fluence, but I think it is desirable that there should be some body which by law has power to put a certain check on re- construction, until satisfactory measures have been taken for the re-housing of tenants. That is the reason I press for this cause. With regard to Belilios
|
The sug
H.E. THE GOVERNOR-I should like to say at this stage that I propose to leave it to the unfettered discretion of the Council to adopt this amendment if they wish. If I had to vote I should vote against it for two reasons. In the first place I desire once ΣΠΟΡΟ to emphasize that I hope this Ordinance 18 about to come to an end at the end of twelve months from now, and I think it is a mistake to tinker with a temporary Or dinance, and thus lead people to believe it is more likely to be renewed than is the case. The second reason is that I feel that however unresonable it may be the adoption of the clause may tend to pre- vant people reconstructing in cases where it is manifestly desirable that reconstruction should take place. When a man is just wavering on the point whether he shall or shall not destroy insanitary premises-- really insanitary I mean and not only legally so he may be determined not to do so by this clause. He will not wish to submit all his plans to the consideration of two bodies. The Building Authority is a very hard-worked department and unquestionably requires a little time to examine plans. gested Committed might be another body of busy men and the time devoted to the examination of plans would be naturally increased. Government departments are blamed for delay and it is possible that the virus of the delay would spread from the Government body to the new mittee. If reconstruction, where it is desirable, is checked, I think we shall be making a very serious error. At the present time we are getting a large amount of desirable reconstruction done at the expense of the landlord. If it is not done by him it is probably only a question of time before it is necessary to do it at public expense. Now, everybody seems to have money to spare: they are ready to spend it in reconstructing build- ings because, owing to various circum- stances, including revolutions in China, remunerative employment of capitalin China is difficult to find. condition of affairs passes away and peo- When that
ple have other uses for their money it is unlikely they will be content with the six or seven per cent. they can get out of reconstructed tenements When that time comes they will put off the reconstruction
oom-
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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
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H.E. THE GOVERNOR-In case there was any misunderstanding. I hope no offical member considered that anything I said bound him to vote in any other way than his own judgment dictated.
HON. MR. POLLOCK was understood to say that His Excellency expressed strong opinion and it was only to he expected that it would influence the vot- ing of the Official Members.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR I should be Public Service were quite so invertebrate. sorry to suppose that members of the
HON. MR. POLLOCK, who was still very indistinctly heard, made a remark to the effect that the result was bound to follow."
as long as their houses will hold together. I must confess I should be reluctant to be a member of the proposed committee unless I was an architect or an engineer, because if the committee refused per mission to reconstruct and there was a serious disaster -supposing Belilios Terrace to collapse upon its inmates I feel that the committee which refused to allow it to be reconstructed would find their consciences and their reputations suffer as the result. However, as I say, if the Council considers that this clause should form part of the Ordinance, I am perfectly content to leave it to their de Cision. There is one other point. It is proposed that the committee should have discretion to postpone reconstruction for as long as eighteen months. If the Or- dinance is only to last twelve months it is undesirable to have a longer period named in the measure itself. The posi. tion would be that the committee would H.E. THE GOVERNOR—I must really have power to exercise jurisdiction under dissent and object to the phrase used. the Ordinance six months after the Or. If anybody considers that I am endea dinance had expired. I suggest the sub-vouring to jockey the unofficial members stitution of the figures 12 for 18 in the into the belief that I have influenced the amendment.
official members when I have not, I beg to repudiate the suggestion most heartily, consider that the official members have the right to express their opinion and to Unless hold the opinions they express. they are directly instructed by me that a measure is a Government one which they must support they are free to vote in accordance with their own convictions. I must confess, Mr. Pollock, that I a
amazed that you should suggest that I should be responsible for a manoeuvrḤ as you have described it.
HON. MR. POLLOCK
accepted the suggestion and the amendment was then put.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR I think the "No's" have it.
HON. MR. POLLOCK called for division, and the votes were recorded as follows:
For:-Hon. Mr. H. E. Pollock, Hon. Mr. P. H. Holyoak, Hon. Mr. A. G. Stephen, Hon. Mr. R. H. Kotewall, Hon. Mr. Chau Siu Ki. Against-Hon. Mr. A. O. Lang, Officer Commanding the Troops, the Colonial Secre- tary, the Attorney-General. the Colonial Treasurer, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, the Director of Education, the Director of Public Works.
The amendment was, therefore, lost by eight votes to five.
T'e-
HON. MR. POLLOCK made 2 mark not clearly heard at the Press table to the effect that the unofficial members would obviously not vote in favour of the amendment after the very strong expression of opinion which H.E. the Governor had given against it. It did not amount to free voting but was a manoeuvre to defeat the unofficial minority, and he did not consider it fair.
am
HON. MR. POLLOCK All I wished
yote of the officials after Your Excellency has expressed yourself strongly in a cer- tain direction is not really leaving it to the unfettered decision on the Council.
to say was that putting it EXI the
H.E. THE GOVERNOR - Council will proceed with the discussion of the Or- dinance.
HON. MR. POLLOCK mentioned an amendment to Clause 7 suggested by the Tenants' Association. It was to the effect that "the Magistrate may order the lessor to allow the lessee possession of such domestic tenement.
THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL commented that after a house had been rebuilt it might be difficult for a former tenant to find
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