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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
an adequate water supply for the Island of Hong Kong. It is good news to hear that the first portion of the Shing Mun Valley scheme will place the water supply of Kowloon and of our shipping beyond any probability of shortage for an indefinite period; but we think that steps should promptly be taken to put the Island of Hong Kong in an equally satisfactory position; for, as you, Sir, are well aware, we have, notwithstanding repeated increases in our water supply on the Island during the past 25 years, constantly found ourselves under the neces- sity (in some cases for periods of several weeks at a time) of having a restricted water-supply in certain districts of this Colony a procedure which is not only inconvenient but also contrary to the interests of public health. We, therefore, con- sider it of vital importance that the original intention to carry the pipe-line across the Harbour should be proceeded with forthwith."
All those remarks were made by me on behalf of the whole body of the Unofficial members, but the matter of bringing the pipe-line across the Harbour was then viewed as being of such urgency and importance by my Unofficial colleagues that my honourable friend Sir Shou-son Chow (speaking on behalf of himself and his Chinese colleague, Dr. Kotewall) referred to the matter again in his speech (see Hansard 1926, at page 78), in the course of which, after referring to the hardships which the Chinese suffered from a policy of water restriction, Sir Shou-son Chow said:
"We, therefore, urge no matter what other minor plans the Government may have in mind for increasing the water supply on the Island, no matter what reasons the Government may have for not proceeding with the Shing Mun scheme, some scheme for bringing water across the Harbour should be carried out as soon as possible."
The Government, however, thought fit to disregard the united advice of the Unofficial members of this Council in the matter with the result that more than eighteen months of valuable time were wasted, in failing to take steps to bring the water across the Harbour, and indeed the pipe-line will, apparently, in all probability not be completed for several months.
Passing on, we note from your summary of the cost of our waterworks and their maintenance that you do not consider that the receipts from water services give a reasonable return on our past expenditure and you hint that in a year or two we shall accordingly have to pay extra taxation in respect of water.
But, Sir, we do not see why the present residents of this Colony should be saddled with long past expenditure upon waterworks which has been paid from time to time out of revenue, nor can we agree with the principle that all Government expenditure ought to produce
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