CO129-519-2 Estimates for 1930 19-9-1929 - 19-9-1929 — Page 219

Extract

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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

scheme up to the 30th June last. Honourable members may perhaps ask why the work was not done more rapidly; but to this I would reply, in the first place, that I doubt whether, with the engineering resources at our disposal, more rapid progress was possible, and, in the next place, that funds could not more rapidly have been made available. Memories in this Colony are short; but I cannot believe that there is anyone in this Council who forgets the troubles of 1925, 1926 and 1927. The Colony's finances at that time were much embar- rassed. It would have been impossible in those years to raise the local loan, which was successfully floated last year. There was no accumulation of surplus balances, as there is to-day.

We were economizing in every direction, reducing staff and postponing all expenditure, to which we were not already committed. I claim that, instead of criticizing the Government for delay in this matter, there is cause for thanksgiving in this Colony that the first section of the Sheng-mun scheme had not to be proceeded with even more slowly than has actually been the case.

The honourable the senior unofficial member saw no reason why the colonists of to-day should be saddled with long past expenditure upon waterworks, which has been paid from time to time out of revenue; nor did he agree with the principle that all Government expenditure ought to produce a revenue, which would give a reasonable rate of interest on the capital expended. I cannot, however, hold out any hope to this Council, or to the Colony, that it will be possible to complete the very large and very expensive schemes for water- works development, which are now under construction and in contem- plation, without increasing the price paid by residents in this Colony for their water supply. Nor do I consider that it will be any hard- ship for consumers of water to pay for it at a price commensurate with its cost to Government. I am informed that the price of water in this Colony is cheap by comparison with prices charged elsewhere. I am collecting data on this subject and will place the statistics, when procured, before this Council. I do not, however, propose to increase the price of water until it is possible to ensure a full supply through- out the year to all houses connected with the waterworks, both on Hong Kong island and on the mainland. It would certainly cause justifiable discontent if the Government were to increase the price of water at a time when a restricted supply only can be made available. Therefore, as I intimated at our meeting on the 5th inst., I do not propose to move in this matter until the budget for 1931 is under consideration. It will, of course, be impossible to discard the rider- main system until there is an assured supply of water available both on the island and on the mainland throughout the year; and the Government will certainly give this Council an opportunity to debate the matter before the rider-mains are abolished.

Si Cecil Clemente (Guvernat

"How turn to the question of establishing in this Colony a division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, for which a sum of $25,433 is provided in next year's estimates. I note that the unofficial members consider that the formation of such a division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve might detrimentally affect recruitment for the

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