HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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(b) That this Council authorizes the sum of $75,000 out of the said sum of $9,200,000 to be charged to a future loan and sanctions an advance of this sum of $75,000 during the financial year 1932 from the surplus balances of the Colony.
THE COLONIAL TREASURER seconded.
HON. SIR HENRY POLLOCK.-Sir, I rise to speak on the point (b) of the motion. I would begin by saying that I am very much disappointed and I think my disappointment will be shared by other unofficial members of this Council to find that it is proposed to spend the comparatively trivial sum of $75,000 on the second section of the Shing Mun scheme during the present year.
Your Excellency will remember that a statement was made at this Council on 23rd June by the late Director of Public Works, and he then stated that on Your Excellency's instructions a reply to the telegram from the Secretary of State had been sent, pointing out that it is the urgent wish of this Government to take advantage of the next dry season to make a commencement with the second section of the Shing Mun scheme and making inquiry as to the amount to be expended by Messrs. Sir Alexander Binnie Son and Deacon during the current year. That telegram also stated that they be asked to state the date by which their consulting engineer was expected to arrive in Hong Kong and also instructions as to what work might be carried out pending his arrival.
It was indicated by the Director of Public Works that on receipt of this information it would be possible to ask the Council for a supplementary vote to cover the expenditure for 1932.
In the first place, I should like to ask as a result of the telegrams exchanged between the Government and the engineers, on what date may we expect the arrival of the consulting engineer?
As was pointed out by Mr. Creasy in the speech in Hansard I have referred to, it is very necessary to take advantage of the next dry season and speaking for myself I should say it would have been a very great benefit for this representative from the consulting engineers to have arrived in this Colony early in October. I hope the Government will be able to tell us something about his arrival and that we shall hear that his arrival will not be too much delayed.
Of course, it may be that the arrival is not going to take place until later in the year. If so, it would be very regrettable cwing to the curtailment of the dry season which, after all, is the most suitable time for big public works.
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