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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.
HON. MR. CHAU TSUN-NIN.-I gather from the Financial Secretary's lucid and informative Memorandum on Water Finances, that the two primary objects of this Bill are: firstly, to establish a separate Water Department, and to make a charge for water sufficient to pay all expenses incurred by that department; and secondly, to prevent waste of water.
The estimated gross revenue from water for 1937, based on the revised scale of charges, would amount to $2,463,459. Subtracting from this amount the sum of $27,000 for Peak supplies, $54,950 for Upper Levels supplies, $184,000 for Shipping and Construction supplies and the two per cent. rate of $706,739, there would remain a balance of $1,490,770 chargeable to all other supplies of filtered water, most of which are used by Chinese tenement-houses. According to the figures given by the Chairman of the Urban Council in his Report for the year 1936, there were in Victoria 14,024 Chinese houses containing 47,490 floors, and in Kowloon 10,317 Chinese houses containing 31,390 floors, making a total of 78,880 floors. This figure must have been slightly increased by the construction of new buildings since that date, but even taking that figure as a basis, and if each of these 78,880 floors were to be charged a flat water rate of $19 per annum, it would bring in a total sum of $1,498,720 which would more than cover the balance of $1,490,770 required.
This system of charging a flat water rate is not new, and is in vogue in other places including, I am informed, London. I venture to believe that at least 90 per cent. of the landlords would gladly bear this burden in preference to paying for the tenants, as is usually the case, excess water consumption, which is such an uncertain factor. I submit that this method of taxing the Chinese tenement-houses is both simple and economical in that it would dispense with the employment of a large staff for meter-reading, accounting, etc. On the other hand, the regulations under the Bill would be cumbersome; and even if the floors were separately metered, in cases where there are more than one tenancy in a floor, there would always be endless dispute as to the proper share of the excess consumption to be borne by each tenant.
There is of course the obvious answer to my proposal of charging a flat water rate, which is that one of the primary objects of the Bill is the prevention of waste. It might well be argued that by charging a flat water rate, there would be no deterrent from waste, but having regard to the fact that in nearly 90 per cent. of the Chinese tenement-houses, the excess consumption is paid by the landlord and not the tenant, there seems to be no question of deterring the actual consumer. On the other hand, supposing that the actual consumer were to be responsible for the payment for excess consumption, even then, there would appear to be not much inducement for him to economise, because, should there be a deficit in revenue
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