681751-1881-Proceedings-of-Legislative-Council-13th-June-1881- — Page 1

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 25TH JUNE, 1881.

VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF HONGKONG.

No. 4 OF 1881.

MONDAY, 13TH JUNE, 1881.

PRESENT:

His Excellency Governor Sir JOHN POPE HENNESSY, K.C.M.G.

The Honourable the Acting Chief Justice,-FRANCIS SNOWDEN.

The Honourable the Acting Colonial Secretary,-FREDERICK STEWART.

The Honourable the Attorney General,-EDWARD LOUGHLIN O'MALLEY. The Honourable the Acting Colonial Treasurer,-MALCOLM STRUAN TONNOCHY, The Honourable PHINEAS RYRIE.

The Honourable NG CHOY.

The Honourable FRANCIS BULKELEY JOHNSON.

The Honourable WILLIAM KESWICK, on leave.

ABSENT:

The Honourable JOHN MACNEILE PRICE, on leave.

511

The Minutes of the last Meeting of Council, held on the 3rd instant, are read and confirmed. The Honourable the Acting Chief Justice, pursuant to notice, puts the following, question :- "What steps has His Excellency taken, or is about to take, to give the Supreme Court the "accommodation it urgently requires ?"

His Excellency replies that the subject has already engaged the consideration of the Government, and that it will be attended to as soon as more important works, which the Acting Surveyor General has in hand, are completed.

The Honourable F. BULKELEY JOHNSON, pursuant to notice, puts the following question :---

"If the attention of the Acting Surveyor General has been called to the state of the roads in the "Colony, to the general want of metal upon them, and especially to the state of Queen's Road and "the Praya Eastwards."

In reply, His Excellency reads a memorandum, prepared by Mr. BOWDLER, the Acting Surveyor General, on the progress of the repairs to the roads, and remarks that, when the last Estimates were framed, the damage which has within the last few months been caused to the roads by the recently introduced Jinrickshas was not anticipated, and that it may be necessary to ask for a further vote for re-constructing some roads that had only been made for chair traffic.

The Honourable Member next asks :--

"If the Acting Surveyor General can inform the Council when the Bowrington Bridge will be open to traffic."

His Excellency replies that the Acting Surveyor General says that the Bridge will be open in about five weeks, and explains the difficulties with which the Government had to contend, owing to the rains for some months, and then to the withdrawal of the several Contractors who have tendered for the work.

The Honourable Member next asks "If His Excellency can give the Council any information as "to the measures in progress for increasing the Water Supply to the City of Victoria,"

The Governor replies by reading various correspondence and minutes, since 1873, on the question of Water Supply, ending with a report, up to date, of the Acting Surveyor General, Mr. BOWDLER, showing that, since the improvement of the Water Supply, on which $47,000 had been spent in 1877 and 1878, each inhabitant of the town of Victoria receives, on an average, 14 gallons of water per day in the rainy season, and 5 in the dry season. the Fire-tanks scheme in connexion with the general question of the Water Supply is now before the His Excellency adds that the necessity of dealing with Secretary of State, who has placed the Surveyor General in communication with Mr. RAWLINSON. His Excellency, therefore, has very little doubt that a practical scheme will soon be devised for still further increasing the Water Supply.