1890-05-30 — Page 1

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LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, No. 14.

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FRIDAY, 30TH MAY, 1890.

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PRESENT:

HIS EXCELLENCY THE OFFICER ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT (The Honourable FRANCIS FLEMING, C.M.G.)

The Honourable the Acting Colonial Secretary, (WALTER MEREDITH DEANE).

,, the Attorney General, (WILLIAM MEIGH GOODMAN).

,, the Colonial Treasurer, (ALFRED LISTER).

,, the Surveyor General, (SAMUEL BROWN).

,, the Acting Registrar General, (NORMAN GILBERT MITCHELL-INNES).

,, PHINEAS RYRIE.

,, CATCHICK PAUL CHATER.

,, HO KAI, M.B., C.M.

ABSENT:

The Honourable ALEXANDER PALMER MACEWEN.

,, JAMES JOHNSTONE KESWICK.

The Council met pursuant to adjournment.

The Minutes of the last Meeting, held on the 16th instant, were read and confirmed.

Her Majesty's approval of the appointment of the Honourable P. RYRIE and the Honourable HO KAI as Un official Members of the Council having been received, they were duly sworn and took their seats as Members of the Council.

REPORTS.—The Acting Colonial Secretary laid on the table the Harbour Master's Report for 1889 and Reports by Honourable O. CHADWICK on the Water supply of Kowloon, the Sewerage of the Hill District, and the proposed distributary system of the water supply for the city of Victoria.

Read the following Minutes under the hand of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government:— (1.)

F. FLEMING.

C.S.O.

476 of 1890. The Officer Administering the Government recommends the Council to vote the sum of Eight thousand Dollars, ($8,000), for works in the Wongneichung Valley, inside the Race Course. Government House, Hongkong, 20th May, 1890.

(2.)

F. FLEMING.

The Officer Administering the Government recommends the Council to vote the sum of Five hundred and Thirty-four Dollars, ($534), being additional sum required to defray the salaries and rations of Nursing Staff for the Civil Hospital, for six months of 1890, viz.:—

Additional Salaries:—

1 Head Nurse, 6 months, ............................................................................................... $ 60.00 5 Nurses, (one new), 6 months, .................................................................................... 360.00 1 Amah, 6 months, ........................................................................................................ 24.00 $ 444.00

Rations—for one more Nurse, 6 months, ............................................... 90.00

$ 534.00

Government House, Hongkong, 20th May, 1890.

(3.)

F. FLEMING.

C.S.O.

1833 of 1889. The Officer Administering the Government recommends the Council to vote the sum of Two hundred and Thirty Dollars, and Eighty Cents, ($230.80), being expenses incurred in carrying out an experiment as to the possibility of successfully and economically cultivating in the Colony bovine vaccine lymph.

Government House, Hongkong, 21st May, 1890.

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(4.)

F. FLEMING.

C.S.O.

986 of 1890. The Officer Administering the Government recommends the Council to vote the sum of Eight hundred and Seventy-five Dollars, ($875), for a compassionate allowance to Mrs. MACBEAN, widow of the late Bailiff and Hindustani Interpreter in the Supreme Court, being the equivalent of 7 months' salary of her late husband, who was in the service of the Colony for Twenty-three years, and gave great satisfaction in the discharge of his duties.

Government House, Hongkong, 27th May, 1890.

The Acting Colonial Secretary moved that these Minutes, be referred to the Finance Committee. The Treasurer seconded.

His Excellency addressed the Council on the Minutes in connection with the works in the Wongneichung Valley, the Nursing Staff for the Civil Hospital, and the cultivation of vaccine lymph.

Question—put and agreed to.

VOTES PASSED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.—The Acting Colonial Secretary, by direction of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, laid on the table the Report of the Finance Committee, dated the 16th instant, (No. 9), and moved that the following Vote referred to therein be passed, viz.:—

C.S.O.

589 of 1890. Additional sum to the vote of $12,000 passed by the Council on the 12th March, last, to meet expenses connected with the visit to the Colony of Their Royal Highnesses THE

DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CONNAUGHT, ................................................................................... $ 2,334.01

The Treasurer seconded.

Question—put and agreed to.

The Council then went into Committee to consider the Report of the Special Committee to frame New Standing Rules and Orders.

The Attorney General moved and the Acting Colonial Secretary seconded that the word "Wednesday" be struck out of Clause I and "Monday" be inserted in lieu thereof.

Question—put and agreed to.

Honourable P. RYRIE moved and the Honourable C. P. CHATER seconded that the following words be added to Rule 28:—"Provided that if a Bill has been considered and reported on by a Special Committee it shall suffice if instead of reading the whole of each clause the marginal notes alone be read by the Clerk in Committee of the whole Council."

After some discussion the Honourable P. RYRIE withdrew his amendment.

The Attorney General moved that at the end of Section 28 the following be added "Provided that if a Bill has been considered and reported on by a Standing Committee it shall, with the assent of the President, suffice if instead of reading the whole of each clause, the marginal notes alone be read by the Clerk in Committee of the whole Council."

After discussion it was agreed to postpone the matter to allow the Attorney General to frame a clause on this principle. After further discussion it was agreed that Section 53 be amended by inserting after word "Colony" in the 4th line the words "and in one Chinese Newspaper."

The Council then resumed.

Honourable P. RYRIE, pursuant to notice, asked the following question:—

If the Executive will furnish the Council with any information in regard to the reported defalcation in the Money Order Department of the Colony.

His Excellency replied—Honourable Members are aware, as indeed we are all aware, that an official connected with the Post Office Department named BARRADAS disappeared from the Colony some time since. Shortly after he left I considered it my duty to cause an enquiry to be made into the alleged defalcations. Such enquiry has been made, and from the report that I received up to the present time, I regret to say that these defalcations do amount approximately to the sum that has been mentioned in the local newspapers, about $46,000. Steps were taken to arrest Mr. BARRADAS and he has actually been arrested, and I trust that before long he will be brought back to this Colony. In these circumstances, I feel sure that Honourable Members will not expect me now to enter into details connected with this matter. It would not be fair towards one who, if he comes back here, will in all probability be proceeded against for a criminal offence. I may say this, however, that those whom I appointed to enquire into this matter have made certain suggestions in regard to the Post Office which will have my most careful consideration. So soon as I am able to arrive at a conclusion as to what should be done in connection with this matter, and I am at liberty to make further statements, I shall be happy to answer any further questions that may be put.

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Honourable P. RYRIE, pursuant to notice, asked the following question:—

If it is the intention of the Government to take any steps in regard to the celebration of the Jubilee Day of the foundation of the Colony.

His Excellency replied—In answer to this question I may say that the Government consider that if any celebration takes place in this Colony in connection with its Jubilee that such should take place next year. There can be no doubt that this Colony became a British possession in 1841. In the year 1842 a treaty was passed which confirmed what had previously taken place, and in the year 1843 a charter was granted establishing this possession as a British Colony, but there can be no doubt that this Colony really became English territory when it was taken, in 1841. Now as regards the question whether any celebration should take place, I consider myself that it is not one with regard to which suggestions should come from the Government. If the public in this Colony consider that the occasion is one upon which any festivities should take place, I am quite sure that the Government would be only too happy to receive any suggestions that may be made in that direction. We know perfectly well that for all such festivities a great deal of public money is necessarily expended, and it is rather for the public to move that such expenditure should take place than for the Government to propose it. If any Honourable Member can ascertain what are the wishes of the public in this matter and forwards any conclusion he may arrive at to the Government, I am quite sure that the Government will be most happy to consider any suggestion that may be made on the part of those through whose enterprise and industry the Colony has become as prosperous as it is to-day.

ADJOURNMENT.—The Council then adjourned till Monday, the 9th June, at 3 P.M.

F. FLEMING,

Officer Administering the Government.

Read and confirmed, this 9th day of June, 1890.

F. A. HAZELAND,

Acting Clerk of Councils.