1915-02-26 — Page 1

HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 7 26TH FEBRUARY, 1915.

PRESENT:―

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR FRANCIS HENRY MAY, K.C.M.G.

HIS EXCELLENCY MAJOR-GENERAL F. H. KELLY, C.B. (General Officer Commanding Troops).

HON. MR. CLAUD SEVERN (Colonial Secretary).

HON. MR. J. H. KEMP (Attorney-General).

HON. MR. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Treasurer).

HON. MR. W. CHATHAM, C.M.G. (Director of Public Works).

HON. MR. S. B. C. ROSS (Secretary for Chinese Affairs).

HON. MR. C. MCI. MESSER (Captain Superintendent of Police).

8.― Ordinance Department Estab lishments and General

Stores .................................. 12,118 9.― Armaments and Engineering Stores .................................. 23,145 10.― Works and Buildings .......... 26,541 11.― Miscellaneous Effective Services .............................. 462 13 and 14.― .....................................N 46,195 Home Effective Charges ................. 24,604 Deferred Pay and Gratuities ............ 1,744 ————

Total cost of the Garrison ................ £546,317 Contribution in respect of 1913- 1914 (vide Statement B.) .... £156,724 Amount by which cost exceeded contribution ........................ £389,593

B.―HONGKONG, 1913-14.

Military contribution in

HON. MR. WEI YUK, C.M.G. HON. MR. H. E. POLLOCK, K.C. HON. MR. E. A. HEWETT, C.M.G. HON. MR. E. SHELLIM.

HON. MR. LAU CHU PAK.

respect of the calendar year 1913, $1,547,977.51 ....... Three-fourths of this amount, being the contribution in respect of the period 1st April to 31st December, 1913, $1,160,983.13 ..........

£

154,299

£

115,724

s.

14

s.

14

d. 1

d. 7

MR. M. J. BREEN (Clerk of Councils). Minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed.

Papers

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid on the table the report of the cost of the Garrison of Hongkong for 1913-14.

Cost of the the Garrison 1913-14

1.―Pay, etc., of the Army ............... £238,232 2.―Medical Services ...................... 6,275 5.―Education .................................. 1,026 6.―Lodging Allowance, Transport,

etc. ....................................... 65,502 7.―Supplies and Clothing .............. 100,473

Add Jan., 1914, . $141,581.66 13,715 14 6 Add Feb., 1914, $141,581.66 13,715 14 6 Add March,

1914, ................. $141,581.66 13,568 4 10 —————————————

$1,585,728.11 £156,724 9 5

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid on the table the quarterly return of excesses on sub heads met by savings under the heads of expenditure for the fourth quarter of 1914.

Financial Minutes

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid on the table Financial Minutes Nos. 1 and 2, and moved that they be referred to the Finance Committee.

THE COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was agreed to.

8 HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Tramway Ordinance Resolution

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY―I beg to move the following resolution:―

Whereas by the provisions of Section 7 of the Tramway Ordinance, 1902, it is, inter alia, provided that subject to the approval of the Governor-in-Council after timely and adequate notification by public advertisement or otherwise of the intention of the Company to apply for such approval and after such approval has been confirmed by a resolution of the Legislative Council the Company may construct and maintain subject to the provisions of the said Ordinance and in accordance with plans to be previously deposited in the office of the Director of Public Works all such lines, crossings, passing places, sidings, junctions, turnables and other works in addition to or as extensions of those particularly specified in and authorized by the said Ordinance as may be approved of by the Governor-in-Council and may work and use the same:

And whereas timely and adequate notification by public advertisement of the intention of the Company to apply for the approval of the Governor-in-Council to the construction and maintenance of an additional curved line in Russell Street in accordance with a plan deposited in the office of the Director of Public Works has been given:

And whereas the Company has duly applied for the approval of the Governor-in-Council to the construction and maintenance of the said line:

And whereas the Governor-in-Council did on the 28th day of January, 1915, approve of the construction and maintenance of the said line:

Now it is hereby resolved that the approval of the Governor-in-Council so given as aforesaid shall be and is hereby confirmed.

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL seconded, and the motion was agreed to.

Private Bills Ordinance

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill intituled. "An Ordinance to provide for the payment of fees in respect of Private Bills."

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded,

and the motion was agreed to.

The "Objects and Reasons" attached to the Bill are as follows:―

The object of this Bill is to impose a fee to be paid in respect of private Bills. Numerous fees are payable in respect of such Bills in the United Kingdom and the total amount of the fees payable even in the simplest case considerably exceeds the fee which this Bill proposes to impose.

Certificates of Origin Ordinance

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill intituled, "An Ordinance to provide for certificates of origin in respect of goods, wares and merchandise sought to be imported from certain places and to provide for the furnishing of import manifests."

The "Objects and Reasons" attached to the Bill are as follows:―

The object of this Bill is to prevent the importation into the Colony of goods produced or manufactured in enemy territory.

Regulations Ordinance

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill intituled, "An Ordinance to authorise the publication of an edition of the regulations, rules and by-laws in force in the Colony on the 31st December, 1914."

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.

The "Objects and Reasons" attached to the Bill are as follows:―

The object of this Bill is to authorise the preparation of an edition of the regulations, rules and by-laws in force in the Colony on the 31st December, 1914, and to provide that such edition shall be the sole authoritative collection of such regulations, rules and by laws.

Seditious Publications (Possession) Ordinance

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill intituled, "An Ordinance to amend the law relating to Seditious Publications."

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.

HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 9

The "Objects and Reasons" attached to the Bill are as follows:―

The object of this Bill is to make it an offence knowingly to be in possession of seditious newspapers, books or other documents, and to give power to issue warrants to search for such newspapers, books and other documents.

As the Bill provides for a general power of issuing warrants to search for seditious publications it proposes to repeal the particular power given by the latter portion of section 3 of the Seditious Publications Ordinance, 1914.

Zetland Hall

HON. MR. SHELLIM moved the second reading of the Bill intituled, "An Ordinance to provide for the incorporation of the Trustees of Inland Lot No. 31, and the buildings thereon known as Zetland Hall."

HON. MR. HEWETT seconded, and the motion was agreed to.

Council then went into Committee to consider the Bill clause by clause, after which, ehere being no amendment,

HON. MR. SHELLIM moved its third reading.

HON. MR. HEWETT seconded, and the Bill was read a third time and passed.

HIS EXCELLENCY ― Council stands adjourned till Thursday next.

FINANCE COMMITTEE.

——

A meeting of the Finance Committee followed, the COLONIAL SECRETARY presiding. The following votes were passed:―

War Expenditure

The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of $50,000 in aid of the vote Miscellaneous Services, War Department Expenditure.

THE CHAIRMAN―During the latter part of 1913 we took votes of this kind and afterwards rescinded them, and at the end of the year took a vote for the actual expenditure incurred, $78,200, but certain expenditure is being incurred, and the Acting Treasurer has requested that a vote of $50,000 may be taken. This has no reference to any actual expenditure incurred up to the present, but is merely a covering vote.

HON. MR. HEWETT ― Money handled during the first half of this year?

THE CHAIRMAN―Yes. I think it is very probable that this vote will be rescinded, and a definite vote with items put forward at a later date, as before, but the Governor recommends the Council to vote this sum at present to cover expenditure that is, of course, going on.

Desks for Victoria British School

The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of $150 in aid of the vote Education, Special Expenditure, A. ― Department of Director of Education, Victoria British School, Desks.

THE CHAIRMAN―A vote was taken last year for the purchase of some desks, but for some reason the money was not applied for, but the need for these desks―for which no provision has been made―is just as urgent, and therefore it has been necessary to come to the Council for this amount.

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