[ { "id": 206761, "series_id": 26, "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine", "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "RAS-1973", "page_number": 38, "title": "RAS-1973", "content_text": "32 \n\nA. J. S. LACK \n\nhad died the reaction of the Chamber of Commerce to the Governor's suggestion was not perhaps what one might have imagined. \n\nOn 27th September 1906, Mr. E. A. Hewett* the unofficial member of the Legislative Council appointed by the Chamber of Commerce rose to comment upon the budget proposals for the year ahead, and in the course of his speech said— \n\nWith regard to the typhoon shelter, your Excellency referred to the necessity for this which is admitted by all and went on to suggest the Chamber of Commerce might see their way to suggest the means of raising funds, I am sorry to say the Chamber of Commerce do not see their way to meet your Excellency's suggestion. For many years it has been strongly urged by all those interested in shipping that tonnage and light dues should not be levied for the purposes of general revenue. \n\nHe claimed that in 1897 Mr. Chamberlain, the then Secretary of State in reply to a telegram from Sir Wilfred Robinson, “practically admitted that in future light and tonnage dues were not to be raised for such purposes.\" He then said, \n\n\"the shelter benefits all classes of the community and should be borne by the Community and not by the shipping section, we all depend on the native craft, the merchant and the house owner as well as the ship owner and the refuge here is just as much a benefit to the merchant and the house owner as to the ship owner. Consequently, it would be manifestly unfair to ask a portion of the community to raise a large sum of money for the benefit of the whole Colony.\" \n\nMr. Hewett then questioned various sites which had been proposed for a typhoon shelter and raised the possibility of the Colony incurring a loan to pay for it. Then he went on to say that he did not suppose that even had there been a shelter it would have had any effect in avoiding the great loss of life which had occurred on 18th of the month. He considered that a few boats in the immediate vicinity might have gone into the refuge, but it would not have benefitted the native shipping at large. \n\n* Edbert Ansgar Hewett, listed in Who's Who in the Far East as Superintendent, Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, b. 1860, member of the Shanghai Municipal Council 1897-1901 and its Chairman in 1900-1901. Chairman of the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce since 1903.", "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1973.txt", "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8910rj06r", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 206764, "series_id": 26, "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine", "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "RAS-1973", "page_number": 41, "title": "RAS-1973", "content_text": "YAUMATEI TYPHOON SHELTER, HONG KONG\n\n35\n\nsmall scheme would have cost $360,000 and the large scheme $600,000.\n\nThere was full discussion in the Council and it was unanimously agreed to recommend the construction of the harbour refuge at Mong Kok Tsui. However, the Honourable Mr. Gresham told members that there was a strong feeling amongst the boating population in favour of another harbour of refuge in the western district off Kennedy Town, even at the expense of curtailing the scheme proposed on the northern side of the harbour. The Committee, however, considered that unless the Government could see their way to undertake both schemes, precedence should be given to the one at Mong Kok Tsui.\n\nSo ended 1906 and it is surprising after such a flurry of activity that it was not until 17th September, 1907 again in connection with the presentation of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure of the forthcoming year that the matter of the typhoon shelter was again raised in the Council. The Governor, by this time Sir Frederick Lugard,* mentioned that his predecessor had promised there should be no undue delay and it was intended to make a beginning on the typhoon shelter that year. He described such delay as had occurred as being occasioned firstly by prolonged discussion as to where the shelter was to be situated and secondly on account of the complicated plans which had to be prepared before the scheme could be laid before the Government. Those plans which had now been prepared, involved a cost of $1,400,000, more than double the original estimates which had been put forward.\n\nSince the Council had reached agreement in the preceding year that the shelter should be built at Mong Kok Tsui, it is difficult to understand why there should subsequently have been prolonged discussion as to where it should be situated, nor was any explanation given as to the reason why an original estimate of $600,000 had escalated to $1.4 million.\n\nThe Council met again in the following month, when members heard the Honourable Mr. Hewett, in the course of a very long speech, give firm support to the proposition that Government should build another typhoon shelter within the harbour, and suggest the dredging of Causeway Bay typhoon shelter which in the interim had been allowed to silt up considerably.\n\n* 1858-1945, Governor of Hong Kong 1907-1912.", "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1973.txt", "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8910rj06r", "rank": 0 }, { "id": 210437, "series_id": 26, "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine", "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊", "series_use_hku_proxy": false, "document_key": "RAS-1985", "page_number": 44, "title": "RAS-1985", "content_text": "25\n\nthere were Christians buried in the portion designated for non-Christians, as, in the opinion of the questioner, “It is rather rough on the relatives to be buried in the non-Christian burial ground\". His Excellency, The Governor, replied, \"They won't be any worse off than they were before\". (Hong Kong Hansard 1909, p. 79, 85-86, 142, 168)\n\nThe questioner reminded the Governor that he had said relatives, not bodies. With the introduction of the Ordinance the Hong Kong Telegraph again spoke out: \"Here in Hong Kong there are a few persons who while still in the prime of life are prepared to work themselves into a miniature passion about the conditions under which they may finally return to that whence they came. Not only so, but they are determined to carry out their class prejudices beyond the tomb. Is it possible that there will be choice selections of land, and Ordinances, similar to that known as the Peak Reservation Ordinance, in heaven? Are the Chinese and Japanese to be relegated to the slums of paradise, while the \"hupper suckles\" [upper circles] loll and lounge on the grassy swards of the golden river, secure against intrusion by the vulgar rabble!\"\n\nThe editor noted that Mr. Hewett in objecting to a distinction being made between residents of seven years' and of twenty years' residence had said, “We are all equal\". Indeed, wrote the editor, \"That is exactly what we have been contending, but we have a suspicion that Mr. Hewett really meant we are all equal where we are Europeans and that his remark did not apply to people of the Asiatic race. But he struck the root of the matter when he declared that all mortals are equal in the grave, for it is incredible to believe that all this pushing for precedence and squabbling for place will follow us to the next world\". (Hong Kong Telegraph, 10 November 1909)\n\nA dedication ceremony was held at the cemetery on 30 March 1910 by the Anglican Bishop assisted by clergy of other denominations. In his remarks before the act of consecration the Bishop set forth the reason for the ceremony. “A portion of this most beautiful cemetery has been for upwards of sixty years the burial place of the bodies of brave men and noble women and innocer!", "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1985.txt", "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/gt54s866x", "rank": 0 } ]