Sessional_Paper_1885-1886 — Page 20

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL No. 6.

WEDNESDAY, 11TH NOVEMBER, 1885.

PRESENT:

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR (SIR GEORGE FERGUSON BOWEN, G.C.M.G.)

His Honour the Chief Justice, (SIR GEORGE PHILLIPPO, Knt.)

The Honourable the Acting Colonial Secretary, (FREDERICK STEWART, LL.D.)

the Attorney General, (EDWARD LOUGHLIN O'Malley.)

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the Colonial Treasurer, (ALFRED LISTER.)

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the Surveyor General, (JOHN MACNEILE PRICE.)

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PHINEAS RYRIE.

THOMAS JACKSON.

FREDERICK DAVID SASSOON.

WONG SHING.

ABSENT:

The Honourable the Colonial Secretary, (WILLIAM HENRY MARSH, C.M.G.), on leave.

J

WILLIAM KESWICK, on leave.

The Council met in pursuance of adjournment.

The Minutes of the last Meeting, held on the 4th instant, were read and confirmed.

VOTE OF MONEY REFERRED TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.-Read the following Minute by His Excellency the Governor:-

G. F. BOWEN.

The Governor recommends the Council to vote the following sum :-

0.8.0. 2699 of 1885,

For expenses in connection with the Law Revision Commission,.

Government House, November 11th, 1885.

.$ 165.00

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

Question-put and passed.

BILL ENTITLED THE MUNICIPAL RATES ORDINANCE, 1885.-SECOND READING.- -On the motion of the Attorney General, seconded by the Treasurer, this Bill was read a second time.

The Honourable P. RYRIE addressed the Council on the subject of this Bill, and read the follow- ing letter from the Leaseholders, and Occupiers of land on Kowloon Point (Tsimshatsui) :—

To the Honourable P. RYRIE,

Member of the Legislative Council.

HONGKONG, 11th November, 1885.

SIR,-We, the undersigned, leaseholders or occupiers of land on what is now called Kowloon Point (lately Tsimshatsui) beg to call your attention to the following facts, whereby we trust that you will be able to do something for our interest at the meeting of the Legislative Council this afternoon when the second reading of the Municipal Rates Ordinance, 1885, Bill takes place.

Up to the 30th June last the rate on all British Kowloon was 5 per cent. After that time it was raised to 6 per cent. per annum, and it is now proposed by the new Ordinance to raise the rate on that part of British Kowloon now called Kowloon Point to 8 per cent. per annum, the rate on Yaumáti to be apparently only five per cent. We are not aware that it has become necessary to increase the Police force on Kowloon Point and we fail to see why Yaumáti (where there is a Police Station) which contains a large number, no doubt, of turbulent people, salt smugglers amongst the number, should only be rated at five per cent. per annum. We respectfully submit that if it has become necessary to augment the Police force at Kowloon Point it must be in consequence of the increase of Chinese at Yaumáti and not of any larger number of foreign residents at Kowloon Point, and that therefore it is not the Kowloon Point leaseholders who should be called upon to pay increased Municipal rates, but that the rate on Yaumáti should be raised if necessary, and that on Kowloon Point kept at its present figure of 6 per cent, per annum.