August 20, 1898.]
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
On Monday afternoon, 15th August, a meet- ing of the Hongkong Legislative Council was held in the Council Chamber at the Government Offices, there being present:
His EXCELLENCY the ACTING GOVERNOR (Major-General Black, C.B., Officer Comman. ding the Troops.)
Master.)
Hon. F. H. MAY, C.M.G. (Captain Super- intendent of Police.)
Hon. A. M. THOMSON (Acting Colonia) Treasurer.)
Hon. R. D. ORMSBY (Director of Public Works.)
Hon. C. P. CHATER, C.M.G.
Hon. Ho KAI.
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD.
Hon. E. R. BELILIOS, C.M.G.
Hon. J. J. BELL-IRVING.
Hon. WEI YUK.
Mr. J. G. T. BUCKLE (Clerk of Councils.)
MINUTES,
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and adopted as a correct record.
FINANCIAL MINUTES,
On the motion of the ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY, Seconded by the ACTING COLONIAL TREASURER.. financial minutes Nos. 10 and 11 were referred to the Finance Committee.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
8
157
Hon. Ho KAI-You will find the following on page 129 of Dr. Eitel's history :-"When the Peninsula was leased and subsequently ceded to the British Crown, the Chinese Government specially stipulated that the rock inscription and the whole bill should remain untouched.”. (Hoar, hear.) ↑
The resolution was then put and carried unanimously.
REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, The ACTING COLONIAL SECRETARY laid on the table finauce report No. 3.
NATURALISATION OF CHINESE,
The first readings of Bills for the naturalisa- tion of Chan Li Choy alias Chan Chun Chuen, of Leung Luk, alias Leung Cheung Soy aud Li Chung, alias Li Chan Shing, were passed.
THE RECREATION GROUND FOR CAUSEWAY
BAY.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I beg to propose the first reading of a Bill entitled an ordinance to provide for the reservation of certain land at Causeway Bay as a recreation ground and for making of regulations as to its use.
Hon. T. H. Whitehead seconded. Carried unanimously.
HIS EXCELLENCY-The Council have already given their opinion upon this matter, so I do not see why it should not be absolutely recorded on the minutes of the Council.
(hear, bear)—a contro which will rival Hongkong itself in prosperity and growth. | Therefore, I think that after all we are, not looking too far ahead in reserving a place of exercise and recreation for a future generation. My next resson in pro posing this resolution is that I wish to preserve for the colony of Hongkong mounment of some antiquity. There stands on this spot a large stone with an inscription Hon. T. SEBCOMBE SMITH (Acting Colonial upon it close upon 600 or over 600 years old. Secretary.)
Everywhere in this colony we meet with new Hon. W. M. GOODMAN (Attorney-General.) | objects-inventions of modern civilisation-bat Hon. R. MURRAY RUMSEY (Harbour in this one spot we can gaze upon a monument of over 600 years old--(hear, hear)—and al- thongh I am not a very great admirer of anti- quity still at the same time I think we owe it to ourselves and to the public of Hongkong to see that this particular spot is preserved. (Hear, hear.) My third reason for wishing to preserve this piece of ground is to carry out the stipulation which the Chinese Government made when Kowloon was leased and finally ceded to Great Britain. If you refer to old papers you will find that a stipulation was con- tained in the treaty ceding Kowloon that this spot, Snug Wong Toi, together with the hill on which it stands, should be reserved for ever. This stipulation has not been carried out. We have not done anything with the site, but I think the stipulation has been lost sight of more or less. I think these are good and suffi- cient reasons for preserving the site and The ATTORNEY-GENERAL--I move that the for keeping our promise as to the pre-standing orders be suspended in order that servation of the place. I think the inhabit this Bill may be read a second time to-day. ants of Victoria do not know this place suf- The matter has already been brought before ficiently well, and I would like to refer them to the Council by resolution, it being resolved by the history of Hongkong by Dr. Eitel, where, the Legislative Council that it was desirable ou pages 129 and 130, there is a short and in- in the interest of the public that the land, men. teresting account of the very spot I propose to tioned in this Ordinance should be reserved reserve. As everybody can get access to this as an open space and appropriated for the work, I will not detain you by reading the passage purpose of recreation, and that the sanction to which I refer, particularly as most of us have of the Secretary of State should be asked for already had the pleasure of hearing it read by the introduction of an Ordinance giving the the honourable gentleman opposite (Hon. T. H. Governor in Council power to make regulations Whitehead). It is to your Excellency we owe from time to time as to the uses of the land re- a pleasant afternoon's outing to this spot, and served and to enforce such regulations by suit- when this resolution is passed and car- able penalties. That sanction was asked for ried out, I hope the public of Hongkong will and has been granted. The Secretary of State pay a visit to this place. I am sure they will suggested, however, that the right should be be amply repaid for their trouble. They reserved to re-appropriate the land should it ap- can satisfy their curiosity and add to their pear necessary or desirable to do so in the in. knowledge of local matters. They will find terests of either the local or the Imperial Gov. there ancient entrenchments and encampments ernment. Of course if at some future time for from which they will learn a good deal of Government or for Imperial purposes not now aucient history-how the people who then occu- foreseen it becomes desirable to use the land for pied the land fortified themselves. Here the some other purpose this can be done, provision geologist can find grand specimens of Hongkong being made for it in the Bill. I may say that the granite, the best kind of stone, hundreds of Secretary of State has approved of the title tons in weight. Anyone fond of ancient in- of the Queen's Recreation Ground " scriptions will find there lines inscribed on ing given to the ground (Hear, hear)——— rock which will satisfy abundantly his taste in so that it will be a fitting memorial of the that respect; and, furthermore, if he is fond of Jubilee of Her Majesty. The Bill gives the mythology he will also find there something Governor power to make regulations, these re- which will satisfy him. There is a story gulations to be published in the Gazette, and that when the King of Sung was hurrying provides for notice of re-appropriation being away from the spot to avoid capture gazetted should re-appropriation be considered he left his girdle behind and it petrified necessary at any future time. As to the and became fixed to the rock and formed a belt identification of the land a plan has been pre- half round it. Of course I am not saying this|pared for depositing in the Land Office, such is genuine. (Heur, hear.) In conclusion I can only say that a very pleasant afternoon can be spent upon this spot (Hear, bear.)
AN OPEN SPACE AT KOWLOON TO BE
PRESERVED.
AN INTERESTING RELIC OF ANTIQUITY.
Hoa, Ho Kar—In accordance with the notice
I gave at the last meeting of the Council, I have much pleasure in moving the follow- ing resolution"That it is desirable in the interests of the public that the piece of ground situate at British Kowloon and general. ly known as Sung Wong Toi' or 'Sung Wong T'ong', together with a certain area of land surrounding and adjacent thereto as, delineated and marked red on the annexed plan, should not be let for building or other purposes,
Hou. WEI A YUK seconded.
but should be reserved for the benefit of the public in perpetuity, and that the same should be delimited and marked off and kept in good order by the Public Works Department of this colony." I have included in my resolution both of the names given to the place, viz.,-"Sung Wong Toi," which means a tower of observation of a King of Sung, and "Sung Wong T'ong," which means hall of a King of Sung-in order to prevent misunderstanding. The exact designation of the place seemed to be in doubt, and I thought it wise in order to fix the place more particularly to give both terms. I think my Belf that "Sung Wong Toi," a place of observa- tion of a King of Sung, is the right definition ; but seeing that the other name was adopted by certain European Chinese scholars, sucll as Dr. Eitel, I thought it best to put both aames in my resolution. In moving this resolution I am guided by several motives and reasons. My principal motive is to preserve an additional open space for the colony of Hongkong and its depen- dencies. It may seem to be looking too far ahead, as it were, at this time of the day to
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS-I have reserve an open space for British Kowloon, much pleasure in supporting the resolution. where the population is not very great, but tak. It would be something more than a pity to ing into consideration the rapid growth of destroy this interesting relf the past, about Hongkong itself, from the barren rock of 50
the only historical relic, as it were, in the years ago to a most thickly-populated place-
vicinity of Hongkong. The only commercial more thickly populated per square mile, I value of the spot would be as a grauite quarry. should say, than any other city in the world-Granite and other good building stone happens I do not think we are looking so far ahead after all in preserving this piece of ground for the benefit of the public of Hongkong and Kow loon. Knowing as we do the Chinese, their love of British liberty and protection, and their great appreciation of British justice and fair play, we can tell I think beforehand that in a Tery few years, if the territory recently ac quired by the British Government, together with British Kowloon, be administered with due care and tact, the Chinese will look to the place in overwhelming numbers, and I think that in less than ten years the whole place will be occupied, and that Kowloon will soon become a centre of English trade and manufacture second only to Hongkong itself
to be a thing with which we are particularly rich in the colony, while in the territory about to be leased by China to England there is sufficient excellent granite and other good building stone to last for a great many rentaries and for half a dozen places besides Hongkong. For that reason I think we can very well spare this spot and at the same time pr serve this interesting relic.
|
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-The resolution has my hearty support, but I think it would be interesting to the members of the Council if the hon. member would give us the details as to the promise given by the British Government to the Chinese Government with reference to this spot. Was it in writing or was it verbal
E
be.
plan to be signed by the Director of Public Works and countersigned by the Governor.
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD seconded. Carried
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL proposed and the Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD seconded the second reading. The Bill was then considered in Com- mittee.
His EXCELLENCY-I just want to say a word ou this subject. I have personally taken a very great interest in this matter from the very first (hear, hear)-and I feel convinced that to-day the Council has taken notion with regard to an Ordinance which although not showy will I believe be more thonght of in the future and will do more good than many of the other Ordinances which stand on the statute biok of the colony. (Hear, hear.) From the first I have felt very strongly on this point. Hongkong is growing, and we know that in all the great cities of the world-in Vienna, Paris, London, New York, and elsewhere has been necessary at great expense. back for the public use land which more foresight would have secured long ago. Therefore I think the Council has most wisely taken action in this matter in securing this land for ever for the physical development of the
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