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matter to the Secretary of States for. the Colonies. (Applause.)
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-Since last meeting of Council I have gone carefully over the Hansard, and looked up all that took place when the question was before the Council. Since then, too, I have consulted the Senior Unofficial Member and one or two others, and I have every reason to believe the Unofficial Members are unanimous in favour of your Excellency again urging upon the Secretary of State for the Colonies the expediency, upon publio grounds-for the benefit of the public and of the public service-that the increase in the salaries of subordinate officers should come into force as from the 1st of January this year. The great increase in the cost of living and the immense rise in the price of the necessaries of life must have been felt more severely by subordinate officials than by those drawing higher salaries. I heartily concur with the Hon. the Colonial Secretary, who has just spoken of the desir ability of urging, with all your Excellency's force, upon the Secretary of State the necessity of granting the increase from the 1st of January this year.
H.E. the GOVERNOR-As far as I am con- cerned, as the Council would see when I sent
forward the recommendation of the Committee, I heartily endorsed that recommendation myself. But I can quite well understand the answer from the Secretary of State; the Imperial Government possibly wished to see what the finances of the Colony were like. Howe er. if it is desired that I should again bring the matter before the Secretary of State for the Colonies, I shall do so with the greatest pleasure. I will ask the Senior Unofficial Member if all the Unofficial Members are agreed that the increase should be from the 1st of January this year.
Hon. C. P. CHATER Sir, I may state that the Unofficial Members are unanimously of opinion that the increase should take place from the 1st of January this year, instead of January, 1902.
H.E. the GOVERNOR-Very well. I shall take steps accordingly. (Applause.)
REVISION OF STATUTE LAW.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of a Bill entitled An Ordinance for promoting the Revision of the Statute Law by repealing Enactments which have become unnecessary and by making Amendments in various Ordinances.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the inotion was carried.
The Council thereafter went into committee on the Bill, and considered it clause by clause.
On the Council resuming, there having been several alterations, the third reading of the Bill was not moved,
THE LAW RELATING TO BUILDINGS.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of a Bill entitled An Or dinance to further amend the Law relating to Buildings.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and
the motion was carried.
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The Council thereafter went into committee on the Bill, and considered it clause by clause.
On the Council resuming, there having been several alterations, the third reading of the Bill was not mored.
MERCHANT SHIPPING CONSOLIDATION
. ORDINANCE.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that the Council go into committee on the Bill entitled An Ordinance to amend The Merchant Shipping Consolidation Ordinance, 1899 (Ordin. ance 36 of 1899).
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and
the motion was carried.
The Bill was left in the committee stage.
THE SUPPLY BILL.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[October 21, 1901.
Government appears to have neglected its duty to provide for the public safety, though the Unofficial Members gave warning of the reduced and insufficient staff of the Public Works Department when the Estimates for 1900 were before the Council in November, 1899.
In the magisterial enquiry into the loss of forty-three lives caused by the tumbling down in August this year of the houses Nos. 32 and 34. Cochrane Street, the fact was conclusively demonstrated that the Public Works Depart ment was grievously undermanned. In your address to the Council on 26th ult. your
In replying, the COLONIAL Skʊretary said Excellency stated that the present financial that the hon. member had in his remarks care- position of the Colony is satisfactory, that on fully concealed the fact-of which he had been 31st December, 1900, the assets of the Colony informed at the last meeting of Council-that showed a balance over liabilities of upwards His Excellency had appointed a Commission to of $1,100,000, and that the assets by the end of enquire into the working of the Public Works this year would be largely increased. The Department. With regard to the question of undermanning of the Public Works Depart-increasing the staff of the Department, it would ment can therefore not be due to any want be within the recollection of hon. members, of funds. This Department, so grievously although apparently forgotten by the hon. undermanned, was largely, if not mainly, member who had just spoken, that the late responsible for the faulty erection of the Director of Public Works, Mr. Ormsby, had extra story on 32 and 34, Cochrane Street, stated that, with a few slight changes-which the tumbling down of which houses caused forty- were afterwards carried out-the staff was quite three deaths. The community would like to sufficient. H.E. the Governor, however, was know who is responsible for allowing the said not satisfied that the staff was sufficient, and Department to become so grievously under-it was with a view of ascertaining what in- manned, and whether every precaution has now
crease was necessary that the Commission had been taken to prevent the further construction been appointed. of faulty buildings. Re the Memorandum signed by five of the Unofficial Members dealing with "Public Works Extraordinary," and laid before the Council on 22nd November, 1899, I may here quote the three concluding para- graphs-
17.-When we consider that in 1890 a sum of $94,420 was voted for this Department as compared with $91,402 in the Estimates under consideration. we are still further convinced of the inadequacy of the present staff."
"18.-That this Department, with which the vital interests of the Colony as regards sanita: tion, water-sapply, and development generally are so inseparably bound up, should undergo reduction at such a time, we consider a serious matter, and we earnestly urge upon His Excel- lency to take immediate steps to put the De- partment on a footing commensurate with its
extended duties."
**
9.-We would suggest to His Excellency the desirability of appointing a Committee to investigate and report on the question of the staff of the Public Works Department, and we make this proposal because, as we have already stated, the policy hitherto has been to starve our public works, and we recognise the import- ane of providing a staff sufficient to carry on the large works now impending."
I would also refer to the concluding para graph of my own Memorandum laid on the Council table on 30th November, 1899 :---
**It is useless to plead the insufficiency of the staff of the Public Works Department as a reason for not proceeding with any urgent work or works. Extraordinary works should be provided for by the provision of additional strength for the Department or by special staffs. At present, with much pressing work on hand, the staff is being apparently reduced. It is certainly much less strong than it was ten years ago when the population was much less and the area of the Colony twenty. nine square miles instead of four hundred and twenty-nine square miles."
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H.E. the GOVERNOR re-echoed what the
Colonial Secretary had said as to Mr. Ormsby having stated that the staff of the Public Works Department was sufficient, and remarked that even so late as when he was going home Mr. Ormsby repeated that expression of opinion. The present Acting Director of Public Works, however, did not hold similar views. As to the voting of money, that and spending it were two very different matters. It was almost impossi- ble to find labour on which to spend it. It must be within memory that in the earlier part of the summer work in this Colony was almost entirely stopped because, instead of three thousand workmen to do the work, there were, His Excellency had been told, not three hun- dred. That very difficulty was now being experienced in connection with the re-building of one of the police stations, and the Direc- been appealed to again and again to procure the necessary labour. As to the works that would in the near future devolve for their execution upon the Department, did the hon. member mean to suggest that the Government should at once appoint a number of permanent officers to enable the Department to carry out those works? That was not the policy that had been adopted. On the contrary, if it was possible in such works for the Director of Public Works and a reason- able staff to supervise them, that would be done; then, when the work was finished, the Colony would not find itself with an officer or officers for whom it had no work. This matter of the supervision of buildings was one that His Excellency had gone into very closely, and as to the responsibility connected with the lamen- table collapse of houses in Cochrane Street, the Attorney-General had stated that no respon- sibility attached to the Public Works Depart. ment. There was nothing simpler than to say that the Government must go over all these buildings, but was the Government to take the whole responsibility off the shoulders of the architects and contractors? His Excellency - had asked the opinion of a gentleman who probably knew more about buildings than any man in the Colony, the Senior Unofficial Mem. ber, and he had stated that a hundred men Government was to take upon itself the respon- would not be sufficient for the work if the sibility of seeing every brick put in right, every house properly built. The Commission that was shortly to sit would consider the whole question of the sufficiency or otherwise of the staff of the Public Works Department, and if it reported that the staff was insufficient, the Council would have pleasure in granting the funds necessary to augment it.
tor of Public Works had
On 4th October, 1899, pursuant to notice, I asked the Honourable the Director of Public Works (Mr. Ormsby) the following question : "Has the attention of the Honourable the Director of Public Works been directed to the China Mail's leading articles of 15th and 23rd August alleging the existence of jerry-buildings in Hongkong; will the Honourable Member inform the Council whether the said allegation is well founded; and if so, will he state what powers his Department possesses to prevent the erection of such buildings; what action has been taken by his Department in the matter; and if his powers are insufficient, is he taking any The COLONIAL SECRETARY moved the steps to get increased powers?
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD did not press for I have read the third reading of the Bilf entitled An Or. The reply was as follows:-
Colonial Becretary Department. dinance to apply a sum not exceeding Three articles referred to and think there is founds the reduction of the vote. million seven hundred and thirty-nine thous-tion for the allegations. The powers possessed
Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD moved that this and three hundred and twelve dollars and by my Department are defined in the Ordinances
vote be reduced by $100. He said-With rẻ- twenty-six cents to the Public Service of the 15 of 1889 and 25 of 1891. An officer of the De-
partment, assisted by an overseer, inspects build-ference to the statement of Revenue and Ex- year 1902.
ing works in progress. The exceptional amount penditure from June, 1898, to June, 1901, in of such work in the Colony at present makes an the New Territory, it appears that the total revenue for those two years amounted to increase in the staff necessary if this work of supervision is to be thoroughly performed. $41,014.33 and that the total expenditure in The matter is engaging the attention of the the same period aggregated no less than In allowing the erection of the $736,571.34. In his report to the Colonial Office Government."
dated 8th October, 1898, the Honourable the extra story on 32 and 34, Cochrane Street the
The ACTING COLONIAL TREASURER seconded,
and the motion was carried.
The Council then proceeded to consider separately each item on the Bill.
Governor and Legisenture. In moving the reduction of this item by
said $100, Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD
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