THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
UNOFFICIAL REPRESENTATION | stipulated minimum representation-or not,
ON THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
(Daily Press, 7th June.) The occurrence, on one afternoon, of two elections of Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council calls attention to a point in the constitution of that Council which most of us are apt to forget, or per- haps rather have never troubled to consider. By the rules of the constitution of our Legislative Council, this body consists of both Official and Unofficial Members. The Official Members are the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor (if any), the Senior Military Officer, the Colonial Secretary, Attorney-General, and Colonial Treasurer, and such other persons holding offices in the Colony, and not exceeding three in number at any one time, as may be ap: pointed. The Unofficial Members number six, of whom the Governor nominates four, including one member at least of the Chinese community The other two Unofficial Members are elected by the Chamber of Commerce and the Justices of the Peace respectively as we were reminded. on Thursday, when representatives of these to fill a two bodies were elected, one temporary vacancy and the other for the normal term of office: We have now there- fore on the Legislative Council, in addition to the Official Members, the following six gentlemen-Messrs. C. S. SHARp; C. W. DICKSON, HO KAI, WEI A YUK, R. SHEWAN, and G. W. F. PLAYFAIR. Now the ques- tion suggests itself: What is the function of the Unofficial Members on the Council ? Obviously, it will be said, to represent the civil community of Hongkong on the board which assists the Governor to rule this Colony. Then a second question may be put: Do the Unofficial Members so represent the divil community ?
Where in
that case, we have often heard the query made, are the ratepayers represented? There is no wish on the part of those who ask to disparage in any way the present Unofficial Members, but by the fery facts of their appointment by the Governor or election by limited bodies they cannot directly speak on behalf of the tax-paying community in general, which contributes so much to the welfare of the community. As is well known, it was not without a struggle that such representation of the community as now exists in the Legislative Council was gained. Yet it cannot be said that the More amount obtained is satisfactory. than seven years ago we wrote in these columns The weak point about the "unofficial element in Hongkong is that it "is not sufficiently representative. What "measure of representation we have is better than none at all, but it is altogether inadequate. The system of nomination results, not in representation of all interests, but in the undue representation "of special interests." These words can be repeated, practically unchanged, at the By this pretence at present moment. representation of the community we have merely arrived at anomaly. To-day German, American, and other non-British subjects have no small share in electing one member to the Legislative Council of this British Colony, whereas the British ratepayer who is neither a member of the Chamber of Commerce por a Justice of the Peace is absolutely unrepresented. The Chinese community has at the moment two officially nominated champions and has share in electing the only two members who depend on suffrages. We do not know hether it is intended to continue the nomin- ation of two. Chinese members-double the
[June 16, 1902.
of those diseases which are dependent upon but expectation runs that way. No one will overcrowding and insanitary conditions for contest the right of the Chinese to adequate their propagation. There is still wanting, representation in the Legislative Council of before measures of improvement can be set Hongkong, but while there is no delegate on foot, the approval of the Government, at all of the British ratepayers the Chinese but we do not see how this can be withheld, could not be considered ill-treated, in com- for our local rulers have admitted the parison, if they had but one voice in the necessity of altering present conditions Council. In our correspondence columns radically and have consented to a heavy yesterday Mr. TSE TSAN Tat looked forward outlay of revenue on the salaries of the to the day when the Chinese community experts who have just completed their would ask for the privilege of electing task. We prefer to believe that the their own members to the Legislative Government will elect to face the task Council. Every suggestion at all approach-before it with courage and set out to redeem ing municipal government has up to now as far as possible the tremendous errors of been sternly frowned upon by both home its predecessors and its own little less serious and Colonial authorities, and the day seems mistakes. distant when even adequate representation Messrs. CHADWICK and SIMPSON trace the of the community in the Council will be insanitary condition of Hongkong to over- granted. In 1895, when the Secretary of crowding of houses on too small a space, to State for the Colonies was meditating on sanitary defects in their construction, and the advisability of adding two Unofficial to overcrowding of the inhabitants in them, Members to the Council, we wrote:-" We and they discuss these three subjects separ. take it for granted that the two new mem-ately. These evils Dr. CLARK frequently bers will be elected by the ratepayers on a alluded to. The overcrowding of houses is the similar franchise to that on which the result of the construction of narrow streets Unofficial Members of the Sanitary Board and lanes and insufficiency of back-yards were elected," Unfortunately we are still and lanes-in other words to undue economy waiting for such a state of affairs,
of space on the part of the builders, causing inadequate light and ventilation, or even none at all in the case of back-to-back houses. Houses, like individuals, the re- port says, require a certain amount of space to themselves to be healthy. This rule was disregarded in the past, and even in the new localities, as in Kowloon, though great improvements have been effected, yet the separation is not sufficient to prevent the areas when completely built over bearing a resemblance, in a minor degree, to the older insanitary areas. We quote in our extracts from the report one example of overcrowding of houses old regulations, where no less than 85 per cent. of the total area is roofed over. In another example the height of certain houses is shown to be nearly seven times the width of the open space in the rear, whereas it should not be more than twice at the
MESSRS. CHADWICK'S AND SIMPSON'S REPORT.
(Daily, Press, 12th June.) We publish to-day in another column the more important parts of a document which is the outcome of the agitation that a little over a year ago called attention to the bad sanitary state of this Colony. Though complaints against existing evils had been constantly made for long before, it was an article that appeared in these columns on the 16th May, 1901, over the signature of
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under the
Serutator," which, as our senior evening contemporary at the time expressed it, "stirrel up the sluggish waters of public interest "and brought to the surface some of the old local grievances. When it was found, as a result of this letter and two most. The examples, too, of excessive crowd- subsequent letters from the same pen, that
ing under existing regulations are glaring. the mass of residents were really prepared In one Inland Lot over 80 per cent. of the to do more than merely talk to one another ground is covered with buildings, and if about these grievances, Dr. HARTIGAN and the area of a private lane be excluded, not the writer of the Scrutator" articles took
more than four and a half per cent. is it in hand to organise a committee of repre- devoted to open yards. In another case 83 sentative Hongkong men, and in June this
per cent. of the area is built over and less committee, of which Mr. G. W. F. PLAYFAIR than two per cent. devoted to back-yard. was elected the chairman and Mr. A. Another Inland Lot consists entirely of CUNNINGHAM (“Scrutator") was the honor-new houses, thirty-six in number, but, says ary secretary, was able to draw up the petition the report, "it is only another example on to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, a small scale of the insanitary areas that which, after having been more numerously can be constructed, even when all the houses signed thau any petition in this Colony's history, was delivered on the 25th June to the Colonial Secretary for transmission home. In answer to this petition, which was sup-a ported by a request from H.E. the Governor for an enquiry into the state of sanitation in Ho gkong, the home authorities sent out Mr. OSBEET CHADWICK and Professor W. J. SIMPSON. The report of these ex-
perts, which now lies before the public, deals with the question of the housing of the population of Hongkong, and, taken in conjunction with their previously published reports, and recommendations, is a com. plete viudication of the agitation of 1901. At the termination of the present document Messrs. CHADWICK and SIMPSON express the belief that if the Government can secure the adoption of the draft Bill which they have drawn up embodying their various recommendations, the Colony will possess an Ordinance which will gradually secure a great improvement in its general sanitary conditions, and will lead to the suppression
are new, under the existing regulations, with narrow streets and lanes, and too many houses crowded together." This is striking comment on the present regulations.
is
But a still more damning criticism made of the sanitary defects in the design of Chinese houses.
By some gradual
process
of evolution, Messrs. CHADWICH
and SIMPSON say, the Chinese tenement houses in Hongkong, differing in style from the European and also from the ordinary Chinese houses in Canton, etc., have taken on the worst features of both kinds of houses and none of their best. Few will dispute this who have inspected the tenement houses of the Colony, The curious part, moreover, is that the newer houses are often worse than the old. “At one time?
"the tendenc we quote the report- to build shallow houses, from “light and fresh "air" were
consequence of other houses later in too close proximity to them.
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