يقد
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
.
(June 30, 1902.
LIZOOR
to think
top to? This Bill is an endeavour; the water for that quarter is $4 at 50 cents per | European houses quite as much as in Chinssa, part to do it. The system we haye 1,000 gallons-that means to say, 8,000 gallons for the Chinese servants waste the water just the taken up is the system of meters. Section for the quarter. Now, a little arithmetic same as they would do in their own i 13
Ya Water will only be supplied to any will show that 8,0.0 gallons divided by three besides, in European quartors & larg tenement in the Colony through any service, will give you only 2,666, and then divide that of water is used for watering the garde provided it is measured by meter. Such meter by thirly and you will find that the house a watering the lawn quite as much perhaps shall be kept in repair by the Water Authority. very big house, mind you, when yn pay $100 as would suffice for the requirements of That section applies to European and Chinese a mon h-will get only about 83 gallons two or three tonement houses. To go houses as well, so there can be no question of allowance per day, and and if the bonse contained back to the other point, however, the. 1ace coming in. The meters. will measure the ton persons that only gives us eight gallons learned Attorney-General water supplied to your house. European or per day per head. I put it, sir, to you, in that the charging excessive · consump. otherwise, and any excess over a certai i allow. Chinese houses payin; $100 a month there tion of water will fall on the honse-owner or ance the owner or occupier will be charged for would
very likely be twenty or thirty landlords, but you will find that the cost will With reference to the European, he has already occupants. In European houses, including fall on the tenant, inasmuch that if the been acquainted with the system. Apart from servants-boys," cooks, and so on-there landlord finds he has been charged for exces. the European, any respectable hinaman who might be au average of fiftoon persis, and sive consumption he can put so many dollars wishes to keep on bis connection with the main thus the quan ity. of water allowed to them on the rental. I propose, therefore, sir, that has only to notify the Government and they will would be something like between four and five this Ordinance be read a see nd time thres supply a meter and charge him a reasonable rentgallons, and whatever was in excess of this months hence. for it. You might then ask-How does this pre- would be charged at the rate of 50 cents per vent waste? I will tell you. I think it does. It! 1,000 gallons. At that rate, for Chinese tene- seems certain that if the owner, who was the ment houses consisting of thirty persons in a person primarily and principally involved in house for which the rent is $100 the quantity excess of consumption of water, finds that his allowed to them would be something between tenants or occupiers are wasting water and one and two gallons per head. That, I say, is causing him to spend a certain amount of money extremely small, and the Bill is justly for excess, all he has to do is to refuse to carry regarded by them as giving them no water on the undertaking and thereupon the Govern at all. Again, there is another objection | ment can disconnect him with the mains, and against the Bill, and that is that Chinese the tenants and occupiers would have to carry drawing this small quantity have to use it their water as in the good days of old You not only fr potable purposes but for washing mayay, perhaps, it is hard on the owner, but as well, and that on about two gallons per I think if you will consider it von will so surely head per day. Now, the Sanitary Board are no grounds for such an objection. It would be trying their utmost to get the Chineso to clean obviously unfair, to my mind, to charge all their houses, and we hope that in time we may the occupants of a Chinese house, which is very induce them to k op their hones fairly clean much like a rabbit warren, for the misdeeds of and to use as much water as possible in washing one or two. It would be absolutely impossible in their places. Now, the Chinese, if they have nine cases out of ten to find ont who is the delin- to pay such a heavy sum for water, will, I am quent. With regard to Chinese houses I do not sure, wherever possible, leave all washing alone. think it would be unfair to charge the owner, who That would be in opposition to the sanitary has always the means to stop it. With reference requirements of the Celony, and for that reason to this subject I might say that a gentleman alone I think the Bill should be opposed. Then who has left the Colony just now, but who has again, there is another objection to this Bill, very close relations and interests in property, and that is charging by meter It does not namely the Hon. C. P. Chater,' stated that he matter whether a man wastes the water or not- approved of this scheme. That is all I can he must have a meter fixed on the premises. say. I heard him saying it, and therefore it I believe the cost of a meter is pretty expensive seems to me there can be no hardship on owners. just now; I think a meter will cost between The owner can always get rid of his obligati ns sixty and seventy dollars. and make his tenants revert to the old system, which in my opinion will reduce the waste, Your waste is there. That is where it will have to be cut off. There are Europeans who have large gardens and who use a great amount of water, but the main waste is in Chines bouses, and that is the eril we have to fight with. With regard to excess consumption it is defined as follows:-" Any quantity of water ascertained by meter as having been used in a tenement in excess of a quarterly allowance, which, at 50 cents per 1,000 gallons, would be equal to one-third per c-ntum on the rating va'na- tion of the said tenement." Ithink before the word "rating" you must put in "annual." I will give you an example how it works ont. Suppose an annual rating 'valuation of $100 a month. Then one-third per cent. of that would be $4, which at 50 cents per 1,000 gallons would give you 88 or 89-gallons per day. The other clanses of the Bill refer to the powers of the Government to collect the rents of the moter and also to collect any charges for excess con- sumption. There are of course general powers given to carry out the provisions of the Ordinance. That practically is the new part of the Bill. The balance is a sort of collection of provisions in various Ordinances which are hereby repealed and simply present to you in a consolidated form the Water Ordinances of this Colony.
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The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, Hon. Dr. Ho KAI-Sir, shortly before I came to the Council I received a communication from some of leading Chinese asking me to represent their views to the hon. members of this Council and also to oppose the second reading of this Bill Personally I have not much objection to the Bill, but since I have to represent the views of our Chinese citizens, I wish to say a few words botter to represent their case. The Chinese object to the provisions of this Bill on the follow ing grounds. First of all, the allowance for daily consumption is two small. Just now we heard the learned Attorney-General review the quantity for a house with a $10) a month rental, and he has told us that
The ACT NO ATTORNEY-GENERAL-Oh no, five dollars?.
The Hon. WEI A YUK seconded. The Hon. C. S. SHARP-I have only a few remarks to mike, sir, upon this Ordinance. Wo have listene very carefully to what has been said by the hon. member who has just sat down. I wish to preface my remarka by sɩying that I approach this Bill in' no bostile spirit. I am fully in favour of doing away with waste, Our experience has ben snch that we must make some strong effort to prevent a repetition of this thing. I think this Bill is a step in the right way, and should, generally speaking, hope that you will adopt that view of it. I am somewhat concerned, however, at one or two matters in it, especially the matter of the proposed charges for water. As I take it, the effect of the proposed cha gas will be to halve the certain frea consumption allowed under the meter system. The owner is, I believe, charged at the rate of 25 cents per 1,00) ga lons The proposed charge is 50 cents. We certainly should husban our supply bat to halve the allowance is rather a beroic measure. Stress has been laid by the Sanitary Board and otherĝon the advisability of a better water supply. Mr. SHARP went on to quote from the Drainage Bye-laws, which referred to the necessity of a liberal application of water for the proper maintenance of house drains, I take it, be continued, that if we practically double the present cost of water I am afraid that may have the effect of making people penurious over their water supply, and speaking Hon. Dr. Ho KAI-Five dollars? Well, from the sanitary point of view as embodied anyhow. they charge for a gas-meter something in thesa extracts I have just read I think that like forty cents rental. However, if the water would be rather a misfortune. As regards the meter is so cheap that objection falls to the present water consumption of the Colony, E ground. I thonght it would take a very heary have taken some of Mr. Chadwick's notes for sum to buy one and that the rental would be my guidance, and his ates that the consump- fifty or sixty cents a month. The object of tion of water, per head per day is about 17 this Bill is detailed in the preamble as follows:- galious He goes on to say that thongh the "Whereas large sums have from time to time present water consumption is restricted it must been expended and may hereafter be expended certainly be reducel. Bat I submit that he in the establishment and maintenance of water- could har ily have meant by a reluction such a works to secure a proper and adequate supply tremendous reduction as cutting it down one. of water for the inhabitants of the Colony and half; and therefore I am inclined to, advocate it is expedient to provide for and regulate the that in place of fixing the free supply at the supply of water from such works as well as rate mentioned, 50 cents per 1,000 gallons, the maintenance and repairs of all works the rate for the free supply might possibly be in connection therewith also to make provision increased from 25 but certainly should not be for the payment of all such sums as aforesaid doubled. I think though that5') cents for 1,000 not otherwise provided for and for the repoy-gallons might very well be applied to the excess. ment of any loans in connection therewith an consumption I see that Mr. Chadwick in one. of the interest to accrue thereon." Now, to of his raports has suggested an 83 ending-scale meet the payment of the sums necessary in of charges. It would require an expert connection with these waterworks, I think the to go into the matter thoroughly, but looking Chinese male a very good suggestion when at it from a very broad point of view the they said the Government should raise the suggestion is, I think rather god. There. taxes of the Colony. By doing so you would realise this ex ra sum, and that course would be preferable to trying to get income from the excessive consumption of water, which I believe would be a very expensive way of getting the money. As to the waste of wa'er and how to prevent it, it is stated in the objects and reasons that "as the waste principally occurs in Chinese tenement houses and the cost of excess con- sumption in nine cases out of tзu will have to be paid by the own r. it is conceived that such owners will elect to disconnect their services and allow their tenants to have recourse to the public fountains-a system which used to be naive.sal in the case of such tenements. At the same time any person who prefers to be connected can be so.” Now, upon this point, personally I must say I do not see any more ineffective means of pre- venting waste than by resorting to the plan proposed here. Again, about this waste of water I must say that water is wasted in
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are one or two—~
HIS EXCELLENCY--Your remarks are most. excellent, but the question before us now is whether the Bill be read a second time There is a proposal that it be put off, practically, which has been secɔnded.” If the Bill had come up for reading I think your virions comments would come in I take it that you are in favour of the Bill?
Hon. Mr. S:(ABP — Yes, with modifis. ations.
HIS EXCALLEN Y-But the question now is whether the Bill be read a second time at all. If you can speak on that subject I shall be delighted to hear you.
Hon. Mr. SHAEP-I am afraid, sir, am not sufficiently acquainted with the methods of procedure to know whether I was in order
or not. I take it that I was out of order? -
His EXCELLENCY-Oh, no; I do not my thất - Hon. Mr. SHARP-Might I-suggest tha
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