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سمجھے
December 1, 1902.]
qualification is in a sens rather disquieting, to say the least, and is likely to be productive of considerable misgivings on the part of those interested in property here, as well as on the part of the general public; for siuce the first visitation of the plague in 1891 we have bad no fewer than 4 new Q" amending ordinances | brought into force relating to building, the last as late as 1901, and 11 relating to sanitation and kindred matters, and the Bill now before us proposes to repeal in part or in full no fewer than 23 ordinances, all relating to building and sanitation, and passed in the comparatively short space of the past 15 years, and this con- tinual introduction of fresh legislation bearing on the same subjects cannot fail to have, and does have, the effect of creating misgivings and great uncertainty in the mind of the public, which must be bad for the place and its prosperity. If only the publicc uld be reassured ou th's point it would, t say the least, be a very great bec.it. all round. Another matter closely ilestified with these measures is the provision of au ade quate staff in the Sanitary and Puble Works Departments to ensure their being efficiently carried out.
Without thess the objects aim
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
important point seems to me to be the absolute necessity, if the provisions of this Bil are to be put into force, that the matter of resumptious, and subsequent laying out of such resumed prop rties be only carried out under some well considered and definite plin. We have a pretty | bad eximple before us of the evils resulting from the haphazard style in the past of laying out the town, and it will never do to let any thing of that sort become the fashion in regard to resumption and subsequent laying out. It may be said with truth that in nearly every respect the necessity for this Bill has been brought about by the necessity for repairing the evil resulting from past neglect and faulty legislation.
tions and additions which have been made in the
Hon. G. W. F PLAYFAIR-Your Excellency, in to first place I desire to express thanks to the two experts whose labours and investigations fully justified the petition sent home to the Secretary of State. Thanks are also due to Mr. Chamberlain for so promptly taking notics of it, and thanks to the Government for taking the steps to put in through. The Bill, which is a large and comprehensive one, and one which should do a great deal to remove the black at by the Bill will be considerably impaired, if record of overcrowding, filth, and insanitary con- nat nullified, and I would desire to make str ng ditions with their natural concom tant of disease representations on this point. In regard to and plagu I was very much amazed at the the question of compensation, there will no doubt Attorney-Gon-val teying to say black was white ba some difference of opini n. This question or a certain cause at the end of that petition, of compensation for disturbiaca is no doubt a but I repudiate the construction he tried to put thorny one,
bat it has nevertheless to be hand upon it. As chairman of that committee which led, and perso Jally I think that Crown lessees sent in the petition, I uiterly repudiate it on have many good anl valid reasons to adduce my own behalf and on those who signed it. It why they should not by treated any worse in does not stand to reason that any sensible respect of this than this home laws allow in liko person would accept the coast uction put upon instances. I understand that is the ground it. I may say personally that I am thoroughly they take up in this matter, and a very reason. in favour of this Bill. Personally, the altera- able ground its ems to me. In ordinary every; day life if two persons enter into an agreement new addition to the Bill I thoroughly approve and if subsequently one of the parties to that of. In fact, it was almost in iue with what I agreement desires to vary or modify any of the stated in the month of July, but as regards slum terms thereof, such could only be done by properties. I am afrail the Senior Unofficial mutual arrangement, and by the payment of Member rather took upon himself too much compensation forany loss to the otherparty which whoa be included ma in saying he was spoaking might be so vu to ba brought about by tha for the unofficial members, for he has not changes proposed, and so in like manner with consulted the unofficials aul I have to chau es necessitated by this Bill. The Gotern-repudiate anything he said in favour meat in dys gone by have leised certain lands of more compensation I am not at all in favour on certain terms and conditions to certain of compensation for cubicles. The Senior lessees, and it is now proposed to in various Unofficial Member referred to the landlords ways medify the terms of these Crown leases. getting as much per cont.-that is the root of or to impose conditions connected with the use the whole matter, so much per caut That is and enjoyment of the land which were not in why they buy slum property, because they get existence when the Government sold thelud, and far more than from any ordinary investment; which will to some extent interfere with rights and why should they be considered? They in the properties concerned. Broadly speaking have put up the rentals at the least 100 per it appears to me that if the laws have been cant. in the last ten years, Are you asking observed by the Crown lessees, the law govern- the ratepayers to go and save them? There ing the laying out of their property, and that are two sides to that; the ratepayers have also relating to 'he construction and occap dtion, &c.
to ba considered. I am afraid the Senior Un- of the buildings, if all these have been complied official Member is rather holding a brief for the with, and if another law be now intro luced and landlords. Ha referred to the displaced put into force molifying or altering these population,
Do you
propos to displace conditions of the Crown leases, even although the ropulation all at
одсе, and the such modifications and alterations may ba process will act automatically. New houses will inten led for the benefit of the Colony and public be built gradually; the tram will extend; at large, the Government in all fairness ought and the whole thing is a bugbear to think that it to bear the expense of this and compensate will be taken as a reason that the Bill should not be Crown lessees fairly for the sacrifices involved proceeded with on these lines. I had intended Reform has been asked for by the Colony, and to go into matters on the report of the Com. this Bill seems to provi lo for a lrge measure mission "ppointed by Sie William Robinson, but of this, and we should feel satisfied that this is I was glad to hear that the Attorney-General being done, for reforms have undoubtedly baen went into that thoroughly. It is a most im- greatly needel. But the other considerations portant paint to see the signatories of the have also to bar ckonel with, and it would be a petition. I simply wish to say for myself that | I am thoroughly in accord with the Bill, and most intelligent people in the Colony are, not. withsta di ig th's aspersions of my friend the Attorney-General. (Applause.)
prac ice.
very uu-British-like procce ling to meddle with wall established au recognised rights without due compausation. I trust therefore that in deal. ing with this most vital point fairness, if not liberality, will be the mott governing the H.E. THE G VERNOa-In view of 80 ne Much has been alleged at times es to observations that have been mide by one or the iniquities of the landlord class, but I look two hon. members. especially by Mr. Sharp. upon that as a sort of natural antipathy on the [ sauld be glad to explain in reference to this part of the hoi p lloi of rent paying mankind Bill that there is nothing in the Bill now towards the comparatively few rent receivers, b fore the Council that W a not in the commonly dubbed the " grasping rackrenting original Bill. The diff reace is that certain landlords," but it must be recollected that these things have been delete', and I think that last have their rights as well as the others. if he looks over and compares the Bills the rights which have always been most jealously hon. member will see that except in a very guarded by the British legislature, and in this few instances the one thing they had gone case the rights under which they holl their into in the new Bill was th compensation lands from the Crown appear to be threatened question. It is 8 repetition of a large with serious alterations or modifications by this portion of the Bill as introduced originally. Bill, which provides for some measure of com- We have considered it at length. The pensation, but to my idea further compensation hon, member in his observations said very in certain respects is necessary. Another most' properly that there had been frequent
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legislation on the subject of sanitation, and the hon. member quoted quite a large number of measures which had been passed within the past fow years on sanitation and deprecated the introduction at frequent intervals of fresh legi-lation. I quite agree with the hon member in his view as to the inadvisability of that, but I think if you look over this Bill you will fiol it is a consolidation Bill and there is really very little fresh legislation in it. In it the previous sanitation ordinances are consolidated to enable the people of the Sanitary Department to have in their hands everything that is known in the Colony, everything that is law with reference to their particular duty; and instead of having
to roum
over the various ordinances of the Colony during the past number of years all the ordinances of this kind in forco are brought together and placed in one ordinance to which the Sanitary Department officials can refer. I think the hou. member will agree that it is better that the laws should be so consolidated than that the Sanitary Department should be compelled to look over a large number of ordinances to make them- selves acquainted with them and 80 од. A
very large question that has been brought forward by the hon. member is the que tion of what is to be done with the large number of people who must be displaced by the operations of this Ordinance. I quite agre with that. But ther, on the other haud, the Ordinancз is not going to act at a moment's notice. Action must necessarily bo slow and the broad question will present itself to us whether it is better that we should suddenly undertake a large measure of socialist legislation by the Government entering with the public money into compa'ition with those whose business it is to build and supply houses for the accommodation of the people or whether we should leave that to the ordin- ary operation of commercial principles; and my own view is that it is better to leave it to the ordinary operation, especially here in Hong- kong where there are societies and individuals who have money and are quite ready to supply it when they find that the public require it. With regard to the remarks of Mr. Playfair I must say I differ a little with bim in his estimate with reference to the petition that was sent home, because I think that if he will take the trouble to read carefully Mr. Chadwick's report it has completely blown out of the water his own statement that the Government or the Public Works Department had uerlected the re- commendations made by Mr. Chadwick, How- ever, I made these few observatious because I understand the Attorney-General doos not wish to answer them, as perhaps he has not studied these matters so carefully as I have done for two or three years. I earnestly hope that this Bill will go through and I hope we will find some fiuality in this necessary legislation on sanitary matters, and that the result will be, what we all hope, beneficial to this Colony and possibly in the. future it may prevent the recurrence of these terrible epidemics of plague which have done 30 much mischief in the past. (Applau o.)
Tue Bill was read a second time, and the Council adjourned until next Thursday.
The P. and T. Times of the 13th ult. says that the occurrence of a fiaaucial crash among the Chinese merchants at Tientsin is only a question of time.-Prince Su has extracted two million taals from the Wai Wu Pu for the con- tinuation of public works in Peking.-The Peking Syndicate is getting on splendidly in Honan, and will have its locomotives running in another month.-There has been another breach in the Yellow River near the mouth.
A vigorous attack has been made on Sheng Kung-pao by two well-known Censors. The denunciation consists of twelve counts, charg- ing him with avarice, extravagance, and nepotism. A report circulated in mandarin circles in Shanghai, according to the N-0. Daily News, states that the Throne has ordered Viceroy Chang Chih-tang to investigate the charges, and that he has appointed a couple of his subordinate officers to journey to Shanghai and make secret enquiries thereanent.
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