necessary and expedient, and also makes any infringement, any disobedience, any contraven- tion of any rule or regulation made a punishable offence The Connoil will no doubt adopt the principle of the Bill, which is one to alleviate the anitering, ja many cises the unnecessary suffering, of live stock ging to places outside the Colony. I ask that the Bill be read second time.
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The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the second reading was agreed to.
The Council then went into committes on the Bill, when, on the suggestion of the HAR- BOURMASTAR, au amendment was made to include the regulation of the import as well as of the exp rt of catulo and other live stuck.
The third reading was not taken when the Concil resumed
FORESHORes and bea bed ORDINANCE, The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the third reading of. the Bill entitled au Ordinance to amend the Foreshores and Sea Bed Ordinance," No. 21 of 1991, and to repel sub-section (1.) section 1 of Ordinance No. Il of 19No2.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the Bill was read & third time and passed.
LAND CLAIMS IN THE NEW TERITORY. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the third reading of the Bill entitled an Ordiuauce to amend Ordinance No. 18 of 1900, entitled an Ordinance to facilitate the hearing, determius- tion, and settlement of land claims in the New Territories, to establishia Lan1 Court, and for other purposes.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded. Hoà. Dr. Ho KAI-Sir, I do not think I can give my sapport to this Bill for the third reading. My reasons I gave in committee at the last meeting of Council, and I will not trouble hon. members by repeating them. I only wish to remind the Council that my principal objection to the Bill was that it is retrospective, and if it passes into law it will cause great hardship and do injustice to certain claimants and also nusettle the title and rights of those who have acquired them from the original claimants and have already paid the purchase money upon the faith that the claim, once having boen admitted by the Land Court, was all sufficient. For that reason I think the Ordinance should not be passed, and I propose to oppose it as a protest against its pas ing.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND ́
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-The grou "ds on which the hon. member opposes the third reading of the Bill are very generally stated, and it is difficult to give him sa answer. So far as I can see, what he calls hardship will be felt only by some speculators in land. Some purely speculative dealings in land may not realise the expectatious of those who have been making such speculations, the Conncil does not recognise these speculations. nor does the law. Supposing, for the sake of argument, a man came before the Land Court and established a claim for which he paid some $100, and having bought the land he says "I am now about to improve this land I have bought, and make docks and one thing and another." Then he sells his claim for $50,000, and by and by somebody else buys it for $590,000. Iu the meantime the matter is sent up to the Land Court, which has allowed the claim of the original olaimant who paid $100 A considerable period elapses, the Land Court has a great amount of work to do, and does not always get ils reports in with great rapidity. The pipers come before the Governor-in-Council, who has the duty cast upon him of determining whether, the Land Court having allowed the claim, he shall grant a title. The House will see at once that there is a great distinction between a claim and & title allowing a claim and granting a title nothing can be sold until a title has been granted. The question for the Governor-in Council is whether title shall be granted or not, and he deci des that the title shall not be granted, but that the land shall be retained for the public benefit. This requires that the person who acquired the land shall be granted compensation. What does that compansation amount to? The compensation that man is entitled to is $100. He has Bold his clain for $100, and all that he is entitled to get from the Goverument as compensation is $100. In such cases there is no hardship whatever involved, but on the other hand there is a
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[August 15, 1903. distinct hardship on the public, and a His Excellency's ́ supervision ? Why is danger to the public interests, where it is it that in BO important matter probabla, obvious, that by some oversight, portion of the Board was kept in entire soms misconception, or by some imposition ignorance of what was to take place and are upon it, the Land Court has given an erroneous dependent for their informat on, with regard to decision, or where the Lan Court is believed, the doings of the Sanitary Board, upou the by those who have the public interests in their local Pross? Mr. Howet was proceeding protection, to have given an erroneou: decision; to speak on the questious, when and where these cases arise, or there is ruas în to believe they have arisen, there should be power to appeal. That does not necessarily mean to overthrow; it means to bava a re-hearing, an investigation, to make sure that a decision which may affect the public interests to a very large extant is an accurate and proper oue. That is what the Bill proposes to d it does not ia effect or practice impose any hardship ou any person.
All it does is to protect the public interests by making sure t at the decisions of the Land Court ara such as the Governor-in-Council may con ider just and
proper.
The motion for the third reading was carried, and the Bill was passed.
The Council adjourned sine die.
FINANCE COMMITTEE.
A meeting of the Finance Committes was held immediately after the Council-Hon. F. H. May, C.M.G., Colonial Secretary, presiding.
PUBLIC WORKS.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Sixteen thousand Dollars ($16,000) iu aid of Public Works Extraordinary to me. expenditure rendered necessary by rain-storm damages:-
Repairing roads, including landslips
and bridges, Repairing Taipo Road, Repairing nullaus,
Total, The volo was agreed to. This was all the business.
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$16,000
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The PRESIDENT (interposin-7) stid—You will excuse me calling you to order. You are not at liberty to speak on the questions.
Mr. H&WETT-I cauaut speak on these questions?
The PRESIDENT -No.
Mr. Hewa T-I beg your pardon.
The PRESIDENT at the reply to the questions was that he did not make the arrange. ments for the meeting, and was not able to say why the other mamb rs of the Board were not invited. He himself only received intimation of the meeting an hour and a half before it was held last Bank Holiday. He was sure His Excellency the Governor would be very pleased at the interest taken in the meeting by the member who had asked these questions.
RUBBISH ON THE PRAYA.
Mr. HEWATT asked if the attention of the P.C.M.O. had been drawn to the accumulation of rubbish on the Praya list Saturday, aud what steps had been taken to prevent a repeti-
tion of this nuisance ?
The PRESIDENT called upon the Medical OBoar of Health as executive oficer to reply.
Dr. PRARSE stated that the rubbish was not taken away because the dust-boats did not come to the stations on account of the typhoon sigual having been up. It had often happened that '810,30) | during bad weather the rubbish was not taken 3 200 away, and as long as the pressat method of 2.500 disposal was retained there would be accumu-
lations of rubbish. The only way to prevent them would be to erect refuse destrutors in Vistoria and Kowloon. However, instrpstions had been issued to the contractor and the district inspector that in future when the dust-earts arrived at the stations and found that the boats had not arrived at the wharved they must be sent to the extreme east and west of the town. He added that it was not the custom of the Board's inspect irs to report those matters to the P.C.M.O.; Inspector Grics duly reported the matter to him (Dr. Pearse) and as soon as he know that the boats had not come took steps to have the rubbish removed as soon as possible.
At a la er stage,
HONGKONG SANITARY
BOARD.
A meeting of the Sanitary Bord was held on Thursday afternoon in th Board Room Hon. Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer (resident), presided, and there were also present-Hon. W. Chatham, Director of Publis Works (Vice-President); Mr. C. McI. Messer, Acting Registrar-General; Captain F. W, Lyons, Acting Captain Superintendent of Police; Colonel W. E. Webb, R.A.M.C.; Mr. Fang Wa Chuo Me. Laa Cha Pak, Mr. H. E. Pollock, K.C., Mr. A. Rumjan, Mr. E. A. Hewett; Dr. W. W. Pearse, Aoting Medical Officer of Health; Dr. Barnett, Assistant M.O.H ; and Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Secretary).
TANKS IN SECOND AND THIRD STREET.
Correspondenca was laid on the tabl, relative to the retention of the tanks, etc., in Second and Third Streets.
The President in a latter to the Colonial Secretary pointed out that if H.E. the Governor desired that the wash-houses and tanks bɔ on- tinued it would be necessary for them to m in- tain the staff there and purchase the coil, wood, etc.
H. E. the Governor replied:-"The reten tion of the tanks, etc., will rest with the Sani- tary Board. In my opinion wash-houses and tanks are most valuable means of combating plague, remembering that we have found bags, fleas, etc., infected."
The PRESIDENT-I think the members will agree with me that it will be a most useful measure to retain these wash houses and tanks which have been in use in the experimental block which H. E. the Governor took over, and I move that the Sanitary Board approve of thes w.sh-houses and tanks being retained.
Mr. FUNG WA CHUN seconded, and the motion was carried.
A MEMBER'S PROTEST.
Mr. HEWETT, pursuant to notice, asked Why is it that some of the members of the Sauitary Board were not notified that it was the intention of His Excellency the Governor to hand back to the Sanitary Board on the 3rd instant that section of the town in which for the last three months an important and in- teresting experiment in house-oleansing and disinfecting" has been carried oat under
Mr. H&WS T said he was not satisfied with the answers given and a:ked if he could move the adjournment of the debate to discuss the matter:
The PRESIDENT replied that he could move the suspension of the standing orders, which would have to be seconded.
Mr. HEWETT moved accordingly.
Mr. POLLOCK seconded, and the motion was carried.
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Mr. Hewett then addressed the Board. He said that to his certain knowledge two very large heaps of rubbish, one fifty feet long, were deposited some time early on Saturday morning on the Praya, and remained there til sundown. When they were removed he did not know; all be knew was that the first junk which got alongside did so at 4 30 p.m., and at 5.30 p.m., when he was on the Praya, a small portion of the rubbish had been remored. It might be pleaded by the responsible contractor that a possible typhoon prevented the junk from gatting+ there sooner, but if anyone could give an abour.te weather forecast it was the master of a Chinese junk, and from the aspect of the weather on Friday afternoon or evening it was- most improbable that a typhoon would visit the Colony. All the small simpans returned to their places in the harbour in the afternoon, and the big siling junks might have been back in time; anyway, they should have returned earlier than half-past four, and if they could not do that the contractor ought to have sent a launch to bring them in. Those large quantities of refuse lay on the Praya the whole of Satur day. Fortunately it was a dull day, otherwise the nuisanos would have been very much worse. He need hardly remind the Board, continued Mr. Hewett, that such a state affairs_was most insanitary and most andersirable. They all knew perfectly well that there had been occasions when junks could not come to the Prays on account of bad weather, and even at
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