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September 23, 1903.J
ensure the speedy accomplishment of manifestly useful works. To pay for everything out of income is a policy of caution which at times may wisely be departed from. With an ample revenue and a clean bill of health, with an energetic Governor who is also an engineer, with a zealous officer at the head of the P.W.D., backed up I hope and believe, by a kean and efficient staff; with labour as ever abundant; with the public purse able and willing to pay for any assistance his department may require, the present seems a golden oppor- tunity for us to be up and doing. Let us ses to it that we avail to the full of the auspicious fortune which the fates have given us. With the reservations I have referred to I have pleasure in supporting the second reading of this Bill (appliuse).
Hie EXCELLENCY-Beforo referring to the details of the two speeches to which we have just listened, I should like to thank the honour. able member who has just spoken for his clear exposition of what he considers to be the views of the colony in the matter of public works, the Canton and Kowloon Railway and the develop. ment of the new territories. No exception having been taken to that view by other members of the ouncil, I take it as repres nting the opinion of the community and as such it will be most valuable to me in supporting various schemes that we have in hand and in con- templation. (Applause.) Going now into the details of the two speeches we have just heard delivered I would refer first to those points in the speech of the representative of the Chamber of Commerce and the Hon. Mr. Gershom Stewart. I am not prepared at the present moment to give afull explanation of the proposal to transfer to the Government the Widows and Orphans Pension Fund, the principle of which proposal was accepted by Government in Council and by the Directors of the Fund several years ago. Nor at the present time can i furnish the Council with the rersons which led them to pass existing and previous Ordinances which embodied many of the principles which will be include in the new Widows and Orphans Pension Fund Ordinance. Before effect can be given to the financial arrangements embodied in the estimates the Widows and Orphans Pension Fuud Bill, which has already been introduced, must be passed by this Council. Ample opportunity will be given to the Council to consider and discuss the Bill. In the mean time as it is desired that the trans er of the Fund and that the issue of the large pensions which this transfer will give to the widows and orphans of past contributors should take eff. ct from the beginning of next year, it has been necessary to take into conside.ation in the estimates the financial effect of the transfer, and I trust you will see fi to leave further discussion on the mutter until the Bill is before you. It was my intention that the Bill should have been presented to the Council b·fore you should be called upon to vote small amounts in the estimates of expenditure for administering the fund, but I received a representation from certain gentlemen whose widows or orphans would be interested in the Fuud, and I wish to consider carefully that representation before proceeding with the measure. 1 may mention that the Bill will contain a clause, sanctioned by the Secretary of State, exempting military contributions to the Fund. Tarning now to the question of the expenditure in the Snitary Department, with which both gentlemen who spoke dealt in some detail, I would remind you of the old adage.—
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. entertained as to the practicability or expedience or otherwise of such recommendations, no time should be lost in referring them to a higher authority for decision. The time has now arrived when vigorous action should be taken to secure the continuance of the progress of the Colony and to ad quately protect the great commercial interests so adversely affected by these disastrous annual epidemics."
Possibly you may ask who are the experts, and the answer to that question is found in the preceding paragraph of the letter, which states: "In the opinion of the Commi'ee, the Colony possesses in the Medical Officer of Health a valuable and energeticfficer, whose untiring efforts to promote the sanitation of the city merit every encouragement; whereas, his recommendations, like those of Mr. Chad- wick, have been frequently ignored, shelved, or pared down when adopted."
In ad ition to that letter, written four years ago, there was a subsequent petition, seat to the Secretary of State which was numerously signed, and among the signatures I observe that of the present representative of the Chamber of Commerce. At the end of that petition there was the following statement:--
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The foregoing statements prove that the local Government has failed to give effect, save in a very qualified form, to the measures so frequently urges upon it by its own Medical Officers and other experts; its efforts, so far, have met with so little result, indeed, that the Colony is now suffering severely from the annually recurring visitations of plague and, in a lesser degree, of enteric fever and small-pox. The inadeq acy of the measures adopted by the local Government in dealing with so grave a crisis may, we submit, be regarded as equivalent to a tacit admission on its part that it is beyond its power, of its own initiative, to undertake the gigantic tisk which a thorough and efficient reform of the sanitary conditions of the Colony, with the heavy expenditure and sacrifices attending it, would involve.
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In answer to that petition the Secretary of State, as you are aware, sent out experts from England, Drs. Chadwick and Sampson, who prepared long and careful reports. These reports have been acted upon nearly in their entirety by the Government. The Public Health Ordinance of 193 was introduced exactly on the lines recommended by Dr. Chadwick. Since this agitation, and a proper aitation it was foo-it may interest you if I tell you what the morta'it statistics have been. In the year 1900 the death rate per thousand of the population was 25.78; in 1901, 23.55; in 19 2, 1.70; in 1903, 18.19; in 19 4. 19.4. That was the total death of ritish, foreigners, aud Chinese. The Public Health Ordinan e, to which I have referred, was passed in 1903. In that year the deaths from pague numbered 1,251, in 1904 they numbered 495, and this year at the end of the plague season the number was 274. I do not go so far as to claim that these impr rements are due to the measures taken by the Government but I do claim that they cannot be cited by honourable members to show that those measures have been ineffectual or that the expenditure on sanitary messures has been wasted. At the same time, as I stated before, we take every possible means to see that the sanitary expendi- ture is not wasted and that the different amounts appearing in the estimates are not spent unless the necessity arises. Last year there was a considerable saving and I hope there The devil was sick, the devil a monk would be will this year be a surplus on the plague The devil was well, the devil a mouk was he. estimate to meet excesses in other The community was sick and was virtuously directions.
This year
there Las been a prodigal with money for sanitation. The saving of $12,000 in that department. The community is well and is desirous of decrease in the sanitary vote was $5,839, there economising in this direction. Uuofficial mem- was transferred to that vote from another | bere anticipated that they would need to be $3,900, which, with the $2,688 provided for defended against themselves, for a letter dated expenses on markets for which there would be 7th June, 1901, from the Chamber of Commerce equivalent receipts, give a total saving of to the Governm-at-on which Chamber some $12,700. I hope the saving in the actual ex- of the gentlemen present were sitting-penditure will continue this year. The third contained the following paragraph :---"
My Committee desire to draw attention to the folly of allowing the prejudices of officials, the fear of expense, or the dread of unofficial opposition to stand in the way of the execution of sanitary measures which are known to be necesary and which have been insisted upon time after time by experts. If any doubt be
matter referred to in the two speeches was what Mr. Gershom Stewart alluded to as the cessation of work on the lare reservoir at Tytm Tuk. Probably that was a slip, as the work has never been commenced. The present project is Tytam Tuk No. 1 section which we will complete next year. We will commence Tyiam Tuk No. 2 section as soon as we can,
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The designs have not been made out but the detailed e timates and specifications are in hand. It will be time to consider the estimate for the wok spoken of next year, but I don't think a y time is lost by not includ ng any amount in the estimate for 19 6. We might have included a nominal amount, but it was harily worth while. There was no
intention on the part of the Government to shirk that portion. With reard to the water supply at the Peak, the Hon. Mr. Gershom Stewart asks the Director of Public Works to reply to him and I have no doubt that he will do 82. I concur wit the hon. member that the approaches to the colony are not what they ought to be. I am incl ned to look upon the replacing of those mat sheds as not so necessary as other work that is provided for in the estimates. With regard to the removal of the Clock Tower which was also referred to by the hon. member repre-enting the Chamber of Commerce on the estimates for last year, I am not certain if there is any real public desire that the clock tower, erected by the community as a monument, should be removed. It is stated to be an impedi bent to traffic, but I am not certain that it is any real impediment. If I were satisfied there was any real desire to have the old monument removed I should take steps to have it done. The hon. member representing the Chamber of Commerce referred to the urinals on the Praya. I went into the question some months ago with the Director of Public Works. I shoult like to have them placed underground, as they are in London, but WA came to the conclusion that they could not be sufficiently drained if they were sunk.
Hon. Mr. SHEWAN-Could they not be placed in better positions?
HIS EXCELLENCY-They are where the ma jority of people are who use them. There is the difficulty about this question that wherever they are placed someone is certain to object to the smells that arise from them. The Hon. Member representing the Chamber of Commerce referred to the small vote for education. It is certainly not a large vote. As I mentioned when addressing the Council a fortnight ago, education is one of the most difficult subjects with which we have to deal in this Colony. Even if we had to spend a much larger sum it is difficult to say how it should be spout. I am considering the subject and possibly may arrive at a solution. It has to be borne in mind we are not educating our own people, but we are - educating a fluctuating population mostly sub. jects of China. With regard to the prevention of Chinese coinage coming into the colony, it will be interesting to have a definite statement from the Chamber which the Hon. Member re- presents in the matter. Also it will be interesting to the Government to have a definite statement from the Chamber of Commerce on the matter of the registration of Chinese partnerships. The Hon Mr. Gershom St wart has correctly interpreted my views on the charity question so that it is unnecessary for me to deal with the matter further. As to stopping the invasion of destitute Europeans, a Bili was passed during our last session which it is hoped will tend to have the desired effect. No proposal was made at the time of the passa re of the Bill to made it more drastic than it is. I see there is one point he referred to the D.P.W. I have not dealt with, that of a definits scheme of roads and boulevards in the New Territory and Kowloos, I may say that such a deficite coheme os he referred to exists.
Hon. Mr. SHEWAN--Can it be published? HIS EXCELLENCY-It may be possible, but it is not desirable to publish it. If the Hoo, member will favour me with a visit to my office I will show it to him.
Hoo, Mr. SHEWAN-I think I saw one, sir. Oue road was on it.
HIS EXCELLENCY-I think that is not the 0180. The Hon. Member representing the Chamber of Commerce referred to the difficulty in the matter of the price charged by the Government for land.
Hon. Mr. SHEWAN-For new industries. HIS EXCELLENCY-For now industries. The general principle with regard to the price the Government charged for land was the market value. If the Government did not sell the land for what it would bring the profit will not gɔ to the general community, but to the individual who purchased it at less, and who sold it at
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