Page
October 16, 19051
press supplies ample evidence of the hostility of the people to foreign control of prospective railways. And yet in spite of this hostility we publish this morning a summary of an agreement made by the Hongkong Government to lend £1,100,000 to the Chinese authorities to- wards the sum required for the re-purchase of the Hankow-Canton railway concession. The story at first seemed incredible for many reasons, but doubt Las been dispelled by the publication of the agree- ment in a Chinese semi official journal at Shanghai. A northern contemporary has expressed the opinion that this loan will undoubtedly have the effect of securing that British influence shall be paramount in the regions served by the railway. Very possibly it will, but it is interesting to note that though the Chinese acquire by this redemption a profitable line of railway running between Canton and Samshui, the security given for the loan does not include this or any other property of the railway company. The security offered and accepted is that of the opium revenues in the three pro- vinces of Hupeh, Hunan and Kwangtung through which the projected line will pass. We trust, however, that the Government has some assurance that the Chinese authorities will not rest satisfied with the redemption of the concession, but will without delay push vigorously on with the construction of the line which will open up regions of vast possibilities to the trade and commerce of the whole world, and in- cidentally, we hope, be to the considerable benefit of Hongkong. That the British Go- vernment bas departed from its traditional policy of leaving everything to private effort in China, so far as to permit the Government of Hongkong to make this loan, is a matter for sincere congratulation, for we regard it as an indication that the Government has at last acquired a grasp of the economic position in China. The fact is realised that those who control the railways will almost inevitably control the commercial future of the country, and though this loan by the Hongkong Govern- ment does not secure any control of the railway, it at least helps to remove the control from a combination whose policy would not in all likelihood leave the regions traversed by the line as free and open to British trade and commerce as they will be under the altered conditions.
HONGKONG'S RAILWAY LOAN.
CHIN A OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
(Daily Press 14th October). NEVER before probably in the history of our Legislative Council has a Bill sanction- ing the raising of any considerable sum of money been passed through its various stages without discussion, as was the Bill which, in the space of ten minutes, was read a first, second and third time in the Council Chamber yesterday, authorising the raising of a loan of Two Million Pounds sterling for defraying the cost of construction of the Hongkong section of the Canton-Kow- loon railway and "other railway purposes." The term "other railway purposes
refers to the re-purchase by the Chinese Govern- ment of the concession granted seven or eight years ago to an A merican syudicate for the making of a line of railway from Canton to Hankow, and certain short branch lines. H.E. the GOVERNOR, in a few disappointingly brief remarks at the meeting of the Council yesterday, said he did not think it would be to the public interest to dilate on the Agree- ment, the terms of which had already been published in the public press, nor necessary,
#
257
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was he'd at the Council Chamber yesterday
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, MAJOR
SIR MATTHEW NATHAN, K.C.M.G. ding the Troops).
Hon. Colonel C. H. DARLING, R E. (Comman-
Hon. Mr. T. SERCOMBE SMITH (Colonial Secretary).
Hon. Sir H. S. BERKELEY, K.C. (Attorney- General).
Hon. Mr. L. A. M. JOHNSTón (Colonial. Treasurer).
Hon. Mr. E. A. IVING (Registrar-General Master).
Hon. Mr. BASIL H. TAYLOR, R.N. (Harbour
Hon. Mr. W. CHATHAM (Director of Public Works).
Hon. Mr. R. SHEWAN,
Hon. Sir C. P. CHATER, C.M.G.
Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, M.B., C.M., C.M.G. Hon. Mr. GERSHOM STEWART. Hon. Mr. WEI YUK.
Hon. Mr. W. C. DICKSON.
Mr. A. G. M. FLETCHER (Clerk of Councils).
MINUTES,
The minutes of the previous meeting wer ead and confirmed.
STANDING COMMITTEES.
His EXCELLENCY-In accordance with stan-
ding orde: No. 47 I have appointed the following members of the Council with the bon, the committees Finance Committee-All the Colonial Secretary as chairman. Law Com- mittee-The bon. the Attorney General as chairman, and the hon. the Harbour Master the hon. Dr. Ho Kai, the hon, Mr. Shewan, and the hon. Mr. Wei Yuk as menibere. Public Works Committee-The bon, the Director of Public Works as chairman, and the hon. the hou. Mr. Dickson, and the hon. Mr. Gershom Colonial Treasurer, the hon. Sir Paul Chater, the Stewart as members.
as he had reason to believe the members of the Council had sufficient knowledge of the general principles guiding the policy of the Government in the matter. If that be so, the members of the Council must be in an exceptionally favoured position. The policy of the British Government in regard to affairs Chinese has evidently quite recently undergone remarkable change, and ita would be extremely interest ng to hear more about it. Probably we should have had to wait yet longer for the information we already have, bad not a Chinese journal in Shanghai, evidently having access to official archives, prematurely published the text of the agreement. The very palpable restraint shown by Hts EXCELLENCY vester day we take to re an in lication that the Chinese, to use the expressive phrase of com- mon parlance, have "given the show away.' But for this evidently unexpected publica tion of the Agreement it might have been assumed that the words "other Railway purposes" in the Ordinance had reference to the section of the Kowloon-Canton rail- way beyond the limits of British territory. It is to be regretted that Hrs EXCELLENCY, did not take advantage of the opportunity yesterday to make some announcement as to what progress, if any, is being m de with the negotiations for the making of that section of the Canton-Kowloon railway which will run through Chinese territory, and the only conclusion to be drawn from the very guarded utterance of the GOVERNOR is that, so far as the Kowloon railway is concerned, there is no immediate burry for the money. But the terms of the agreement regarding the re-purchase of the Canton-Haukow railway concession by the Chinese Govern- went, which we reproduced in our issue of yesterday, make clear the necessity for immediately raising the sum of £1,100,000, which the Hongkong Government has agreed to lend. An instalment of £400,000 is stated to have been paid to the Chinese authorities already; and this might be taken to indicate that His EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR is assured that no difficulty will be experienced in obtaining the money from London, China agreed to pay to the American-China Development Company, as an indemnity for the cancellation of the
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded. concession, the sum of $6,750,000 gold, you together for an extraordinary meeting to HIS EXCELLENYC-Gentlemen, I have called and the £1,100,000 which the Hongkong pass the Railways Loan Bill of 1905. This Government has agreed to lend to the Bill, in addition to authorising me to raise funds Chinese Government practically represents for the construction of the Hongkong section the full amount in English currency. All of the railway from Canton to Kowloon, is British subjects interested in the China connected with the agreement announced in question will recognise in this a
China Mail" of the 7th and the "South wise the
China Morning Post" of the 9th instant. It tud timely stroke of business, and. even those who can lay no claim to a sufficient here on the subject of that Agreement, the is not in the public interest that I should dilat anowledge of the new "principles guid-general terms of which have appeared in the ng the policy of the Government," may make a very shrewd guess at their purport. Next to the conclusion of the new alliance with Japan, the loan is one of the best efforts yet made by the British Government to keep the door in China open to the trade and commerce of the world.
We regret to learn from the Jup in Mail that Admiral R-zhdestvensky's condition is not at all satisfactcry. The wounds on his body are healed but that on his head is still open, and, there are plain evidences that the bone has been splintered. But as the wound is deep, reaching to the immediate neighbourhood of the brain, the surgeons cannot meddle with it. In addition to this the Admiral is attacked by gastric troubles from which he has long suffered. He is unable to move without assistance, and his legs are much swollen. If this last symptom comes from the heart, the Mainichi, states that Vice-Admiral Rozhdest- case is serious. A Tokyo message to the vensky has been promoted to the rank of Admiral.
FINANCIAL.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY moved that. the minutes Nos. 43 to 48 be referred to the Finance Committee.
The COLONIAL TREASURER reconded, and
the motion was agreed to.
RAILWAY LOANS.
The ATTORNEY-GENEBAL-I rise to ask leave to introduce and read for the first time a bill entitled An Ordinance for raising the sum of Two Million Pounds by loan for the purpose of defraying the cost of a Railway from Kow. loon and for other railway purposes.
public press, nor is this necesssary as I have reason to believe honourable members have sufficient knowledge of the principles guiding the Government's policy in the matter. The amount included in the Bill makes ample pro- It is only an authority for me to raise funds as vision for the expenditure it is intended to cover occasion requires, and I will see that you are informed when any loan is actually raised on that authority.
The motion was agreed to.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I rise to move that standing order No. 38 be suspended in order to move the second reading of this Bill. The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded and the motion was agreed to.
The ATTORNEY GENERAL-I rise now to move that this Bill be read a second time. The reasons which have lead to its introduction have been stated by His Excellency to the House, as well as the reason why the Bill should be passed into law at once.
At The the preamble to obviate the necessity of my objects of the Bill are sufficiently set out in taking up the time of this Council in explans- tion sas to the details of this Bill. It has long
>
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.