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The motion was carried.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND Pabllo Works should at once have some money expenditure. I understand from that Your Er with which to do the most urgent work. Finan-cellency refers to the postponement of certain cial Minute No. 69 includes $3,000 on account public works. That might be necessary at the of other miscellaneous services to cover the moment, but these could not be postponed in losses due to discount on subsidiary coinage definitely. We know there are public works of received by the Treasurer. The minute also great magnitude which are urgently required. includes an item of $7,000 for refunds of revenue As time goes on, and probably before these on secount of vacant houses. The remailing works are completed, the Colony may find itself three financial minutes deal with small sams, and in a position called upon to spend large sums sufficiently explain the purposes for which they of money on other public works of which are required.
We have at the present до cognizance. That being so, it is inadvisable to pile up public works for an indefinite period. There is one point with regard to retrenchment which might be overlooked; that is the question of the cost of administration and the personal emoluments of the Colony, but I will refer to the latter. I will now proceed, Sir, to make such remarks as occar to me, taking the points referred to in your speech dr 13th September. Your Excellency made rome remarks with regard to subsidiary coinage. I think there are several members in this Chamber who remember a good many years ago a very urgent demand made by the whole Colony for the Government not only to issue but to considerably increase the issue, of subsidiary coins. The Governor of that day, either Sir William Des Voeux or Sir William Robinson, refused to increase the issue of
A TRADE MARKS ORDINANCE. The ATTORNEY GENERAL-I ask leave, Sir, to introduce and read for the first time a bill entitled "An Ordinance to consolidate and amend the Law relating to Trade Marks", and that the title shall be deemed sufficient for the purposes thereof.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was carried,
THE LAW OF EVIDENCE. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I rise, Sir, to ask permission to introduce and read for the first time a bill entitled "An Ordinance to Amend the Law of Evidence", and that the title be deemed sufficient for the purposes thereof.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and
the motion was carried.
THE ESTIMATES.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY moved the second reading of a bill entitled An Ordinance to apply a sum not exceeding five million two hundred and two thousand one hundred and thirty-five dollars to the Public Service of the year 1907. The Colonial Treasurer seconded.
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their
subsidiary coins although urged to do so, At that time subsidiary coinage was very scarce; because, just as fast as the coins were minted, they disappeared into China. I don't see that any steps taken by the Hongkong Government could have prevented the exports ton from Hong- kong of subsidiary oinage. It has been prac- Hon. Mr. HEWETT-Your Excellency, I under-
tically forced upon the Hongkong Government stand it is the custom to offer the unofficial
to issue between four and five million sterling members of the Council an opportunity of
of subsidiary coins, the greater part of which passing such criticisms as may occur to them
has been absorbed in Southern China. Had and appear desirable on the budget appropria-
they not continued 10 issue, Do tion for the year, and I will endeavour to make
doubt business would have been seriously my remarks as brief as possible, We all know
crippled. Your Excelle: cy referred to the the budget has been to a certain extent upset by
point that the Chinese an unfortunate falling off in revenue which
Government had learned a lesson and had occurred at the last moment, and consequently
now begun to over issue subsidiary coins on it was necessary, so we understand, to revise this
own account. It appears to me that the budget so to speak at the eleventh hour. Under the circumstances we have occasion to congratu-
profits made on subsidiary coins by all Governments in all parts of the world are late ourselves that Your Excellency was able to
so well known that no object lesson you may put such a satisfactory budget before the com.
have offered to the Viceroy of the Two Kwang munity as you have done. The unofficial members teel they are deeply indebted to Your
would have had any effect. I speak with Excellency for the lucid explanation which you strenuously urged the Government to increase per.onal knowledge of the time when we so gave and which helped us very much in our con. sideration of the budget. The first remark I would referred to the question of tree cutting. It is a the issue of subsidiary coius. Your Excellency venture to make with regard to Your Excellency's budget is that it is satisfactory, looking upon it very small matter. Still there was sometime as a temporary budget. I may venture however ago a good deal of feeling aroused by talk about to say it has not dealt with one point which has cutting trees in the Colony. We understand that as the trees die it is advisable to thin them impressed itself very much upon the unofficial
out, but we trust this will be done with a tender members; that is, we know that our revenue is hand, and that the picturesque beauties of our a somewhat ephemeral one. We have had an
island will not be interfered with. There is indication lately that we may suddenly bave to
another small point to which I would like to face a large falling off of that revenue. We believe there are reasons to fear that in the refer that ie the payment of $2,400 a year to the police for the supervision of shroffs' future-in a few years time-we may see a still
accounts. Bo far 88 I am aware, no further decrease in the price of the Opium public statement has been made with regard to Farm. It is also a debateable point whether the defalcations to which Your Excellency another leading source of revenue, the land referred, and we trust that bears no relation to sales, will be maintained. On that point there is a difference of opinion among the unofficial
the permanent increase in the cost of the police members. We feel that it is very evident that
of $2,400. I speak of course as an outsider; I do not know the details. the revenue is stationery, possibly a declining checking shroffs' accounts cannot be a very It seems to me that ове. In the next year there may be important public works to be carried out, and it is important mater, and this seems a large sum to necessary that these should not be postponed. allowance for fire alarms and despatch boxes, I pay for work of that sort. With regard to the The question of deferring public works to
am sure the vote for this purpose will be most balance the budget is a policy which can only cordially endorsed by the community. We only be followed for a year or so at the most. Your trust that the fire alarms will be shortly spread Excellency has suggested three alternatives in order to balance the budget for the coming
through the Colony, including Kowloon and the Peak. The question of cancelling the purchase year. One was raising a loan; another increas-
of an extra fire float seems a sound one. I can- ing taxation and the third, retrenchment. In
not see any real necessity for a second fire flost. consultation with my unofficial colleagues I found there was some difference of opinion with
It is quite true that at any moment a serious fire may occur, and the Government of the day regard to the question of loans. Personally, I
be blamed. Speaking for many years, I cannot hold the opinion that the policy which Your Excellency has advocated, and which has been Hongkong in which the float might have been remember any really serious fire taking place in followed by your predecessors, is a sound one; used, since the great fire which took place on that is to say not to raise a loan unless it is Christmas 1878. With regard to education absolutely forced upon us. In the existing there is again a difference of opinion amongst financial condition of the Colony I believe my.
the unofficial members. self a loan is unnecessary. With regard to
We can only trust increased taxation, of course nobody would is now making, and which on the face of it that the experiment which Your Excellency advocate that, or approve of it. It might, however, be forced upon us later on. The third certainly appeals to me as one interested in a small way in education, to be a good alternative is retrenchment, curtailment of
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one,
&
[October 1, 1906. will be successful, and
the result will be watched with great earnestnes», As to the Volunteers, I would only refer to them because I am quite sure that the general feeling of the community, and one of Imperial interest, is that any reasonable vote which is to be accorded the Volunteers will be gladly agreed to. The only point on which we may express regret is that the younger members of the community do not avail themselves of the opportunity of fitting themselves as proper citizens of the British Empire (applause). It is satisfactory to know that in spite of the poor state of the finances, the work of the Post Office and the Law Courts can be continued, and that Your Excellency has devided to commence work on the large Tytam reservoir. That isvery argoutly required. Had it not been for the recent storms which have un- fortunately caused so much damage, we probably would have found ourselves in difficulties. That work might possibly be completed by the issue of a loan. $200,000 is to be spent next year on the work, and it is satisfactory to find that such a sum can be provided from current revenue. Something was said with regard to $20,000 proposed to be spent on Blake pier. Even in the hardest times all human beings like A little luxury, and the improvements to Blake pier may be looked
ав upon little luxury. I trust that when this work
is the concret ng. At the approach the concrete commenced attention will be paid to has sunk, and during wet weather a pond is formed there through which people have to wade on approaching or leaving the pier. Another question is the resumption of insanitary properties. The unofficial members agreed that it was absolutely necessary to cancel that propos- ed expenditure of $150,000. One of the reasons which we understood induced the Government to arrive at this decision, was that the large amount of property already resumed could not be sold. It appeared that seeing the Colony had to face a loss on this resumption, it would be better to sell the property at any price which could be obtained now, and that money thus obtained be devoted towards the purchase of fresh property, because it is clear if property has depreciat- ed, now is the time to buy. If the Government wants to buy property ought to be able to buy cheaper now. There is another point to which I would like to Excellency. refer although not mentioned by Your I unde: stand that the original resumption of insanitary property was that proposal made by Sir Henry Blake for the in time the insanitary part of Hongkong should be rebuilt. That was approved of at the time. It appears to me something more should be done: it is impossible to rebuild Hongkong on different lines. We have Kowloon which is still fairly vacant. I firmly believe that in the next ten years or so we shall see a great part of the Peninsula covered with buildings, and 1 would venture to suggest that we should have two sets of building regulations,
one for storied Chinese houses. Overcrowding is largely European houses and the other for the two
due to the fact that we have forty or fifty people crowded together in one house. In Hongkong we have four or five times the population to the acre than that found in an overcrowding appears to be to inaugurate a English city. The only way to reduce that cheap form of house. Such a house as I have very paying. One family, or at most two, could in my mind is from an investor's point of view
share one house, and consequently they would obtain that privacy of which they complain they have been deprived by the abolition of cubicles. For several years I was on the Municipal Conn- cil at Stangbai, which had two forms of build. ing regulations, one for foreign houses and one for Chinese houses. I know the system there resulted in very great good, and I think if the Government here could see their way to adopt some such system it would have a very good Excellency referred to the necessity for this, effect. With regard to the typhoon shelter Your
suggest that the Chamber of Commerce might which is admitted by all. You also went on to see their way to suggest a means of raising funds. I am sorry to say the Chamber of Excellency's suggestion. For many years it Commerce do not see their way to meet Your has been strongly urged by all those interested 'in shipping that tonnage and light dues should ·
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