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all, it is obvious that we must keep ourselves out of the workhouse, and I am convinced that by re-organisation, without impairing the smiciency of our hospitals, expenditure can be very considerably reduced. On the Sanitary Department, oras it might more aptly be termed, Hongkong's curse, there is an expenditure of 8454,229, the principal items of which are under the heading of personal emoluments. On the Sanitary Staff the expenditure is $184,887; on the Veterinary Staff, $29,603; on the Plague Staff, $55,165; on allowances of various kinds, coolies' wages and uniforms, $28,028; a total of $242,683. It will be seen the Plague staff is but a small proportion of the whole. The sum of $454,229 is without doubt but a fraction of what this department causes the Colony to spend on what are often useless and unnecessary alterations or repairs certainly not wanted by the landlord nor desired by the tenants. I am aware the Sanitary Department is engaging the attention of a commission, and their investigation will. I trust, result in a large saving of the public funds. In Public Works the decreased expenditure is, Your Excellency states, due to the higher rate of exchange, but I cannot find any other decrease made although the amount of work is less. I do not wish, Sir, to take up any more time of this Council by dealing with the other headings of expenditure, bat I think I have made it clearly plain that in my opinion here is great room for retrenchment.
If my oriticisms on the expenditure which are made in all good faith, result in a small saving to the Colony, I shall feel more than amply rewarded for having undertaken this most uncongenial task.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY, PRESS AND
Hon. Dr. Ho KAI-I do not propose to add to the remarks of my hon, colleagues as they have fully covered the whole extent of the ground, There is only one point to which I wish to refer. I was very sorry indeed to hear from my hon. friend on the right that there is no hope of the Chamber of Commerce coming to the aid of the Government on that most important question, the speedy erection of a typhoon shelter. The reason advanced by my hon. friend was that it was acknowledged to be the principle all over the world that dues' should not be levied on shipping for the purposes of general revenue. Now, this typhoon refuge is not being erected for the purposes of general revenue. It is a special kind of work which the recent disaster has emphasised as being most necessary, and I think, notwithstanding the refusal of the Chamber of Commerce to aid the Government, that the Government should &t once devise mean 8 for the erection of this refuge. It seems to me, taking the recent calamity into account and the fact that the warning was given hour or an hour beforehand, although it might have been given earlier by the Observatory, it would not, under the present circumstances, have saved many of the bosting people from disaster; because considering the long stages of water many of them had to cover, the chances are that few would have reached the refuge. It would be much better in future if a couple of hours' notice were given to them to allow them time to proceed safely to the refuge, and then a refuge of similar size to that at Causeway Bay should be erected in the Western district near Kennedytown close to the vacant place where they are now in the habit of landing eattle. In that case if only short notices were given to the boating people, they would have time to reach the refuge nearest them; that is to say, those harbour bosts at Konnedytown would not have to make a long journey to the east, and perhaps be overtaken by the storm. Then, also, it would be easier for those boats working in the middle of the harbour to cut across to Samshuipo or Monkoktani and obtain shelter, provided there were havens there. I feel strongly on this point, and hope the Government will, either by means of a loan or otherwise, undertake the work at once. It will give confidence to the boating population, and will be very much appreciated by the whole of the Chinese community, especially the floating population. I urge the necessity of this work not only on the grounds of expediency, but on the grounds of humanity. I am sure Your Ex cellency will, after the experience of the last ten days, give the attention to this question it deserves.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC Works-Sir, in ↑ the course of remarks made by my hon. friend opposits he touched upon a few points which concerned public works. Ooo matter he referred to was the concrete at Blake Pier, which be described as being something like a pond. I cannot think, Sir, the condition of the surfacing is quite so bad as he represents it to be. He must be perfectly well aware that where ground has been reclaimed from the sea as that has been during the past few years there must be a settlement and for the sake of a settlement of an inch or so in certain parts of it, it would seem rather extravagant to go and reconcrete that surface simply to get rid of a few small pools. He also made a proposal that the Government should consider the advisability of having two sets of building regulations. It is perhaps worthy of some consideration, but if you can make a set of r gulations for Chinese exclusively, and another set for European buildings exclusively you will probably omit other blocks of buildings. There are several that would require a third set of regulations to deal with them. In the matter of roads, my hon. friend characterised them as a disgrace. I would ask him if he had ever traversed the streets of London in the wet, and been spattered with mud from top to toe. Personally I consider the roads of this Colony are, generally speaking, in very good condition. He referred also to the condition in which the portion adjoining the tramline is maintained. I admit that for some part of the time in the early days of the tramway there were good grounds for com plaint, but I think that more recently the condition of the portion alongside the tramway track has been maintained in better condition and I hope that the fact, called forth by the remarks in this chamber, will act 88 80 incentive to the manager of the Tramway Company to make greater efforts to main tain the condition
(October 1, 1906.
put the cost at $37,252; even so he was woefully astray, as the cost is $90,000 a year, a süm of $58,000 under personal emoluments and about $32,000 under other charges. The hon. member's remarks about the Bbadghai polios refer to the cost of the fores in 1905. Unfortunately, I have gone into that very little, but I have paid more attention to the estimates for this year, and I find that they reckon this year to maintain 1,099 poliós, onll it 1.10-121 Europeans, 221 Indisus, 600 Übinese regular police, and apparently 14, European and 43 Chinese detectives. The budget cɔst of that is Tools 411,440, which turned into dollars is between $560,00 and $370,000. Putting it at 8560,000 you won't be very far wrong. Our budget for the police next year is 8543,816, call it $544,000. From that w must, in comparing the cast of our police with Shanghai, cut out altogether the cost of the water police for which they have no equivalent. Take $90,000 from $544,000, leaving $454,000, the cost of our land police. With that we maintain 785 men-114 Europeans, 316 Indians, and 311 Chinese, so that they håre, roughly speaking, 315 more men than we have, (and the cost to Shanghai is $102,000 more to maintain. Roughly they maintain three- eighths more men that we do at an extra cost of about two-ninths. There is no doubt that our police cost more per head than theirs do, but not so much as the hon. member on my left makes out. The reason for this is apparent on the face of it. Their force is largely made up of Chinese, who are very much cheaper than Europeans and Indians. They have 121 Europesus while we have about 131. It is very necessary we should have plenty of Europeins here because of the large number of stations we have scattered all over the Colony. Shanghai is more or less 8 compact place, very of the road for which flat sad with excellent roads, so that he is responsible. My hon. friend on the left it is possib'e to concentrate the whole remarked that no reduction bad been shown force in about twenty minutes in the most in the estimates for public works, though remote part of the settlement. We have as the work to be carried out by the Department | ma y as 35 station scattered all over the is shown to be somewhat less next thin this place and at nearly every one its necessary year. With regard to that he has perhaps that we should have a Eurapean in charge, overlooked the fact that under main- And so it comes about we must have plenty terance the estimate is increased $28,000 of Europe ns. 'the same remar s apply to a in next year's estimates. In Public Works reat extent to Indians. Extraordinary the es imales show a decrease
Owing to the numerous stat ons in the New Territory, and which, speaking from memory, is some- the different villages, we must keep plenty thing over a quarter of a million. Of that of Indians, the rest being made up of Chinese. amount $150,000 is due to the resumption of The only way we cou'd save money w uld be insanitary properties. The matter does not to en age more Chinese i plac of Indians. call for any great amount of engineering work We might save a little money in that way as regards the great expenditure of money. I because hnese are cheaper than Indians, would also point out, Sir, that there are many but I am not in favour of it. I don't think it questions affecting public works which must be would be a good policy to adopt, and I do not considered in connection with the construction myself see how we can expect to cut down any of railway, for which no expenditure appears in expenditure on the police. the public works' estimates. I would also point out to my hon. friend that during recent years it has been necessary for the Government to call in a great deal of outside assistance to enable large works in progress to be carried oat. The Kowloon Water Works were carried out under the supervision of Messrs. Denison, Ram and Gibbs, who have also been engaged as architects for the new Post Office, and the designs of the Law Courts have been prepared by a firm in England. Several other works of a minor character were also carried out u.der the supervision of outside! foremen. It is hoped, Sir, that it may be possible to dispense with a great amount of outside assistance in the future; but, of course, it will be necessary, if that is to be done, and if works which hon. members ho have spoken request should be undertaken on the basis of a loan, it will be necessary still further to increase the personnel of the Public Works Department. Hon. Mr. WEI YUK-I wish to any a few words in support of my colleague's address. I hope the Government will give serious consideration to the question of speedily erecting a typhoon refuge. I think Chung shawan or Mongkoktaui are the only safe places for the erection of such a shelter.
The CAPTAIN SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE —A word, Sir, as to the remarks which fell from the hon. member on my left regarding the police. There is a very great difference between Hongkong and Shanghai in the matter of police. Here we have to maintain a water police, which is a very expensive item. He
HIS EXCELLENCY-Dealing in the first in- stance with the remarks of the hon Dr. Ho Kai and the hon, Mr. Wei Yuk, I will at once inform the Council that I shall endeavour to start the typhoon shelter in the coming year (applause). I believe it is absolutely necessary. It will take some time to decide on the best site and a satisfactory design. In the meantime I will consider how the necessary expenditure can best be met. I do not intend to raise a loan for the purpose in spite of what has fallen from the hon. Mr. Gresson on this subject. He said it was inexplicable that I should be averso to a loan. I thought I had explained my ressons at some length at the meeting on the 18: instant. It is not necessary to repeat what I then said but I will meet one of the arguments that is commonly used in favour of a loan. People say-"Why should we pay for what will benefit coming generations ?** I do not think that is a fair way to put it. We should pay for what will benefit the next generation in the same way as the past genera tion paid for the benefits which the present generation enjoy (Applause). There is no Bnality about any of our public works. remember having been told that when the Tyłam waterworks were under construction, it was considered not only that that was the final word which had to be raid on the subject of water supply, but also that the works were far in excess of any probable future requirements They were called Price's white elephants. Since these works were completed, the Tytam byewash with 26,000,000 gallons have been added to our
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