324
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of
the Hongkong Legislative Council was held on the 23rd instant in the Council Chamber.
PRESENT:-
HIS EXCELLENCY THE OFFICER ADMINI- STERING THE GOVERNMENT, HOD. Mr. F. H. MAY, C.M.G.
MAJOR-GENERAL R. G. BROADWOOD, C.B.,
A.C.D.
Hon. Mr. A. M. THOMSON(Colonial Secretary). Hon. Mr. H. H. J. GOMPERTZ (Attorney- General).
Hon. Mr. C. McI. MESSER (Colonial Trea- surer).
Hon. Mr. W. CHATHAM (Director of Public Works).
Hon. Mr. A. W. BREWIN (Registrar- General).
Hon. Mr. F. J. BADELEY (Captain-Superin- tendent of Police).
Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, M.B., C.M., C.M.G. Hon. Mr. WEI YUK.
Hon. Mr. H. E. POLLOCK, K.C.
Hon. Mr. E. A. HEWETT.
Hon. Mr. W. Osborne.
Hon. Mr. H. KESWICK.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
The COLONIAL. SECRETARY 8econded, and ↑ licentiates in the Colony.
1 the motion was agreed to.
The Council then went into Committee to consider the Bill seriatim.
When the Council resumed,
[May 27, 1907.
I think that, thanks are due to the gentlemen who devoted a great deal of their valuable time in the past to the advancement of the object for which this College is founded,
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that the and those gentlemen who continue to do so, Bill be referred to the Law Committee.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
MARRIED WOMEN'S PROPERTY ORDINANCE.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of An Ordinance to amend the Married Women's Property Ordinance, 1906.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
even although at the present time some of them receive a very small remuneration, as the hoo. gentleman who moved the second reading mentioned. I would like to say, at the same time, that I don't think anyone bas done more for the College than has the mover of the present motion (applause).
The motion was agreed to. 3 Council then resolved itself into a committee
The Council then resolved itself into of the whole Council, and considered the Committee to consider the Bill seriatim.
When the Council resumed,
His Excellency reported that the Bill had passed through Committee with minor
alterations.
PROBATES' ORDINANCE AMENDMENT. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second rrading of the Bill entitled An Ordinauce to amend the Probates' Ordinance, 1887.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded. The Conocil went into committee to consider the Bill seriatim.
When the Council resumed,
bill, clause by clause.
Un resuming, HIS EXCELLENCY reported that the Bill had passed through committee without amendment.
The bill was then read a third time, passed, and became law.
HIS EXCELLENCY-Council stands adjourned until this day week.
FINANCE COMMITTEE.
A meeting of the Finance Committee was then held, the Colonial Secretary presiding.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-About the Appropriation Bill for 1906, I am glad to say
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that the Bill there is only one item instead of many which
Mr. A. G. M. FLETCHER (Clerk of Connoils). be read a third time.
MINUTES.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read, and confirmed.
NEW MEMBERS.
Major-General R. G. Broadwood and Mr. H. Keswick took the oath and assumed their seats as members of the Council.
FINANCE.
The COLONIAL SECRET. RY, by command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, laid on the table the report of the proceedings of the Finance Committee meeting, held on the 16th May, 1997, and moved its adoption.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion' was agreed to.
PAPERS.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, laid on the table the report of
the Superintendent of Prisons for the year 1906, and a statement showing the estimate of expenditure on the Kowloon- Canton Railway up to December, 1907.
The DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS. by command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, laid on the table a report of the proceedings of the Public Works Committee, No. 1.
THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY--I beg to move the following resolution: "It is hereby resolved that a sum of two million four hundred and thirty-eight thousand dollars ($2,438,000) be advanced out of funds in the custody of the Government for the purposes of construction of the Kowloon-Canton Railway (British section) during the year 1907." It is possible, Sir, that members of Council may wish to ask questions about this. I suggest that the resolution be not put to the meeting to-day, but that it should be referred to the Finance Committee.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded. HIS EXCELLENCY-I think that would be the most convenient method to adopt, gentlemen.
Members agreed, and the motion was carried.
VALIDITY OF A JUDGE'S DECISIONS. The ATT RNKY GENERAL moved the second reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinance to remove doubts as to the validity of the proceed. ings of the Supreme Court of this Colony during the time that Alfred Gascoyne Wise, Esquire, held the office of Puisne Judge of such Court from the 25th day of June 1902 down to the present time.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded. There being no objections, the Bill was read a third time, aud b-came law.
HONGKONG COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. The Hon. Dr. Ho KAI moved the second reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinance for the incorporation of the Hongkong College of Medicine. In doing so he said: I may be permitted to say a few words showing the objects and reasons for this bill, The Hongkong College of Medicine, as is probably known to all hon. members, was established some twenty years ago, being first founded in the year 1887. It has been carried on by a number of professional men, recruited mostly from the Civil Service, from the army and the Navy, and from the professional gentlemen practicing the medical profession in this Colony. From the very beginning, besides $1,000 which had been very generously granted to us by the committee of the Tung Wa Hospital, the chairman of which at the time was my hon. collague opposite, we had no funds at all at the disposal of the College, and with this $1, 00 to begin with we had to purchase all the necessary books, and models, and diagrams, and specimens that we required. For fifteen years we had only to look to fees we received from students to support the institution and to meet its various expenses. 4 the lecturers gave their services gratis, voluntarily and honourably >ome tive or six years ago the Government were very generous in coming to our aid with an annual amount of $2,500, and since then a gentleman by the name of Trng Couk-kai, who died at the end of last year, very
with geuerously endored us
a bequest of something like 8:0,000 to meet the expenses of the College. Aul it is to enable the College to acquire this property, and to be able to manage now the fund is placed under its control, that this Ordinanca is necessary, may also mention that in a short time we hope, by some Chinese mercbants, to be able to get the College built upon the land which has been very graciously reserve for us by the Government. And I would hope also that when the College is built there will be an endowment fund which will be contributed by wealthy merchants of Hong- koug, both European and Chinese. In that
case
we shall then, by this Ordinance, be enabled to receive the property. These are the objects and reasons for this Ordinance, and, I am sure, the hon. members of this Cour cil all will be glad to see the College, which is a useful institu- The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and tion in this Colory now about to be established the motion was agreed to.
and placed on a permanent basis.
The Council then went into committee to consider the Bill seriatim.
When the Council resumed, His EXCELLENCY reported that the Bill had passed through committee with several verbal alterations.
BILLS OF EXCH NGE ORDINANCE.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL Moved the second reading of the Bill enctitled an Ordinance to amend the Bills of Exhange Ordinance, 1885,
Į
Hon. Mr. WET YUK seconded the motion. His EXCELLENCY-1 should like to take this opportunity of saying that in my opinion there is perhaps no more useful institution in the Colony thau this Hongkong College of Medicine. I have the honour to be a rector of the College, and I wish I were not for the moment, bcause then I should feel quite free to eulogise the work that has already been done and is being done by the College, and by its
|
seems rather large. The statement of expendi ture during the year 1906 on page 29 will show the explanations.
Hau. Mr. FOLLOCK-What is the loss on subsidiary coins?
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-It does not say here, but I think it is something like $390,000.
The Bill was passed. The
next
COLONIAL SECRETARY-The matter before the Committee is the resolution to expend $2,438,000 for the const: uation of the You will see from the statement laid railway. before the Council the amount spent last year, and the amount estimated for the present year. Hon. Mr. POLLOCK-The total brought forward is the amount expended in 1906?
total
'The
COLONIAL SECRETARY-The amount spent in 1906.
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK-I cannot make the totals quite agree.
F
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-So far as I con make out from the statement, the debits must be subtracted from the first column, and the result added to the total of the third columu. You will then find it is the same as the grand total.
The resolution was agreed to. The Finance Committee then adjourned.
COMP NIES.
A. S. WATSON AND CO., LD.
The twouty-second annual ordinary general meeting of shareholders in Messrs. A. S. Watson and Co.. Ld.. was held at the offices of the Company in Alexandra Buildings on the 25th May. Mr. H. Humphreys presided, other shareholders present being Sir Paul Chater and Mr. H. P. White (Consulting committee), Mr. J. A. Tarrant (Secretary), and Mes-rs. D. E. Clark and E. C. Lane.
The SECRETARY read the notic convening the meeting.
The CHAIRMAN said Gentlemen,-The report and statement of accounts having been in your hands for some days, I will, with 'The total your permission, take them as read. net profits for the year amount to $102,366.03 as against $125.408.59 for the previous year ;' showing a falling off of $23,042.56. In our report last year on the working for 1905 we stated that we had benefited to some extent from the continued high rate of exchange but that business during the latter half of year was depressed. During 1906
the the
rates of exchange have ruled very much higher, the average rate for 1906 being approximately 2/13, as against 1:11 for 1905; and whilst on the one hand the company has had the advantage of the increased par- chasing power of the dollar, on the other, it has had to meet, or rather anticipate, the reasonable demand of the public in correspondingly reducing prices. So that the benefits accruing from the high exchange are very doubtful. There has been a continued and increased depression in trade in Hongkong and throughout China
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