Jana 15, 1907.) accepted as an earnest of the fact that the Government propose to deal thoroughly and honestly with the report of the Commissioners. It would appear, gentlemen, recently what I may call the domestico-political atmosph re has been somewhat surcharged with electricity. It would seem as if the impression was abroad that the Government did not propose to deal in a sympathetic manner with the recommendations of the Commissioners, Now, gentlemen, I would beg to remind you that the report of the Commissioners criticises in a scathing manner a department for the administration of which the Government is more or less responsible. It fell to the lot of certain officers to reply to those criticisms and in their turn to criticise.
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It happened that the officers upon whom the duty fell represented the Rose, the Shamrock and the Thistle. Now, I need hardly remind you that if you roughly handle the rose or the thistle they are bound to prick you As for that innocent little plant, the shamrock, is it not the emblem of a race which is not accustomed to sit down silently under a grievance? The Government consider that in this matter they have somewhat of a grievance, for the report of the Commissioners charges them in fact with adopting an unsympathetic attitude on what I may call their plague policy towards the Chinese population. Well, gentlemen, having received a broadside from the Commissioners and having returned that broadside we are now only too anxious to consider in the most sympathetic manner the recommendations and suggestions which the Commissiouers have made. (Applause.) I indicated as much in the few remarks I made at the opening of this session but somehow or other these remarks seem to have been forgotten or in the heat of controversy they hate been discounted, A mongst the several re- commendations and suggestions by the Commis sioners there is one to which I would like to refer at some little length. That is the question of cubicles. Now, gentlemen, that is a most important subject, for it tonobes the living accommodation of the poorer classes of the Cinese community. I have daring the last few months, since my return from leave, devoted a great deal of time and a great deal of thought to this question. I bare studied it not in my office in an arm-chair but by going out into the town and revisiting blooks of houses with which I have been well acquainted during the last fourteen years owing to the opportunities offered to me while I was in the police, while I worked in two plague epidemics, and while I was a member of the Sanitary Board. The result of my inspection, I would like to say here, is that I find that the town as a whole is in far more sanitary conditon just now than ever I have known it before. I think that a great deal of credit for this fact is due to the Sanitary Board, to the officers who had the direct control of the sanitary staff, and to the sanitary staff itself, and las: but not least to the Chinese community who have learned to appreciate the value of keeping thoroughly clean their own domestic dwellings. But my inspection proved to me one thing, and that is that the existing law relating to cubicles has failed. (Hear, bear, and applause.) We hoped, gentlemen, those who sat around this table for many weeks considering that Ordinance, No 1 of 1903 and No. 23 of 1903, that by prohibiting oubioles in new houses we should force landowners to put up a more sani. tary type of dwelling. I may tell you that our hopes are woefully disappointed. The sort of thing that happens is this. Houses have to be rebuilt: architects send in plans to us showing the old deep funneled shaped type of house lighted fore and aft but not at the side with which we
are familiar. I received one of these plans not long ago myself and we wrote to the architect on behalf of the owner. We said we beg to remind you that when these houses are built cubicles will not be allowed on the floors. The architect wrote back in polite terms "you mind your own business, The cubicles are regulated by the law and we know the law as well as you.”
What will be the fate of those houses? The owner will let them to another men who will sub-let them by the floor. The lessees of the floors, if the floors are inhabited as tenement dwellings, will sub- let them to a number of different families.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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As soon as the families come in they will put, ap cubicles. In pector, down go the cubicles. Out goes the
comes the sanitary ins sanitary inspector up g the cubicles again. And so this kind of Sisyphean jagglery goes on. You never really get rid of these cubicles. After a time along comes an epidemio and some Europeans are attacked by the disense. There is au immediate outory what is the negligent | Government doing ? Why don't they clear out these hotbeds of disease?" The hotbeds are then cleared out, during which plague is obecked but trade An interval of some years elapes gets very bad and things are depressed. Then the sime people come forward and say "These Government offioi Is are well named blighters, for they blight the whole land by heir unreason- able regulations. Whoever hear of asking the Chinese families to live without onbioles ? the sordid story goes on to the end of the So chapter. Now, gentlemen, I am perfectly con- vinced that you will have this cubiole question with you as long as you live, unless you take steps to force the owners of property to put up sanitary houses in which cubicle like rooms can be built in which Chinese families can decently live I believe such can be done without loss, We have made proposals under which a larger number of people will be allowed to inhabit decen ly sanitary houses than were allowed under the old type. I am in great hopes that the com- munity as a whole will take this subject into their most serions consideration and try to arrive this time at some me. thod of dealing with this question which will really settle it once of all. It is a very serious matter and affects the prosperity of the Colony. Plague meaus loss of money, but there ar other epidemics of disease b-sides plagne to be thought of, and as long as an insanitary type of house is allowed to be built ad infinitum, one insanitary type of house to replace 80. other that has gone before it, there will never be any permanent improvement. Gea. tlenten, I have made these few remarks because I consider that of all the points that have been brought forward in the report of the Commission there is
no point which has a greater bearing on the prosperity of the Colony than this question of the bousing of the Chinese population.
The Hon. Mr. HEWITT -Your Excellency, with your permission I would like to make a few remarks in reply to what you have just said and also in regard to the paper laid on the table this afternoon. If I am not in order you will no doubt inform me of the fact and I will then give notice of what I propose to say later on,
There being no`reply,
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firms, asked a certain number of architects to bill. This was done. These landowners subse- make a report, paragraph by paragraph on this quently forwarded a petition to the Governor dated 28th September, 1902, enclosing a copy of the report of these architects. In the drift bill paragraph 170, which is now par- graph 175, one of the most contentious in the existing Ordinauce, contained reference to open spaces if these words "by the owner" were interp-lsted (reads) The criticism'by the committee wa‹ that
Beotion 175, now section 18 of the existing then compensation must be insisted up a. Ordinance, also spoke of compensation with regard to back lanes and so forth. As originally drafted no provis on was mad for compensation but on the r presentations of certain property owners words were incorporated in subsection 3
of compensation to be paid to the owner should be section 175 (now 18°) providing that the am ant determined by arbitration At the time Mr. Hooper wrote the letter, December 3rd, 1902, it was only about six weeks after the petition had been forwarded to the Governor-that was
the Cou cil-ia before the final draft had been passed by any cass about a month before that bill became law. Mr. Hooper in writing to Sir Henry Blake referred to the perfect y true that he made use of the words same question of compensation and it was
quoted by your
in Excellency memorandum. (Reads) Mr. Hooper tells me your that when he wrote that letter through
a misconception which he regrets, he was not thoroughly conversant with the now Bill before it was fually passed. When he wrote that letter he was ander the impression adopted the recommendations put forward in tha the Government bad honestly and loyally the report which had been drawn up at the instance of the landowners. That Mr. Hooper's explanation. I think it is only right that your Excellency should have given me, as you have done, the opportunity of making a per- sonal explanation in this chamber in view of the great publicity and attached to
considerable weight the letter of Mr. She ton Hooper, which he tells me Was written under a misapprehension. He would not have written what he did had he realised that the com- pensation which owners had so strongly insisted eliminated or rather had not been adopted. on upon and was only their just dus had been
This is
make it.
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thank Your Excellency for allowing me to the explanation and I bag to I do not think that it was quite right that the Government should take advantago and make capital out of a letter written in moment of misconception by a geetle- man who had some five years later ben a mem- ber of the Commission. With regard to Your The Hon. MB. HEWETT continued-Your Excellency's remarks generally I can only say Excellency has spoken generally on the wording
that no doubt there will be full opportunity of the report. I can only say as a member of given to honourable members before long to dis- this Council and of the late Commission
cass the report and the papers bearing upon it. I am only too glad to receive the assurances that the recommendations which presumably this afternoon in detail to what Your Excellency That being so it is quite unnecessary to reply were made in the interests of the community has said. There is one point however to which I at large will receive the fullest possible sympathy must refer. We gratefully accept the assurance of the Government. There are a few points by Your Excellency that the Government are to which I would like to refer. is the paper No. 24. 8
The first prepared to receive the report in a sympatha. copy of which has
tic manner, I trust that that will be proved been laid on the table and which includes a by facts but I can only say that judging by the copy of the letter dated 3rd December, 1902, official papers which have been laid before this addressed to His Excellency Sir Henry Council I fail to see any real sympathy on the Blake by Mr. Shelton Hooper. That letter, part of the Government towards this report. as your Excellency will remember, was specially the gen lemen who collaborated with me in referred to in your niemorandum on the report of this report and myself speat a great deal of the Commission. Considerable attention was
time-far longer than we had any idea of when directed in that memorandum to the statements we were called upon to sot, amounting to nearly then made by Mr. helton Hooper. Having been a member of the Commission, of which he was also a member, I very naturally asked him how it came about that he had signed, along with other members of the Commission, the recommendations which were contained in the body of report in view of that letter. Mr. Hooper explained to me that the letter was written under a mis- apprehension, consequently what I am about to say takes the form of a personal explanation oa behalf of him as one of my colleagues on the late Commission. I trust I shall be allowed therefore on behalf of Mr. Hooper to make an explanation showing that he has been perfectly consistent throughout in what he has written. As Your Excellency will remember when thedraft bill No. 1 of 19 3 was put before the public the principal landowners in Hongkong, including about twelve
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year-in seriously considering one of the most important questious that has arisen in this Colony for a great number of years and which practically affects not only the Government but every single resident Clearly therefore when suck sa important question was brought up there should be no question of parochial, or party politics or whatever you like to call it. It should be the sincers wish of all those engaged in con- sidering the report to treat it in the most "ympathetic manner and try to arrive at a con- cla-ion which will bring about the end to which I am sure all the officia and non-official m-mbers are working, that is the very best interests of the Colony in which we are situated. That bdag o I must say with all due respect that I regret Your Excellency should have made use of the word abuse.
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