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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
211
October 5, 1907.] incurred any expenditure. The Branch Post ed that members were not in a position to judge made the bargain and a law to that effect was Office at Wanchai, it has also been decided to how the estimate was arrived at. It certainly duly passed through this Council with every postpone. With regard to Blake Pier, an has not been the custom to give hon. members publicity. Subsequently it was again suggested indeat has gone home for the necessary mate- detailed estimates, nor do I think it would be a rial to erect a covering, bat it is not expect-prudent course to adopt. Regarding the dredg
that perhaps the Colony would prefer to pay ed that it will be received in time to be erecteding of Causeway Bay, it has been before the lieu of 171 per cent, and the rather indefinite
a fixed percentage of its revenue, 20
per cent in during the current year. As to the resuming Council on previous occasions. The estimate annual contribution to the fixed defences. That and filling in of the fish pond at Taipo, the showed that the cost was so very great that it proposal commended itself to the representatives necessary resumption has been o rried out, but was decided not to do anything with it. The of the community, and a law embodying it was it has been decided to employ the funds inten- paving of our streets is a mere question of duly passed, and under that law we have been ded on works of greater importance. In place money. It was intended to include in this paying, and I think on the whole cheerfully of these works we have undertaken the building year's estimates a small sum of money for laying paying, 20 per cent of our revenue of a slaughter house and animal depot at Kow- down wood paving in Icshouse Street. That, I contribute to that military contribution my. Now, Sir, loon at an estimated cost of $70,000. This was Sir, was struck out as the money was required self, and I think that every colonist in this rendered necessary on account of the railway for more urgent and important works. Colony ought to continue to contribute to the work. We now have undertaken the erection Ás I have already stated the Taipo military contribution cheerfully. It was only of officer's quarters at aipo, estimated to cost Land Office, one of the works appearing in over $2,000. The extension of the medical
the other day when I was on leave that I was this year's estimates, is in progress. With living in the house of a brother of mine in Lon- staff quarters was rendered necessary by giving regard to the classification of the staff in the don. For every £100 of rent that he up the private nursing institute which has estimates, I would say that the mere statement found he paid no less than 47 golden sovereigns
pays
I been in vogue for sometime, and a consider. with regard to the Building Ordinance over- in rates and taxes. That is taxation with able amount of time has been devoted to the seers is not in any way peculiar. If hon. a vengeance! preparation of particulars with regard to the boat members will ook at the estimates they will see
I did not stop there long, and I went down to a very countrified part refuge on which my honourable friend at the that the subordinate staff is divided under of England in the County of Suffolk, “and head of the table has said a good deal. Coming the various heads in which they are employed, in one of its towns-they are pleased to now, Sir, to the works that are in progress, and the senior officers all appear under the call it a town, I would call it a village-I about which my hon. friend opposite stated that heading of engineer staff. The graves
reated a house and lived there for the best great delays had occurred, I would preface my in Happy Valley are now receiving part of a year. remarks by stating that according to records in
I found in that very certain amount of attention 83 my possession the Hotel Mansions were nearly keeping the headstones in order, and that paid, you were paying somewhere in the neigh. regards countrified place that for every £100 rent you six years in construction, and St. George's and will continue to be done. Some, unfort-bourhood of £25 per annum in rates and taxes. the Royal Building seven years. The founda-unately, are in such a condition that it would In my native city, Dublin, you have got to pay tions of the Law Courta was laid in July 1900, not be possible to restore them. My hon. friend about £30 in every £100, and these are the tax- and it is expected that it will be completed in at the end of the table referred to the perman- payers who would be mulcted in the difference 1910, or ten years from the date of commence. ence and grandeur of the public works in Hong- ment. The present contract was let in July kong. Well, Sir, I submit in that respect they of our revenue and whatever sum the hon. mem- between our present contribution of 20 per cent 1903. Some delay occurred, Sir, in conneo- are not peculiar. In every town, wherever you ber nominated by the Chamber of Commerce tion with that contract. When tenders go, public buildings are always prominent by would have that contribution reduced to. For were called for, the lowest that could be obtain. reason of their character, and I don't think it my part, Sir, rather than see the heavily bur ed from a reliable contractor was for $330,000. would appeal to the general public that our I could not see my way, Sir, to advise the buildings should be of the inferior class that be burdens cast upon them I would like to see the dened tax payers of Great Britain have further Government to let such a contract. After desires to introduce. As regards laying out the colonists of this Colony take some further some delay, in which an attempt was made to main roads at Kowloon, a former colleague of barden upon their own shoulders (hear, hear). carry out the work departmentally, a contract my hon. friend advocated making the roads 120 The hon. member, Sir, went on to speak about was let for $483,200, a saving of $146,8.0. feet wide, so it is obvious it is impossible to Even if the work has taken a little longer under please everybo1y.
what to me was a much more congenial subject, He stated that Gascoigne and it enabled me as an old fireman to transport that contract, I submit the delay is justified by Road was metalled from kerb to kerb. If that myself in imagination at the saving effected.
least, from the The buildings, Sir, can is so I was not before aware of it and have heard air of my office, which is next door, laden scarcely reasonably be compared to those it for the first time. I don't think that in the as it is with the scent of red tape, to the ex- surrounding, because it is of an entirely matter of this road any undue extravagance hilarating atmosphere which always pervades different character. The foundation is of stone has been perpetrated. with huge granite blocks from the top to the bot-
the scene when water, with puny man's in telligence at its back, does mighty battle with tom. Every surrounding with some slight ex-nominated by the Chamber of Commerce began the flaming hosts of fire. It is somewhat of ception the exception being imposed on the owners by the Building Ordinance as regards the use
ing in his vote for a land engine as against a a surprise Sir, to fiud the hon. member throw- of granite on the ground floor, is built of briok and plaster, and if the Colony desire, such
fating engine. I should have expected him, buildings can be erected at a much greater
as the representative of a great shipping in. terest to have vot d the other way. speed than granite buildings. The designs for the new buildings were prepared by eminent architects at home under instructions from the Secretary of State, and it cannot be said any body here was responsible for them. With regard to the Post Office the foundation contract was let in December 1903, and it is expected that the building will reach completioning the military contribution, was the Secre- in 1911, or eight years after it WBY undertaken. Comparing that, Bir with the surrounding buildings I don't see that there is much to cavil at. In the case of that building I venture to say that it is of a very superior class to those immediately surrounding it. The hon. member said there must be a great loss to the Government through the delay in selling land. I can only say in reply to that, that if land was available for sale at the present moment my advice to the Goverment wou'd be not to sell it as the time is not an opportune one for selling land in my opinion, and I don't see that the Gov-rument is suffering a great loss. As regards the preparation of building material, with the tools available here it is almost necessary to execute оп the site, otherwise the delay, I fear, would be greater than under the present system. Take the case of the Law Courts: the stones are not interchangeable to any extent, and occasionally happens when one stone gets damaged it is necessary to wait until another is brought across from the quarry. No obvious gain would result from a change from the present system to any other. As regards the draining of nullahs, that is a work that has been actively carried on for a good many years, and if the hon. member will refer to the estimates | he will see that a large expenditure has been incurred on it during the past year. Regarding the typhoon refuge, Bir, the hon. member stat-
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-Sir, the member
his interesting address by a reference to the military contribution, and he likened the ra- tepayers of this Colony to the victims of a money hungry highwayman-I presume the Secretary of State for the Colonies, who with pistol presented at the heads of these unfort- unate ratepayers, demanded and ordered them to pay 20 cents military contribution out of every dollar. Now, Sir, I venture to think that the picture is very much overdrawn, and having regard to the fact that the particular Eecretary of State who had to do with the question of fir-
tary of State under whose aegis I entered this service, the reference to him as a high- wayman rather grates upon my nerves. What are the facts, Sir? The contribution of this Colony towards the cost of the garrison was originally £20,000 per annum, plus a proportion of the annnal cost ot the permanent defences. After some years the contribution was raised to £40,000 a year, plus a proportion of the fixed defences, and soon after that happened the Imperial Government suggested to this Government that, if the com. munity of the Colony, as represented by the unofficial members of the Legislative Couno 1, were prepared to make the bargain, they would alter the permanent contribution of £40,00 a year plas a proportion of the annual cost of the fixed defences, to 17 per cent. of the revenue plus such proportion of the fixed defences. The question was very fully gone into, and the advice of the unofficial members was taken thereon. At that time 17 per cent of the revenue plus the estimated proportion of the cost of the fixed defences fell a good deal balow £40,000 plus such proportion, and the wisesores at the Coan oil table thought that the best thing they could do was to close with the offer, for apparently, although there was included amongst them a long-headed and very far-sighted man in the person of Sir Paul Chater, they did not anticipate that the revenue of the Colony would increase so much as it has done. Anyway, they'
necessary, I don't say it is!
Hon. Mr. Hawarr-If a land engine is
1
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-Is it possible that he is so tired of some of the vessels which his principals send out to deal with the China trade, that he would view with a certain equani- mity a holocaust of one or more of them in the harbour of Hongkong? Sir, this question of adding to our fire extinguishing appliances was raised in 1905. After careful consideration, and Brigade, it was decided that if any addition on the advice of the Superintendent of the Fire
were made it were best made in the form of a fire float. The question is one that interests the public, and I may perhaps be excused runn- ing over briefly the arguments in favour of a fire float as against an additional land engine. In the first place with a constant water supply there is no need for any pumping engine on land. With the rider main system laid down it is to be hoped we shall not often suffer any intermittent system, and with the Tytam Tak second section in view it is perfectly certain that in a few years we shall never suffer from an intermittent water supply. Therefore, Sir, any expenditure in addition to the land fire engines now, would inevitably become useless in a very short time. A floating fire engine is as good as a land engine in this Colony because the valuable buildings and godowns lie close
o the Prays and the floater
deal with them just as well and even better than a land engine. the fires in this town occur at or below the Ninety per cent of Queen's Road level, which can be served by a float engine as well as by a land engine. An- other argument, Sir, in favour of a new floater is that when you have only one foster it may be laid up when needed. At the present moment the floater is laid up, and if a fire occurred this
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