Jaly 25, 1908.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
any other, and frequently are. Therefore, has been employed at the Natal Extension where you have transferable services there must Works by Messrs. Panchard, Lowther and Co. of necessity be some uniformity. The Secre- The work is now finished and we purchased her tary of State after, as my hon. friend said, at £15,000, say $170,000. It is estimated that most searching investigation and full advice, as the vessel oost about £30,000, and we calculate guardian of the interests of this Colony not that when we have done with her we will be only for the moment but in future, and of the able to get a handsome sum by her sale, as the interests of the civil servants of whom he is Colony cannot afford to keep her for its own still the more direct guardian, has considered purposes. The rest of the item is made up of wages this a more advantageous scheme on the one to orew, which are a considerable item, during hand for the Colony, and on the other hand for the remaining months of this year. It has been the civil service. Any farther delay, in addi.osloulated that by this purchase the Government tion to the long delay which has already occurred will save very considerably over what they would in putting further investigations into this have spent if they had hired the only dredger soheme for additional valuations and so forth which is for hire in the Colony at the present unless it were deferred for a period of perhaps time, the "Canton River." Those are briefy twenty, thirty or forty years, would not give really the facts, gentlemen. reliable figures, The best advice the Secretary of State has, is that on the whole it seems fair to both sides. The subject during the last week or two has been fully discussed and considered by those immediately affected right up to the Colonial Secretary, and the vast majority of the subsoribers are in favour of the change. In these circumstances, gentlemen, I am myself of opinion that we can endorse in this Council the proposals made in the despatches of the Secretary of State, and that this Bill should be read a second time,
On being put to the meeting the motion was agreed to and the Bill was read a second time.
HIS EXCELLENCY-Council stands adjourned until Thursday next.
FINANCE COMMITTEE,
A meeting of the Finance Committee was then held, the COLONIAL SECRETARY presid. ing. The following votes were passed :-
PUBLIC WORKS.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of four thousand six hundred and seventy Dollars (84,670) in aid of the vote, Public Works, Recurrent, Maintenance of Lighthouses.
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S DEPARTMENT. The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of three hundred dollars ($300) in aid of the vote, Colonial Secretary's Department and Legislature, Other Charges, Incidental Expenses.
PUBLIC WORKS EXTRAORDINARY. The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of sight thousand five hundred dollars ($8,500) in aid of the vote, Public Works Extra- ordinary, Quarantine Station.
COMPENSATION.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of fifteen thousand dollars (15,000) in aid of the vote, Public Works, Extraordinary, Publio Health and Buildings Ordinance, 1903, Compensation.
BOTANICAL AND FORESTRY YOTE. The Governor recommended the Council to vote & sum of two thousand dollars ($2,000) in aid of the vote, Botanical and Forestry Depart ment, Other Charges, Forestry in
New Territories.
MEDICAL.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of five hundred dollars ($500) in aid of the vote, Medical Departments, B.- Hospital and Asylums, Infections Hospitals, Hulk Hygeia, for the following items:-
Personal Emoluments,
Temporary staff
Other Charges.
Provisions &o.,
Total
200
300
$500
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TAIPO STAFF QUARTERS, The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of two thous ad Dollars ($2,000) in aid of the vote. Public Works Extraordinary, Staff Quarters, Tai Po.
MONGKOKTSUI BRE - KWATER, The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of
one hundred and eighty-six thousand five hundred dollars (186,500) in aid of the vote, Public Works Extraordinary, Mongkoktaui Breakwater-Typhoon Refuge for Small Craft.
The CHAIBMAN-Briefly this matter is explained thus ; You are
aware that the Government proposed to construct a typhoon refuge at Mongkok by the construction of a long breakwater. The dredger "St. Enoch"
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK-By voting for this we shall not be committing ourselves to the actual construction of the refuge at Mongkoktani. By voting for the dredger would we be committing ourselves to defend the refuge sobem.? Sir, is what I wish so find out.
That,
The CHAIRMAN-There is no doubt about it that the dredger is part of the Mongkoktsul typhoon refuge scheme, and I would remind you that by adopting the report of the Public Works Committee (No. 1) of this year, this Council has committed itself to the construction of that shelter. The Public Works Committee, after very full investigation, recommended finally that this refuge at Mongkoktsui should be proceeded with, and that report was adopted by this Connoil.
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK-Assuming the purchase of this dredger, would it not ba useful for dredging at Causeway Bay !'
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That committee approved of it. Then it was of Commerce, heads of firms and everybody. referred again to the Public Works Committee on which the representative of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Hewett, had a seat. They discussed the matter very fully. You will find it in the Public Works Cɔmmittee report of opinion, some of the members wanting (No) of 1907. There was then some diference to go farther afield than Mongkoktaui. They wanted to is a long way beyond Stonecutters. Then go to Cheungshawan, which it was finally settled in the first report of the Pabllo Works Committee for the current year, and it seems to me that the thing was threshed out thoroughly. At any rate I am prepared to say that His Excellency has intimated that he is not prepared to reopen the question of a site for a break water. The site of this breakwater has been practically fixed. but the question of finansing it, is, of course, another matter. But in view of the widely expressed public opinion that there should be an additional shelter, and in view of the references to every conceivable body that could be considered to give a good opinion on it, the scheme has been adopted by the majority. I think you may take it, gentlemen, that in voting this money you are assisting the Government to carry out what is regarded 8.8 fixed policy- that is, to build the breakwater at Mong- koktai, oɔms what may, as the result of the consideration of the Public Works Com. mittee and other bodies, and the Government's own review of all the possible schemes.
Hon. Dr. Ho Kar-And I take it that when this money is voted, the Government is going Hon. COMMANDER TAYLOR-It would be to carry out the scheme, and will get it finished quite useless for that.
as soon as possible.
The CHAIRMAN-I would like to take this opportunity of correcting some most extraordinary missppehensions which exist in the public mind regarding Causeway Bay. It seems to be considered that because the southern portion of the bay is bare at low tide, there. tore Causeway Bay has silted up. That is not, so. That is foreshore, as can be seen ou the latest charts in the Colony. If you want to remove that you have got to take it away. The other part of Causeway Bay is quite deep enough.
Hon. Dr. Ho Kai-What is the area of Causeway Bay P
The
The CHAIRMAN-It is 57 gores. There is another misapprehension should like to correct. When a typhoon is blowing outside the tides are held up in this harbour. effect of that is that when a typhoon is on the foreshore Causeway Bay does not become ex posed. There is water there for the shallowest purpose inside. However, the Public Works Committee desire that it should be deepened, a particular area of it, and it is being deepened, but personally, and I have lived in the Colony for twenty-five years, I believe a great misapprehension exists as to the condition of the Causeway Bay Shelter, and I venture to think my hon. friend, the Harbour Master, will agree with me.
Hon. COMMANDER TAYLOR-Certainly. There is always a very high tide in a typhoon.
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK-I quite follow with regard to what you say about the report having been passed in this Council, but since then, Sir, a good deal has happened. As regards the matter of Finance, there has been very lengthy correspondence between the Government and the Chamber of Commerce, and tije matter does not stand at all as it did when that financial minute was passed. It is quite obțious that the scheme cannot be carried out if we have diff.
culty in financing, and Sir, I would like to point out that quite recently a scheme appeared in the local press in which Mesare: Denison, Ram and Gibb pointed out that the present typhoon re uge at Causeway Bay could be prepared at a comparatively small cost.
The CHAIRMAN—But it is in wrong position. One of the points for asking a new refuge is that it should be elsewhere. Now, gentlemen, I would remind you that the several schemes for various boat shelters in the harbour were referred to the Public Works Committee, who selected Mongkoktaul. Then the recom. mendation was referred to the Typhoon Relief Committee. That was one of the biggest committees ever formed in the Colony, and every possible man was on it, members of the Chamber
The CHAIRMAN-This dredger is actually in yesterday, and we propose as soon as we can our possession. It came into our possession possibly arrange it to start her on her new career of digging out the trench.
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK-Was the bay on the north east of Stonecutters considered at all; the bay in which the “ Hygeia" usually is ?
The CHAIRMAN —No, not that side. It is a long way to get to that.
Hon. Mr. PoLOCK-Not much further from West Point than to get to Mongkoktaui.
The CHAIRMAN-I don't agree with you there. The site on Stonecutters suggested was at the south-east corner.
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK-The south-east corner in mach more exposed than the north.
The CHAIRMAN-HOD. unofficial members would no doubt like to refresh their memories by having a copy of the reports. I will ask the clerk to be good enough to send you the reports of the Public Works Committee, No. 3 of 1907 and No. 1 of 1918, and to be good enough to send copies to the Press also. They contain most interesting information.
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Hon. Dr. Ho Kai-And will you defer this vote?
The CHAIRMAN-No, Sir, I don't see any necessity. The dredger is there, and we have got to pay for her.
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK-I understand the Government have absolutely purchased this dredger P
The CHAIRMAN-We have purchased her. Even if there was a change of site we would still want the dredger. What I want to make clear is, as far as I know, his Excellency has not any idea of giving up the Mongkok scheme.
The Committee then adjourned,
Messrs. Howarth, Erskine and Company, Ltd. The Straits Times says it is reported that have secured the contract for the supply of steel materials for the new building of the Hongkong Hotel Company Ltd. The contract is said to amount to a good round sum of money.
The body of the European found in the harbour last week has not been identified. The police have had it photographed, and the photographe have been, freely aironlated, but without avail. It is believed that deceased must haw been a member of the crew of some vessel which has sinos left port. His death must have been accidental or self sought, as there were no marks of violence on the body, and money waS. found in his purse.
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