August 16, 1909.]
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AMENDMENT. LIQUOR LICENCES ORDINANCE
The ATTORney General moved the first An Ordinance reading of a Bill entitled to amend the Liquor Licences Ordinance, 1898, and the Liquor Licences Extension Ordinance 1908, and to repeal the Liquor Licences Amend. ment Ordinance, 1902.
The COLONIAL-SECRETARY seconded and the motion was agreed to.
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DOG8 ORDINANCE AMENDMENT. The
TTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled An Ordinance to amend the Dogs Ordinance, 1893.
The LOLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
BURIAL GROUND ORDINANCE. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled An Ordinance to set apart certain Crown Land to be used as a burial ground for persons professing the Chris- tian Religion, other than members of the Roman Catholic Church.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY Seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL RELIEF ORDINANCE.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled An Ordinance to relieve the Governor-in-Council of certain ministerial duties.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
PATENTS ORDINANCE AMENDMENT. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved that the into Committee on the Bill entitled go An Ordinance to amend the Patents Ordinance 1892.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-The Committee will remember that the bill was left in committee from time to time in order to obtain the con- sidered opinions of practical bodies-the Law Society and the committee of the Chamber of Commerce. These bodies have considered the bill. The Law Society made certain recom- were submitted to the mendations which
Chamber of Commerce, who concurred there. in. The Bill now before the Committee Law
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. 18/- on some special classes. and that this is in monopoly by capitalists, or if, in the case of addition to the publican's licence, which varies Chinese, it should tend to illicit sales by non- from £6 to £60, whereas in this Colony we licencees, or should give undue advantage to have no import duties of any kind on liquor, I larger dealers, it may be necessary to adopt the think you will agree with me that the consumer alternative of import duties. Therefore, the form of liquor in this Colony may fairly contribute of the resolution placed before you is a tenta- something more to the revenue. I believe tive and experimental one. I turn to the this is the general opinion in the Colony, resolution itself. You will see that there ars and the only question is one of method. several new principles in it as regards assess- Beyond doubt it seems to me the simplest and ment. On the one hand, the maximum of $2,400 abolished, as it was considered fairest one, and the most advantageous to the has been revenue, would be the imposition, so far as unfair to the smaller dealers, and it has European liquor is concerned, of import duties. been superseded by a carefully thought out But there are some strong objections to that scale. In the second place, there is course. In the first place, there is the objection crimination between a licence in Victoria and which, perhaps, I may call a sentimental one: elsewhere in the Colony, and I think you will that is, that by the import duty this port would all agree that that is a useful innovation, since be no longer ar absolutely free port. The the holder of a licence in Victoria is able to thin end of the wedge would be inserted, and derive a much more thriving trade thau in we don't know whether, in case of some future Kowloon or elsewhere. In the third place, the financial stress, the wedge might not be driven | adjunct licences have been considerably in further home by the imposition of duties on creased, because, as was pointed out by the last tobacco and other articles. On the other hand, speaker it is generally believed that the there is the practical difficulty that the imposi. legitimate limitations of adjunct licences have tion of customs means a customs service. It in some cases been considerably strained, may, perhaps, be argued that if the duties were which, of course, acts to the detriment of limited to liquor only, and particularly to liquor the publican, who has paid much more for manufactured in Europe or America, that the his licence. Lastly, you will observe that duty of collection might be thrown upon the there is no increase in this schedule on Harbour Department, and the duty of preventing beer licences. The reason for that is that smuggling might devolve upon the police. It the attempt to start breweries in this Colony is possible that that might be done with some
been attended with exceptional diffi. extra staff in either one or other, or both, de-culties, and in one case after another the pioneer
Council There is at present one partments. But it seems to me that European ventures have failed, liquor is only one aspect of the question, and prominent brewery in the Colony, but it is still that the least important of the two. A customs in the pioneer stage, and it is not considered duty cannot be imposed on Chinese liquor advisable to place any tax on it at the present which is imported by junk in large quantities time. In conclusion, I would point out to you from Canton without involving a very large and one general matter of interest. Our present well-organised customs service. The alternative, revenue from spirits amounts to about two and in the case of Chinese liquor, would be a Spirit a half lakhs, and the increase which we antici-
resolation will Farm. efore, however, I pass to the discussion of pate by this
amount to a Spirit Farm. I would point out that the scheme of import duties has the great advantage that it falls equally upon all sections of the communi- ty: upon clubs, upon private importers, upon service canteens, as well as upon the trade. As to a Spirit Farm, the objections to that, I take it, are, first, from the gross amount which is collected you hare to deduct the farmer's pro- fits. That is to say, you have to place a heavier burden upon the community than is necessary for the sole purpose of revenue, whereas in the scheme proposed in this resolution no extra machinery of any kind is required. In the second place, a Spirit Farm would, I believe, be unpopular; ; still, I think there is much to be said for that form of collection of duties. The farmer's profits, if the farm was combined with the Opium Farm, would not necessarily be large, because the machinery is already to his hand and he would be able to tender high. But there is the practical difficulty that if the farm was given to the success- ful tenderer for the opium there would be no competition. On the other hand, it is already late. I don't say it is too late, but it would be certainly difficult to put in advertisements now to combine the spirit and opium farm. As to the unpopularity of a farm, I don't think myself that this is a very serious matter, if it were properly understood by the Chinese, because the search required in the case of spirits does not involve a search of the indi- vidual, nor does it involve the same minute and precise scrutiny of baggage as in the search for an article so easily concealed as opium. will see from what I have said, gentlemen. that I hold no views on this subject one way or the other in fact, in my opinion, the argu- ment in favour of either method is very evenly balanced The form of the resoln. tion placed before you has been the subject of exceptionally careful consideration and investigation, and that is the reason why there was delay in laying it before the Council. has been discussed frequently before the Executive Council, and in these deliberations I have had the great advantage of two very ex- perienced unofficial members and we considered that the present form would be the most welcome to the community, would involve the least disturbance to trade. and would be the most practical. If, however, when this resolution comes into operation, the result in the case of European liquor should be to increase private importa tions by non-licencees, or the creation of a
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from two to two and a half lakhs, probably nearer two. The Spirit Farm in the Straits Settle. ments realises close on two and a half lakhs, 1 and I think in all probability there is a larger liquor consuming population in this Colony than in the Straits Settlements. We, therefore, may say in round figures that consumers of liquor in this Colony pay about half, or less than half. what is paid by a similar section of the com- munity in the Straits Settlements. I mention this simply as a matter of interest. I do not believe there is any opposition to the general principle that in our difficulties of revenue should turn to the consumers of liquor and impose a slight increase on the sale of liquor in this Colony. (Applause.)
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Hon. Mr. STEWART-Your Excellency, I invite the Government to postpone this resolution. Those of us who, in common with the general public, hear now for the first time the arguments in favour of it, may reasonably, I think, ask for time in which to consider them, time in which those whose interests are more
immediately affected may be enabled to repre sent their views. No unofficial member is, I think, fully qualified to speak for them, and it seems, therefore, only fair that they should have an opportunity of representing any objections which they may have, if they wish to do so, through the medium of the Press. I, therefore, propose that the resolution be postponed until the next meeting of ( ouncil.
Hon. Mr. OSBORNE seconded.
HIS EXCELLENCY-I shall be glad to adjourn the debate on this subject until the next meeting of Council, if that will meet with the views of hot. members.
ORDINANCE. MALICIOUS DAMAGE
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled An Ordinance to amend the Malicious Damage Ordinance, 1865. The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
RATING ORDINANCE AMENDM⋅ NT. 1 The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled An Ordinance to amend the Rating Ordinance, 1901.
The COL NIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
TRAMWAY ORDINANCE
AMENDMENT.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the first reading of a Bill entitled An Ordinance to amend the Tramway Ordinance, 1902.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
embodies the recommendations of the Society concurred in by the Chamber of Cam- merce. The alterations recommended are not
Amendments extensive.
will be made to sections
In section five
five and eight. certain words will be left out and in section eight sub-sections 12 and 13 will be deleted and two new sub-sections substituted.
On conncil resuming the ATTORNEY-GENERA reported that the Bill had passed through com- mittee.
The TTORNEY-GENERAL-As the Eill has been before the Council a considerable time and received the fullest cousideration at capable hands, I move that, no member objecting, it be read a third time.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the bill was read a third time.
His EXCELLENCY-The Council stands að- journed until Friday next. I hope that day will be convenient to members.
Hon. Mr. HEWETT—It is English mail day, Sir.
FINANCE COMMITTEE.
A meeting of the Finance Committee was then held, the COLONIAL SECRETARY presiding. The following votes were passed
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT. The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Eight thousand three hundred and forty-four Dollars ($8,344) in aid of the vote, Public Works Department, Other Charges, Incidental Expenses.
SANITARY DEPARTMENT, The Governor recommended the Council to rote a sum of Two thousand six hundred Dollars ($2,600) in aid of the vote, Sanitary Department, Other Charges, Cemeteries, Inci. dental Expenses.
SUPREME COURT.
The Governor recommended the Council to vote a sum of Eighty-five Dollars ($85) in aid of the vote, Supreme Court, Other Charges, Language Study Allowance.
PUBLIC WORKS EXTRAORDINARY. The Governor recommended the Council to rote a sum of Two thousand one hundred and fifty-five Dollars ($2,155) in aid of the vote, Public Works Extraordinary, Miscellaneous, Blake Pier Shelter.
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