ROYAL INSTRUCTIONS-HONGKONG
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XXXII.—All Commissions to be granted by the Governor to any per- Appointments to n or persons for exercising any office or employment shall, unless other be provisional ise provided by law, be granted during pleasure only; and whenever the pleasure. overnor shall appoint to any vacant office or employment, of which the itial emoluments exceed one thousand dollars or one hundred pounds erling a year, according as the said emoluments are fixed with reference dollars or to pounds sterling, as the case may be, any person not by Us ecially directed to be appointed thereto, he shall, at the same time, ex- Fessly appraise such person that such appointinent is to be considered only temporary and provisional until Our allowance or disallowance thereof signified.
XXXIII. Before suspending from the exercise of his office any public Suspension of ficer whose annual pensionable emoluments exceed one thousand dollars Offers.
one hundred pounds sterling, according as the said emoluments are fixed ith reference to dollars or to pounds sterling, as the case may be, the overnor shall signify to such officer, by a statement in writing, the rounds of the intended suspension, and shall call upon him to state in riting the grounds upon which he desires to exculpate himself, and if the ficer does not furnish such statement within the time fixed by the Gover- br, or fails to exculpate himself to the satisfaction of the Governor, the overnor shall appoint a Committee of the Executive Council to investigate he charge made and to make a full report to the Executive Council. The overnor shall forthwith cause such report to be considered by the Council, nd shall cause to be recorded on the Minutes whether the Čouncil or the ajority thereof does or does not assent to the suspension; and if the overnor thereupon proceed to such suspension, he shall transmit the port of the Committee and the evidence taken by it, together with the inutes of the proceedings of the Council, to Us through one of Our rincipal Secretaries of State by the earliest opportunity. But if in any se the interests of Our service shall appear to the Governor to demand at a person shall cease to exercise the powers and functions of his office stantly, or before there shall be time to take the proceedings hereinbefore rected, he shall then interdict such person from the exercise of the powers ad functious of his office.
to be laid
XXXIV.-Whenever any offender shall have been condemned by Regulation of he sentence of any Court in the Colony to suffer death, the Governor power of pardon hall call upon the Judge who presided at the trial to make to him a written Judge's report eport of the case of such offender, and shall cause such report to be taken before Executive
to consideration at the first meeting of the Executive Council which may Council. e conveniently held thereafter, and he may cause the said Judge to be pecially summoned to attend at such meeting and to produce his notes. hereat, The Governor shall not pardon or reprieve any such offender nless it shall appear to him expedient so to do, upon receiving the advice Governor to take the Executive Council thereon; but in all such cases he is to decide tive Council in ither to extend or to withhold a pardon or reprieve, according to his own
eliberate judgment, whether the Members of the Executive Council concur own judgment herein or otherwise, entering, nevertheless, on the Minutes of the Execu- ive Council a Minute of his reasons at length, in case le should decide ny such question in opposition to the judgment of the majority of the Members thereof,
advice of Execu-
such cases. May exercise
entering his rea- Minutes, if un- able to accept the advice of the
sons on Council
majority.
XXXV.—The Governor shall punctually forward to Us from year to Blue Pook. year, through one of Our Principal Secretaries of State, the annual book of returns for the Colony, commonly called the Blue Book, relating to the Revenue and Expenditure, Defence, Public Works, Legislation, Civil Establishments, Pensions, Population, Schools, Course of Exchange,
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