THE HONGKONG OVERNMENT GAZETTE, 16тH OCTOBER, 1897. 859
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 440.
The following Correspondence with reference to the Record Reign Permanent Memorials for Hongkong is published.
By Command,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 11th October, 1897.
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Colonial Secretary.
(Governor to Secretary of State.)
No. 96.
No. 25 of 29th January,
1897. Circular of 25th February,
1897.
No. 97 of 17th March, 1897.
SIB,
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 27th April, 1897.
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatches noted in the margin on the subject of the celebration of the completion of the sixtieth year of the reign of Her Majesty the Queen and to inform you what steps are being taken in this Colony to commemorate that auspicious event.
2. I enclose a copy of the Government Notification showing the composition of the Committee appointed by me for the purpose of deciding what form this commemoration should take. Mr. CHATER is Chairman of this Committee; Mr. JACKSON, Honorary Treasurer; and Mr. STEWART LOCKHART, Honorary Secretary.
Mr. CHATER is proving himself a most energetic Chairman, and, in conjunction with his colleagues, is sparing no trouble to make the celebration a success.
3. At the first meeting of the Committee it was resolved that the occasion should be marked by the establishment of a permanent memorial of an event at once so auspicious and so unique. The general public was accordingly invited to send in to the Committee any suggestions they might have to offer on the subject. In response to this invitation no fewer than twenty suggestions were received. These were duly considered by the Committee which rejected all the suggestions except five, and these were referred to a Sub-Committee for consideration and report. I enclose copies of the report of the Sub-Committee.
4. From the inquiries of the Sub-Committee it became apparent that the most popular schemes were:-
1. A Road round the Island.
2. A Hospital for Women and Children.
3. A Scheme for obtaining Nurses from Home and training Nurses
locally.
Mr. CHATER, Mr. JACKSON and Mr. LOCKHART then waited upon me and inquired whether the Government would give its support to this programme, and stated that such support would be thoroughly appreciated by the great majority of the Community.
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5. I accordingly sent to you on the 14th April the following telegram
“Jubilee celebration proposed erection at once Hospital Women and "Children; Institution training Nurses at cost of $50,000; also “Road to be made by degrees round the Island $225,000. May "I propose vote of same sum as public subscription estimated "at $50,000, exact precedent Fiftieth Jubilee? CHATER promises "that deficit (if any) in future shall be made good by one per "cent. increase of rates yielding $30,000 per annum.'
To this telegram I received the following reply on the 22nd April:-
"In answer to your telegram 14th April I consent subject to my
despatch 17th March."
6. Having received your sanction to the proposals, I addressed a letter, a copy of which I now forward, to the Honorary Secretary of the Jubilee Committee. This letter was laid before a meeting of the Committee yesterday.
The Right Honourable
Mr. J. CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.,
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies,
&c.,
$6.9
&c.