SOIT
DIE
ET
MON
DROIT.
THE HONGKONG
Government Gazette.
報 門 轅 港
香
Published by Authority.
No. 6.
A
號六第
VICTORIA, SATURDAY, 11TH FEBRUARY, 1888.
日十三月二十年亥丁 日一十月二年八十八百八千一
VOL. XXXIV.
簿四十三第
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, No. 6.
FRIDAY, 3RD FEBRUARY, 1888.
PRESENT:
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR
(SIR G. WILLIAM DES VOUX, K.C.M.G.)
His Honour the Acting Chief Justice (JAMES RUSSELL, C.M.G.), vice His Honour SIR
GEORGE PHILLIPPO, Knt., on leave.
The Honourable the Colonial Secretary, (FREDERICK STEWART).
the Attorney General, (EDWARD LOUGHLIN O'MALLEY).
the Colonial Treasurer, (ALFRED LISTER).
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the Surveyor General, (JOHN MACNEILE PRICE).
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HENRY GEORGE THOMSETT, R.N.
PHINEAS RYRIE.
WONG SHING.
ALEXANDER PALMER MACEWEN.
JOHN BELL-IRVING.
ABSENT:
The Honourable CATCHICK PAUL CHATER.
The Council met pursuant to adjournment.
The Minutes of the last Meeting, held on the 25th ultimo, were read and confirmed.
FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS.-Read the following Message from His Excellency the Governor:-
G. WILLIAM DES VEUX.
The Governor has given his careful consideration, in Council, to the question recently raised by the Honourable Mr. MACEWEN with regard to the sittings of the Finance Committee. He is informed that for a long time past, nothing has occurred at any of the meetings of the Committee, which might have not been published without prejudice to the Public Service, and he morcover strongly sympathizes with the view that discussions on votes of public money should, as a rule, be held in public. On the other hand the practice of private sittings has the sanction of long usage, and though the advantages which it possesses, or the conditions that make it expedient, are not for the moment apparent, they must be presumed at one time to have existed and as therefore possible of recurrence. For this reason the Governor does not feel justified in sanctioning a complete alteration of the practice at once, but thinks that an experiment may safely be tried, which while making a sensible advance towards publicity, will permit of private sittings when they appear for any reason expedient.