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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 2ND APRIL, 1887.
319
2.-At the meeting of your Honourable Council held on Friday, the 18th March instant, a Bill was introduced and read a first time entitled An Ordinance for the better regulating of the trade in Opium, and the said bill is framed for the purpose of regulating the movement of Raw Opium in this Colony and of prohibiting the purchase or sale of Raw Opium in quantities less than one chest.
3. Your petitioners deal largely in Raw Opium, buying and selling it in quantities less than one chest, and have a large capital engaged in the said business, and they employ in their said business many hundreds of persons.
4.—If the said Bill becomes law in its present form the business hitherto carried on by your petitioners will absolutely cease and can no more be carried on the capital therein employed will be idle, the hundreds of persons now occupied in the said business will be thrown out of employment, and your petitioners will all of them suffer grievous loss and injury, and some of them will be irretrievably ruined.
5. Your petitioners respectfully submit that the objects proposed to be attained by the said Bill may be far more efféctually carried out by means other than those contained in the said Bill, and without loss or injury to any class of the community; and they therefore humbly pray that on the second reading of the said Bill they may be heard by their Counsel against the said B'll, under the provisions of the 47th of the Standing Orders and Rules of this Honourable Council, and that they may have due notice of such second reading.
WING KAT CHEUNG. HOP Wo.
KING WO.
I UN HO.
KUUN HO.
WING LI LUNG. LI TÁI SING. KwONG UN SHING. FUK UN CHEUNG KI.
Yur Wo U KI.
SHUN KAT Ho.
Hongkong, 23rd March, 1887.
His Excellency then addressed the Council.
The Chief Justice also addressed the Council.
KWONG IN Cheong. FUK SHUN LUNG. SHING KI.
KWONG SHINg Li. MAN UN Ho. TIN UN.
PO FUNG CHEONG, CHING LUNG. SHANG UN Ho.
ON SHING Ho.
MIN UN Ho.
QUESTIONS.-PRAYA EXTENSION.-Mr. MAÇEWEN, pursuant to notice, asked:-
Whether any
decision has as yet been arrived at with reference to the Praya Extension Scheme; and called for all Correspondence and Papers on the subject.
The Officer Administering the Government replied, and laid upon the table the following paper:--- Memorandum by His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government on the question
of the Praya Extension. (No. 1). ·
RETURN OF UNSTAMPED CORRESPONDENCE-Mr. MACEWEN, pursuant to notice, asked:-
For an explanation from the Postmaster General with regard to the recent action of the Post Office Authorities in returning to Shanghai and the Coast Ports certain unstamped letters which were addressed to well-known Firms and Individuals in this Colony.
The Treasurer replied, and laid upon the table the following paper:-
Return of Unstamped Correspondence. (No. 1).
LIGHT-HOUSE ON GAP Rock.-Mr. MACEWEN, pursuant to notice, asked:-
Whether any reply has been received from the Colonial Office regarding the proposed Light on Gap Rock.
The Acting Colonial Secretary replied, and laid upon the table the following paper:- Correspondence respecting a proposed Light-house on Gap Rock. (No. 29).
BILL ENTITLED AN ORDINANCE FOR THE BETTER REGULATING OF THE TRADE IN OPIUM.---The Acting Attorney General moved the second reading of this Bill, and stated the objects and reasons of it.
The Treasurer seconded, and addressed the Council.
Mr. CHATER addressed the Council, and moved that the second reading of the Bill be postponed till this day three weeks, and that Counsel be heard at the bar on the subject of the Bill.
Mr. MACEWEN seconded.