THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 4TH JUNE, 1879.
The Bill passed the second reading unopposed.
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The ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL suggested that they might proceed with the other stages of the Bill, as it was a very simple one, but said he had not considered it.
HIS EXCELLENCY thought they had better let the matter stand over for the present.
A MISTAKE RECTIFIED.
HIS EXCELLENCY.-I think, gentlemen, the little Bill I am now going to bring to your notice is a very good illustration of the importance of letting the Acting Attorney General carefully read the
last Bill. It is this:
An Ordinance enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice of the Legislative Council thereof, to amend Ordinance No. 1 of 1878.
Whereas the date of the short title of Ordinance No. 1 of 1878 is erroneous and it is expedient to correct it: Be it enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-
I. Section I. of Ordinance No. 1 of 1878 is hereby amended by substituting the figures 1878 for the figures 1877 in
the said section.
HIS EXCELLENCY added that the error was discovered by the Secretary of State.
THE CONTAGIOUS DISEASES COMMISSION.
HIS EXCELLENCY. Now, gentlemen, we have not done very much in the way of legislation, and I am now about to lay before you what may perhaps furnish the materials for legislation. I must frankly confess I am not at all one of those administrators who boast very much of legislation. It does not at all follow you are to measure the value of a Council or Governor by the number of Ordinances passed. It is just possible that there may be too many Ordinances, and it is essentially necessary that before we proceed to pass Ordinances we should have thoroughly mastered the subjects. upon which we legislate, and it was with that view that I have received the very valuable assistance of certain gentlemen who sat upon Commissions and Committees from time to time. I am now, as a matter of form, about to lay before you some of the reports, and I shall take the liberty after doing so of making some remarks. I thought it necessary on the 12th November, 1877, to issue a Commis- sion which recited that :-
Whereas during the progress of a Coroner's inquest held at Hongkong by JAMES RUSSELL, Esquire, Coroner for the Colony of Hongkong, and a Jury of three persons on the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th days of October, A.D. 1877, touching the death of a certain woman named Fung A-Sz, alias A-Sau, evidence was laid before the said Coroner and Jury con- cerning certain practices connected with the operation of the "Contagious Diseases Ordinance, 1867," and the suppression of unlicensed brothels: And whereas the said practices were for the first time brought to my knowledge by the said evidence: And whereas the Jury aforesaid appended to their verdict at the above inquest a special finding which, among other matters, contained the following recommendation, viz.:-"The Jury aforesaid would strongly recommend that the "whole system of obtaining convictions against keepers of unlicensed brothels be thoroughly revised, as the present practice "is, in their opinion, both illegal and immoral."
Well, having received in proper form a copy of that finding of the Jury, I issued the Commission, and the Commissioners who were so appointed have manifestly taken very great pains. They examined the Heads of the Departments concerned, a number of the officials in the Colony connected with the administration of the Ordinance and the administration of justice, and they have gone through the records of the departments, both the Registrar General's Department and the Medical Department, and the result is that this valuable report, a mass of information, is now in the hands of the members of the Council. I have caused this to be circulated, and I now lay it upon the table.
The CHIEF JUSTICE remarked that he had not received a copy.
The CLERK OF COUNCILS explained that a copy was sent to the Acting Chief Justice during the Chief Justice's absence.
HIS EXCELLENCY.I am informed that within the last few weeks Her Majesty's Government have decided to issue a Commission to inquire into the same legislation, its operation and effects in England, and I have already sent copies of this to Her Majesty's Government, so that the members who have been appointed on the Commission in England will have the opportunity of considering the very valuable mass of facts which have been got together by the Commissioners in this Colony.
THE POLICE COMMITTEE.
HIS EXCELLENCY.-Now, gentlemen, another and perhaps more important and practical Commis- sion was one that I issued in September, 1878. That was a Commission or Committee of the Legis- ́lative Council to consider the question of the Police Force and Crime in this Colony. My lamented friend Mr. MAY was the Chairman of that Committee. He has drawn up a brief but very clear and able report. That Committee also examined the heads of the departments concerned, that is, the Superintendent of Police and his staff; they examined my honourable friend who is now taking charge of the Gaol (Mr. TONNOCHY) and they received on all sides a good deal of advice and assistance in pur- suing their important inquiry. In the letter of appointment that was sent to them, there was put before them a mass of documents bearing on the subject, and they were further told that any other documents they might desire to consult would be placed at their disposal. The consequence was that, from time to time the Committee did ask the Colonial Secretary for information, which they obtained. The archives of the Colony were at the disposal of the Committee, and I cannot too strongly express my
thanks to the Committee for their labours and for this valuable report which is the result of their investigation. That also, gentlemen. has been distributed to members of the Council, and I now lay it on the table.