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is carried on satisfactorily. I am sure therefore if the Directors have the interests of the Society at heart, they would surely come before us, and let us examine them. I must say that I for one want very badly to ask a few questions of them, and get a little information from some of the members of the Committee, not the new members, but the members who were on the Committee at the time of the appointment of this Commission, and, if the Governor is of opinion that we should do without them, I for one think it is almost useless to go on with this enquiry. We have had a lot of out- siders giving us a lot of information, but I want some direct information from the men who manage this Society. Are we not inconvenienced as much as they are by coming here?
Honourable T. H. WHITEHEAD.-Far more so.
Honourable C. P. CHATER.-I only say as much. If the Governor is of opinion that we should do as well by putting these questions in writing, I think it is useless going on any further. You get Mr. Ho FUK, Dr. EITEL, and Mr. WEI YUK, none of them members of the Committee. Only the Chairman has come and I should like some more of them to come here. We have twice asked them, and they have apparently refused to do so. That being the case, and if they still decline to attend, I must say that I will no longer be a party to this Commission.
Honourable F. H. MAY.-I would like to make one suggestion, Mr. CHATER, I do not know, it is only an idea of mine, but I fancy the Committee in the first place regard themselves as it were, as the defendants in this case. They have been assailed by certain charges and if we had finished all the other witnesses which other members want to call-I understand there are certain other outside witnesses to be called-then if we asked some member of the Committee of the Pó Leung Kuk to come before us (I should like to ask them some questions myself) I think probably they would accede to the request. I imagine that what they are afraid of is that before all the witnesses have been examined, members of this Committee, whether intentionally or otherwise, might take advantage of the information they have extracted from them to bring witnesses to contradict it or make some use of it to their disadvantage. I would propose as a way out of the difficulty that we should call the remaining witnesses who are to be called and as the last set of witnesses ask some members of the Pó Leung Kuk Committee to come.
Honourable C. P. CHATER,-Do you know that that is their excuse ?
Honourable F. H. MAY.-I do not know that, but I would not be surprised if that is the reason.
Honourable C. P. CHATER.-Perhaps Dr. Ho KAI could tell us.
Honourable Ho KAI.--If you ask my opinion as one who is constantly in contact with the Chinese and especially those who are leading men in the community and likely to take an active part in any public work that is going on, I would say that they give me the impression that they consider themselves unfairly treated in this enquiry, and that, no doubt, is the chief reason of their refusal to come forward. I do not wonder at all, and as I said before when I was being asked by a member of this Committee, if I had been in their place I would not have acted otherwise than they have done. Even if you summon them before the Supreme Court they have the right as defendants to have the charges stated clearly proved against them, before they give their defence. In this case we must recollect what led to the appointment of this Committee. When the members of the Committee of the Pó Léung Kuk petitioned the Government to make certain provision for them and asked that they might have a legal status and endowment the matter was brought before the Council, and before the Bill was read a first time certain charges were made which at first sight were very serious. It turned out afterwards that the charges were to a great extent qualified but of course the members of the Pó Leung Kuk Committee could only go by the published report, and what was in the