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Q.-You have had Superintendents of Police, who had a knowledge of Chinese, and you may have so in the future. There is no reason why the Superintendent of Police should not have as good a knowledge of Chinese and of the Chinese community as the Registrar General.
A.--The Registrar General, by the nature of his duties, is in touch with the Chinese if he is the right man in the right place, gives them sympathy and understands them. The Superintendent of Police is not, naturally, a man of that sort at all, and if you divide this bond of sympathy which now ties together the Chinese community and the European Government, you will weaken it and annul it.
Q.-The Superintendent of Police is responsible for the suppression of all species of crime in the Colony, and do you not think that the Superintendent of Police might feel aggrieved--in fact I should think possibly he has in the past--at a large section of what are really his duties being handed over to an outside body under the supervision of a totally distinct head of department, and carried out without any reference to him whatever?
A.-I don't think this case should arise. I don't think these duties are carried on without any reference whatever. Under paragraph 19 the detectives will be placed under regulations to be made by the Governor and he could make such regulations that the detectives are after all under the supervision of the Superintendent of Police. But as regards your question, allow me to point out this. I was once on a commission with reference to the Contagious Diseases Acts, and we had before us the Superintendent of Police. I believe you will find it in the printed report, but he stated that he had always been of the opinion and still held to the opinion that Police constables should have nothing to do with the supervision of prostitution, because, he said, if you give policemen these duties, you will lower the morale of the Police; bribery and corruption will be too great for them. Therefore the Superintendent of Police was of opinion that there should be separate detectives about these unregistered brothels.
Q.-That is a different subject.
A.--No, and the same about the district watchmen. In my opinion they are natur- ally under the Registrar General. I know that was a bone of contention in former years. The two Government Officers can work together very well, very harmoniously in a matter which is purely Chinese. The Superintendent of Police need not feel that his self respect is hurt, is at all interfered with by having the Pó Léung Kuk Committee working under the head of another department, merely to try to prevent a particular Chinese crime and aid in the detection of it. There is nothing in this Ordinance which prevents the Super- intendent of Police doing what he can.
Q.-Don't you think that the Superintendent of Police ought at least to know what is being done by these private detectives-in fact, I should say, he could render them valu- able assistance ?
A. Yes, that was in the original bill that the detectives should report every day.
Honourable T. H. WHITEHEAD.In the statute drafted by Mr. FRANCIS ?
A. Yes, that statute was simply putting into legal and logical form what the Chinese themselves recommended.
Q. Could we have that statute?
The CHAIRMAN.-Yes, I have a copy of the blue book.
Honourable F. H. MAY.-I was going to say that the Superintendent of Police, from the very fact of the position in which he is placed, may be presumed to be a man who has a special knowledge of Police duties. The Pó Léung Kuk have a large amount of detective duties to perform, and I should have thought that not only night they assist himn but he might assist them.