No. 2.
REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE,
At a meeting held on the 13th January, 1898.
PRESENT:
The Honourable The Director of Public Works, (Chairman).
The Honourable The Colonial Treasurer, (T. SERCOMBE SMITH), The Honourable C. P. CHATER, C.M.G.
The Honourable T. H. WHITEHEAD.
The Honourable E. R. BELILIOS, C.M.G.
Subject for consideration:
"The Scheme of the Director of Public Works for New Government Offices."
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The Chairman reminded the Committee that at a previous meeting no resolu- tion had been proposed, but the subject had merely been discussed and its con- sideration postponed.
Since then a different scheme for the New Government Offices had been pre- pared by an Honourable Member of the Committee and circulated, and be left it for the Committee to decide whether they can discuss that scheme as well, seeing that it had not yet been before His Excellency and referred to them for report. The Committee decided that both schemes should be considered.
After discussion, it was proposed by the Honourable the Treasurer and seconded by the Honourable Mr. BELILIOS that the scheme of the Director of Public Works be approved by this Committee, and its adoption recommended to His Excellency the Governor.
The Committee divided with the following result:-
Ayes.
The Hon, the Treasurer.
The Hon. E. R. BELILIOS, C.M.G. The Chairman.
Noes.
The Hon. C. P. CHATER, C.M.G.
The Hon. T, H. WHITEHEAD.
The Chairman declared the resolution carried.
The following protest was handed in by the Honourable T. H. WHITEHEAD. Mr. WHITEHEAD desired that his protest should be recorded against the Honourable E. R. BELILIOS, C.M.G., being permitted to second and vote, the honourable member being directly and pecuniarily interested in the question under consideration, the question being that the Government should purchase " Beacons- field," a property owned by the said Mr. BELILIOS, and Mr. WHITEHEAD further desired to refer, in support of this protest, to May's "Parliamentary Practice," 9th Edition, page 420, where the rule as to Members of Parliament is laid down in the plainest language. It reads-
"In the Commons it is a distinct rule that no member who has a direct
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pecuniary interest in a question shall be allowed to vote upon it, "but in order to operate as a disqualification this interest must be "immediate and personal and not merely of a general or remote "character. On the 17th July, 1811, the rule was thus explained "by Mr. Speaker ABBOTT' this interest must be a direct pecuniary "interest and separately belonging to the persons whose votes were "questioned and not in common with the rest of His Majesty's "subjects or on a matter of State policy.'
Mr. WHITEHEAD also desired to refer, if further authority is necessary, to Buckley's Companies Acts, 7th Edition, page 542, where it is laid down that although no Director shall vacate his office by reason of his being a member of any firm having contracts with the Company of which he is a Director, "never- theless he shall not vote in respect of such contract or work, and if he does so ''vote his vote shall not be counted."
R. D. ORMSBY,
Chairman.
Hongkong, 14th January, 1898.