11
“
66
เต้
speech on the Census Returns and the progress of the Colony in the following words, published in the Gazetle of the 11th June, 1881:—
堂貿地此詞此在
此在易例更 之師
.66
"I also had the opportunity of consulting the "Chinese on another proposal. There came to me a resolution from the Chamber of Commer-
"ce, in which the Chamber proposed that the "Government should adopt a system of register-
CC
"ing all the sleeping partners in Chinese houses
“ of business. They showed that it was exceed-
ingly difficult to find out who had money in a
"Chinese trading concern, and recommended
"that the natives should be compelled by law,
and under adequate penalties, to register every 12 person who had a share, no matter how small,
“jn a Chinese business. The Chamber of Com-
merce added that they had no desire to apply
"this system to the European houses, but wished
"it to be confined solely to the Chinese. Acting
on my usual principle, I mentioned it to some “ of the leading Chinese bankers and others, but they pointed out that the Chinese system of
trading would be completely upset by it-that
“there is an extra ordinary net-work of invest- "ments in this Colony, as in any other commu-
"nity of Chinese, and that it would interfere
seriously with Chinese trade, and, in fact, tend
to prevent the influx of Chinese into the Colony.
Accordingly, I declined to accede to the pro-
"posal of the Chamber of Commerce."
有
華
邀
勝股
人
集
分
質
華
之
之
有查
洋
飭有
將提
貿易塲中不勝損害且華人之來港者不復如是之盛矣為此本部 地相同所有股分紛連密佈如結網然假如此例頒行則不但華人 此之例則華人貿易各法酿之倒之矣因香港與各處華人棲止之 詞卽照常邀集華人之有體面者詢彼以爲此事若何云倘立如 此例應與歐洲人之洋行無涉乃專爲華人而立者本部堂閱此呈 例飭將華人貿易場中所有喑股必要開名報册蓋洋商謂華人貿 易所有股分最難稽查故提舉立例以强華人又用重刑務使華人 更有提舉別事陳本部堂謂香港洋商會館 議酌定禀求國家立
堂不准洋商所者
復如香
此但樓
拘
强開
均華
者名
報
册
重
刑
本華止立此叉華人家
部人之如呈謂人貿立
On the 30th June, 1882, the Chinese Community presented a l'etition, calling atten-
tion to the evils arising from the want of a system of registration of Chinese partners
and submitting certain propositions which they prayed might receive legislative sanc- tion. (For translation of the Petition see Appendix L.)
On the 7th September, 1882, the Registrar General (Mr. Russell) forwarded the Petition to the Acting Colonial Secretary, with a covering letter in which he traces the history of the question from 1874, when the Chinese Community first petitioned the Government on the subject. (Appendix M.)
Referring to the minutes of Sir John Pope Hennessy quoted above, Mr. Russell states that "it will be necessary for the Government to bear in mind these representa- "tions to the Governor when the present Petition so numerously signed (it was signed “ by 68 well known Chinese and chopped by 104 hongs or firms) by leading Chinese is "considered. For now they say that the registration under penalties will tranquillize "the merchants and traders and will protect commercǝ and business. They also at the "end of their Petition state that the above plan will establish mutual good faith and "will be in accordance and harmony with public feeling.
Having regard, therefore, to the divergence of opinion expressed last year to the Governor from "that expressed in writing in 1874 and again in. 1882, it becomes a question whether "these gentlemen have not prepared both Petitions in panic, in the present instance
** * 雜 * **
arising from the heavy losses in the house speculation of last year, and whether it "would not be as well to let the over-speculation cure itself."
In 1882 a series of articles on Partnership Registration and Binkruptcy Laws in Hongkong appeared in the China Mail, and were afterwards reprinted in a pamphlet with the title "The Commercial Law Affecting Chinese: with special reference to Partnership Registration and Bankruptcy Laws in Hongkong."