29
.6
+
'carrying on business in this Colony they are afraid to do so,”—for want of such registration, “They also said by reason of these regulations all the merchants of other ports will gladly place more confidence on the trade of the Colony and business will thenceforth flourish without obstruction."
19. 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 became a question whether these gentlemen have not prepared both Petitions in panic, in the present instance 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.
I have, &c.,
(Signed)
J. RUSSELL,
Registrar General.
P.S.—I wrote the above on the 7th August, and intended going into the discussion of the objections to partnership registering, but as I have been pressed for time, I think it better to send in this letter with the Petition and will defer further remarks.
No. 217.
SIR,
Appendix N.
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 6th February, 1891.
In accordance with a recent suggestion made in the Legislative Council, I am directed by His Excel- lency the Governor to transmit to you, for the consideration of the Chamber of Commerce, copy of a Draft Bill entitled an Ordinance to amend the Law relating to Bankruptcy, and I am to state that His Excellency would be glad of any observations which the Chamber may desire to offer on the subject.
The Secretary,
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
Appendix O.
I have, &c.,
(Signed) F. FLEMING,
Colonial Secretary.
SIR,
HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, HONGKONG, 22nd April, 1891.
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your esteemed communication of 6th February handing for the consideration of the Chamber, copy of a Draft Bill entitled an Ordinance to amend the law relating to bankruptcy. I am directed to ask you to be good enough to convey to His Excellency the Governor the thanks of my Committee for his courtesy in allowing them the opportunity of expressing their opinious upon the above Ordinance.
It has had the attentive consideration of my Committee who concur in thinking it has been drafted with a careful regard to the requirements of the Colony and promises to be a valuable substitution of the Act it is intended to repeal; but they are strongly of opinion that to render it more completely applicable to local requirements, it should be preceded or supplemented by a Bill making compulsory the registration of individual members of Chinese firms trading in the Colony.
The question of registration was brought to the notice of the Government as far back as 2nd November, 1877. The suggestion, however, was not entertained and in replying to the Chamber on 28th Angust, 1878, the opinion was expressed that it would be very inexpedient to carry out such registration.” The reasons why, in the opinion of the Government, such registration would be inexpedient, were not given.
That the Chinese themselves are not antagonistic to registration is proved by the respresentation in 1882 to the Registrar-General of a Petition very numerously signed by Chinese Traders in Hongkong, praying that "hongs or shops be required to register and to appoint a fixed date within which all shops are to send in without delay the real names and surnames of their masters. This was only a proposal to carry out in Hongkong the customs of trade observed among themselves in China; and is both a means of identification, and a precautionary measure against fraud.
*1
European houses trading in Hongkong and China voluntarily make known the names of the individual partners in their firms; and my Committee do not consider there would be any hardship in requiring like information from the Chinese.