59
CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO THE PETITION FOR GREATER
REPRESENTATION OF THE PUBLIC ON THE EXECUTIVE
No. 209.
AND LEGISLATIVE COUNCILS.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 26th May, 1916.
Enclosure. 1. SIR, I have the honour to transmit the enclosed copy of a letter addressed by the Honourable Mr. H. E. Pollock, K.C., to the Colonial Secretary covering Enclosure 2. copies of a letter addressed under date of the 9th of March direct to you by Mr. Enclosure 3. Pollock and of a Petition signed by a number of British residents in this Colony praying for greater representation of the Public on the Executive and Legislative Enclosure 4. Councils; together with the accompanying copy of correspondence between the - Colonial Secretary and Mr. Pollock on the subject of certain points in the letter which he has addressed to you. I have not dealt earlier with this matter because I was waiting to learn whether you wished for my comments on these communica- tions sent, as they were, direct to you.
2. The Petitioners ask that two additional Un-official Members may be added to the Executive Council, one to be elected by the Chamber of Commerce and the other by the Non-official Justices of the Peace, and that any future vacancies on the Council may be filled by election by one of those bodies. No reasons are adduced for this change in the Constitution except that the two bodies mentioned "have long been recognised as representatives of the Public for electoral pur- poses".
3. The Petitioners also ask that an Un-official majority be created in the Legislative Council by increasing the number of Un-official Members from 6 to 10 and that all except Chinese Members may be elected, half of them by the Chamber of Commerce and half of them by the Non-official Justices of the Peace.
In support of this alteration in the Constitution the only arguments adduced are (a) that Official Members of Council are not free to vote according to their convictions and (b) that the Un-official Members are in a permanent and hopeless minority because the Governor can command the votes of the Official Members.
The first is a well worn but weak argument, for it is obviously impracticable to allow Government Officers to vote against measures introduced by the Govern-
ment.
The second has little real weight. If weighty examples existed of the over- riding of popular opinion by the arbitrary exercise of the official vote they would surely find a place in such a Petition as this. No such examples are adduced for the good reason that no such examples can be found.
There is not an Ordinance on the Statute Book of the Colony of which it can be said that it was forced through the Council without carefully and patiently consulting the interests affected by the legislation. The history of the legislation affecting Sanitation and Buildings is one conspicuous example among many of the scrupulous care with which vested interests and public opinion are consulted, sometimes with a tendency too pronounced to overcome opposition by too generous concessions.
The Right Honourable
ANDREW BONAR LAW, M.P.,
&c.,
&c.,
&c.