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Chamber of Commerce have not signed the Petition notwithstanding the fact that it is upon its shoulders that the Petitioners would lay the responsibility of electing in the future two Un-official Members of the Executive and four Un-official Members of the Legislative Council.
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7. In this letter as in the Petition itself there is a striking absence of any adequate reason for a violent constitutional change. The instances given of the alleged constant employment of the Official vote to "vote down the Un-official Members are so inept that their citation night be adduced as an argument to prove the absence of any legitimate grievance.
Enclosure 5. I attach excerpts from Hansard of all that passed in the Legislative Council concerning the vote in Finance Committee in connection with the Law Courts. The Chairman of that Committee was of opinion, and I agree with it, that no useful purpose would be served by further discussing the matter in the face of the circumstances described in my previous remarks in Council; and it is to be noted that although at the meeting a fortnight later, when the proceedings of the Finance Committee were brought up for confirmation, I alluded to the vote no question was raised upon it by Un-official Members.
8. With regard to the question of appointing a Commission to enquire into the organisation of the Nursing Staff at the Government Civil Hospital, I would Enclosure 6. invite your perusal of the enclosed extracts from Hansard which give an accurate
account of the discussion in the Legislative Council on this subject.
The
In intimating to the Council that I was unable to accept the motion of Mr. Pollock for the appointment of a Commission, I explained that I had asked your permission to increase the Nursing Staff by 3 Sisters, and in the circumstances I put it to the Council that a Commission of Enquiry was not necessary. Mover of the Resolution preferred to ask for a division, on which it is true that the Un-official Members voted on one side and the Official Members and the General Officer Commanding on the other. But I think any impartial person would come to the conclusion that in this matter the Government did not "treat the Un- official Members in an adverse and hostile spirit instead of taking them into their counsel and co-operation" to use Mr. Pollock's words. Moreover I am convinced that the other Un-official Members did not consider that they were being so Enclosure 7. treated. I append a Memorandum in which I have explained in detail the circumstances under which vacancies have occurred in the Nursing Staff and the steps taken to fill them.
I do not think that more effective steps could have been taken to cope with an abnormal situation created by the war. It is true that leave cannot now be granted to two Sisters who have just become due for it under the new system of leave after 4 instead of 5 years service. But the Matron returned in March from a year's leave and one Sister is absent on a year's leave. One of the Sisters now due for leave was given at her own request 4 months' leave to Europe at the end of 1914, but eventually she did not take the leave though it was pointed out that it was desirable that she should take the leave when it was convenient to the Government.
Finally I may mention that in February last the two Sisters now due for leave were offered short leave of 2 months each to visit Japan during the current year. They refused the offer.
9. Mr. Pollock makes two very important suggestions in his covering letter which are not mentioned in the Petition. One, that the extremely limited franchise advocated by the Petitioners should be discarded for one consisting of Special and Common Jurors, with certain additions. The other, that to the ten Un-official Members of Legislative Council asked for by the Petitioners there should be added 2 nominated Chinese Members. I refrain from comment upon these suggestions as I have no means of knowing whether they represent the views of any responsible person or persons prepared to submit such changes for your consideration. Nor do I propose to criticise the articles from the local and from the Shanghai Press since they contain no point not covered by the fundamental objections to any form of self-government in this Colony.