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Chapter II.
PROCEDURE.
1. The first problem confronting the Commission was to decide on an appro- priate plan of procedure. During the past forty years, so far as can be ascertained, there have been only two Committees appointed to enquire into the trade and economic problems of this Colony. The first of these was appointed in 1896 and the second in 1920.
2. It will be readily appreciated that the report of the first Committee, which was mainly concerned with the displacement in local markets of British goods by foreign imports, was too limited in scope and too distant in time to be of more than academic interest to us.
3. The second Committee appointed in 1920 to enquire into the Economic Resources of the Colony had conducted their enquiries by means of numerous sub- committees each of which had submitted a separate report to the Government. These reports contained much that was useful to us, especially for purposes of comparison, but the method of investigation by sub-committees was not particularly suited to the wide scope and general nature of our terms of reference.
4. It was unfortunate that the report of the Commission appointed in 1933 to enquire into the trade of the Straits Settlements was not available at our inaugural meeting. The first volume of their careful and comprehensive survey was published shortly after we had begun our deliberations and proved of inestimable service to us in the later stages of our work.
5. In the absence of precedents, our plan of procedure was dictated solely by the exigencies of our terms of reference. So wide were these that it would be difficult to formulate any question, no matter how remotely connected with trade, which could not be included within their scope. In view of the pioneer nature of our inquisition the necessity for this latitude could not be questioned, but it was obvious that, unless we had before us certain clearly defined main lines of enquiry, we should soon find ourselves submerged in a welter of details, relevant and irrelevant, through which it would be extremely difficult to force our way to any conclusion. A certain amount of concentration was essential if we hoped to achieve a useful result in a reasonably limited period of time.
6. With this end in view it was decided that while we should endeavour to secure evidence on as wide a basis as possible and should, therefore, invite the opinions and general co-operation of the Hong Kong public, we should at the same time require individual members of the Commission to submit memoranda and, if necessary, to give evidence on various subjects of importance on which they were especially qualified to speak with authority.
The personnel of the Commission was peculiarly adapted to this method of pro- cedure in that it consisted of leading representatives of the Colony's major interests; shipping, import and export, finance, banking and Chinese business interests generally.
7. A notice was inserted in the columns of the local press inviting the public to submit memoranda or to offer their services as witnesses before the Commission. In addition, special invitations were issued from time to time to individuals request- ing their attendance as expert witnesses in particular subjects under discussion.
8. The response to both classes of invitation was most helpful and encourag- ing and we desire to take this opportunity of expressing our thanks to all who came forward in answer to our appeals.
9. It was apparent from the outset that a considerable portion of our enquiry would be devoted to the investigation of questions of a delicate and confidential nature.
In order to secure the fullest information on these matters and at the same time to protect the interests of witnesses it was decided that our meetings should not be open to the public and that all evidence laid before the Commission should be treated as strictly confidential.