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A meeting of the Legislative Council was held on Thursday. Present:-
His Excellency the Governor, Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON, K.C.M.G.
Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Colonial Secretary.
Hon. A. G. WISE, Acting Attorney-General. Hon. A. M. THOMSON, Acting Colonial Trea-
surer,
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND sented the colours. His Excellency made a short, | HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. but stirring speech, which was delivered in an admirable manner, and which Colonel Barrow repeated to his men. Colonel Barrow made a graceful speech in reply, and the regiment hav- ing presented arms, the band struck up God save the Queen," which was played three times, the colour party marching to its strains to the regiment. The colours were then trooped. Afterwards the whole regiment marched past headed by the band playing the regi mental march. Who has not experienced that peculiar thrill which is induced when a fine regiment marches by accompanied by stirring martial music ? No one who witnessed the final march past on Saturday could have escaped this oarious sensation. All the companies marched past perfectly and were loudly ap- planded. All credit is due to these fine, swarthy fellows for the magnificent display they made, and to the officers of the Regiment for training what was formerly a "rabble of raw re oruits," to use Colouel Barrow's expression, in such a praiseworthy manner.
The proceedings opened with the following prayer, which was read by the Right Rev.Bishop
Burdon :-
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Oh Lord God Almighty, the God of battles, in whose hands are all majesty, power, and night, mercifully grant that these ensigns of Thy servant our gracions Sovereign Lady the Queen may ever be borne with honour and glory in the service of our Sovereign, Grant that they may be ever defended with valour, fidelity, and devo- tion even unto death, and above all, Gol all merciful and Almighty, grant that they be ever unfurled in the cause of justice and freedom, and in accordance with Thy Divine will. beseech thee, oh Lord God, to bless and sanctify these standards, and in Thy holy name we com- mend them to the protection of these the soldiers of Thy servant Victoria. Amen.
We
Mrs. Barker then stepped up to the standards and said-I hand these colours, through yon, in- to the keeping of the Hongkong. Regiment, in the fall assurance that they will ever be jealously guarded and loyally defended by this the young est but one of the finest of the Regiments of the Queen Empress
His Excellency, in presenting the colours, said-As the representative in the colony of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and Empress of India, the duty devolves upon me of presenting to you the colours of your Regiment, which have been banded to you by the wife of your gallant General, Her Majesty our Queen and Empress entrusts these colours with confidence to your care and protection.
Remember that the honour of this corps is bound up with the honour of every man in it, If any man disgraces himself, he disgraces bis Regiment and his flag. By your discipline in time of peace, and by your valour in time of war, prove yourselves worthy to serve under the British flag..
The community of Hongkong is prond of you, and feels sure that you will hand dowd these colours untarnished to your successors.'
They are a glorious inheritance: Cherish them! Guard them! Fight for them, and, like brave soldiers, if necessary (which God forbid), shed your blood in defence of them!
GOD SAVE OUR QUEEN. Lient-Colonel Barrow in reply, said Your Excellency, on behalf of the officers and men of the Hongkong Regiment, I beg to thank you for your address. It is a propitious omen that the first colours of the Hongkong Regiment should be presented under the auspices of the Governor of this colony, and I trust Hongkong may ever have cause to be prond of the Regiment which bears its name.. It is also a gratification to us that the colours have been actually handed to us by Mrs. Barker, for it has been under General Barker's command that the Corps has been organised, and has grown from rabble of raw recruits into an efficient regiment of infantry fit. I verily believe, for any service which it may be called upon to perform. Should the pccasion arise I trust it will prove by its conduct worthy of the confidence in it which you have been pleased to express, and that on the day of trial it may by its valour and devotion add another page of glory to the history of the British Army and give another bright example of duty nobly performed in the service of Queen and country.
Hon. F.A COOPER, Director of Public Works, Hon. R. M. RUMSEY, Harbour Master. Hon. C. P. CHATER.
Hon. Ho KAI.
Hon. J.J KESWICK.
Hon. E. P. BELILIOS, C.M.G. Hon. A. MCCONACHIE.
Mr. A. Seth, Clerk of Councils.
THE ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL. The Hon A. G. WISE was sworn in as a member of the Council, and took his seat for the first time.
REPORTS.
!
table the Harbour Master's Report for 1894, a The COLONIAL SECRETARY laid upon the Medical Report on the epidemic of Bubonic Plagne in 1894 by 1r. Lowson, and the Re- gistrar General's Report for 1894.
APPOINTMENT OF A MEDICAL. OFFICER OF HEALTH.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I have to move the first reading of a Bill to confer certain of Health. This is a very short Bill. powers and authorities on the Medical Officer It is pro- posed to appoint a Medical Officer of Health as a member of the Sanitary Board He will have powers of entry, subject to the Colonial Secre- tary or the President of the Sanitary Board, and he will be, as far as I understand, independent of the Sanitary Board itself or its orders. I beg to move the first reading.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded. Bill read a first time.
THE ARMS ORDINANCE PASSED.
Council rosumed Committee on the Bill en. titled an Ordinance to amend and consolidate the law relating to the carriage and possession of deadly weapons.
[April 17, 1895
they should object to going to the office of the Captain Superintendent of Police.
Hon. A. McCONACHIE-The dealers want as few difficulties as possible put in their way. A permit could be obtained just as well, and more speedily, at the Harbour Master's office. The licence could be limited to 48 hours, and after that period had expired the police could seize the arms from anyone in possession of them in the same manner as if he had no licence at all.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-Even. then a duplicate would have to be sent to the Captain Superintendent of Police, as he is the only man who can act.
The HARBOUR MASTER-The whole point is, what is the object of the Ordinance P! If it were merely to cover arms when they are taken out of the dealers' store until they leave the colony I ́ think it is quite possible that a permit from the Superintendent of Imports and Exports would be sufficient. But the object of the Ordinance is to let the police know what arms are likely to be in the colony, and whether they might, at times, be used to the detriment of the people in the Superintendent of Imports and Exports the colony. If the permits were obtained from the police would not be able to trace all the arms. as some of thein might be sent to Queen's Road, and not out of the colony. But the police coold not know anything about them, and we would then have a very large uumber of arms in the colony that the police knew nothing about, and the object of the Ordinance would therefore be frustrated.
Hon. A. MCCONACHIE-The police could know where the arms were if permits were ob tained from the Superintendent of Imports and
xports.
The HARBOUR MASTER-No, they would not. If the police issued the permits themselves they would be able to take what steps they pleased to trace the arms. No sooner is a permit issned by the Captain Superintendent of Police than he ean, if he choose, see whether the arms do go out of the colony.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-For the sake of
a very few minutes' difference of time in going to the Harbour Master's office instead of to the Captain Superintendent of Police, I am surprised that any hon. member should hesitate to do all in his power to co-operate with the Government in passing a Bill which has for its object the main- tenance of peace and good order in the colony. Peace and good order are of far more importance to the commercial interests than the prevention of a very slight inconvenience.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that the Council had now only three sections-5, 16, and 15-to consider. It was agreed at the last meeting that a reference to Volunteers should be inserted. and the Bill bad been amended in such a manner as to exclude Volunteers from its provisions.. There was a further amendment respecting the permits. The hon. member op- Hon. J. J. KESWICK-On the whole I see no posite (Hon A. McConachie) had moved that objection to the Ordinance as it stands. I under- the permits be obtained from the Superintendent stand that the whole object of this Bill is, as the of Imports aud Exports. He (Acting Attorney-Colonial Secretary said, to place the authorities in General) had seen several merchants of the possession of the knowledge as to where arms. colony and also the Superintendent of Imports are, in order to prevent in the event of a rising and Exports, and after hearing their arguments, lawless people in the city getting hold of them. he was inclined to think that the Bill should The chief inconvenience in this Bill is that very stand as it was drafted. The only argument large quantities of heavy guns come here from the merchants put forth was that the office of time to time for transhipment, and of course, the Superintendent of Imports and Exports was from their nature, they could not be got rid of nearer the water side than the office of the Cap-by being smuggled away, and it is very undesir tain Superintendent of Police, and it would saveable that any inconvenience should be caused to five or six minutes if the permits could be obthose persons who are importing these arms for tained from the former office. But the object of this Ordinance was to let the police know On the last occasion it was pointed out by the Superintendent of Imports and Exports that a man wight go to him and get an export permit, and before a duplicate could be sent to the Captain Superintendent of Police the arms might be disposed of in the colony. It was much better that permits should be obtained from the Captain Superintendent of Police, and five or six minutes' extra walk could not interfere with trade or commerce in any way. Hoa. A. MCCONACHIE said he could not see why his amendment should be objected to. The permit was good for only a certain period-24 or 48 hours and anyone in possession of arms after that period, auless entitled by a permit, could be arrested. It would be a very great inconvenience indeed if the purchasers had to go to the Captain Superintendent of Police for these permits. He understood that the trade was a very large one.
where arms were.
The HARBOUR MASTER-$3,000 a year? Hon. A. MCCONACHIE-$250,000. It would mean a serious loss of time to go up to the Police Station every time a permit was required.
The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-The purchasers saw no objection to going to the Harbour Master's office, and I cannot see why
transhipment. On the whole I daresay the hon. member for the Chamber of Commerce will be prepared to consent to application being made to the Captain Superintendent of Police instead of to the Superintendent of Imports and Exports. I see no great objection to that.
Hon. A. MCCONACHIE thought the hon. member had missed the point of the discussion. The particular point under discussion was the sale of small arms in the colony, not the question of transhipment.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-The question at present under discussion is one of convenience and inconvenience, and the inconvenience is so infinitesimal that it is really surprising that we should be detained here to discuss it. (Hear, hear).
The three clauses were passed with slight amendments.
Council resumed.
Bill read a third time and passed.
BILL.
THE CONVERSION OF CURRENOS HIS EXCELLENCY-The second item on the order of the day is the second reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinance to repeal «rdinance No. 1 of 1864 entitled “An Ordinance to provide for conversion of British Currency in all payments by or to the Government." 1 do not propose to proceed with this Bill until we hear --