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are told, but the unofficial members, whether elected or appointed by the Crown, are free men entitled to vote according to the dictates of their conscience. Those of them who are elected receive the suffrages of their constituents because they enjoy their confidence on general grounds; and even if it were desirable it would be impracticable to give them a mandate on every question that may present itself for the consideration of the legislature. The two elected members are the Hon. C. P. CHATER, by the Justices of the Peace, and the Hon. T. H. WHITE HEAD, by the Chamber of Commerce. The bodies electing these gentlemen largely over- lap each other in their membership and the probability of their entertaining diverse views on any particular question is a remote one. Yet Mr. CHATER and Mr. WHITE HEAD are diametrically opposed to each other on
this question of the Sanitary Board and we have no doubt that if their period of office expired to-morrow they would each be re-elected animously. The colony could not afford to dispense with the services of either of them, The Sanitary Board question, though very important and pressing, is not the only one that has to be considered, and although Mr. CHATER, according to our view, has espoused the wrong side in this instance, the many services he has rendered to the colony, of which the latest is his able letter on the extension of the colony's boundaries-a very appropriate subject for the gentleman who is chiefly responsible for the much needed enlarge ment of the area of Victoria by the Praya Reclamation-ensure him his seat in Council for as long as he cares to retain it. Consider ing how small in number the Legislative Council is, any attempt to force a vote of confidence or no confidence in the elected members on any particular question is to be deprecated. The colony does not want faddist members, but men of good all round qualifications.
1,
un-
[April 23, 1896.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
influenced by hope of favours or fear of civil purposes the supreme authority would displeasure. It is a purely political ques- still be the Secretary of State. But even tion, on which every man ought to feel him- if it were considered possible that thé self free to express his opinion without fear, colony should be made altogether an favour, or affection, and we are confident appanage of India and a decision to that
given we Was
do not know there can be no disposition on the part of effect any of the leaders in the discussion to use that the change would be one to be improper influence. The real feeling of the greatly regretted by the community, community is what it is desirable to arrive provided we were guaranteed against any at; the opinion of the Justices of the financial calls being made upon the colony.
or outside purposes beyond the military Peace and of the Chamber of Commerce would be a step in that direction, but contribution of seventeen and a half per cent. We of the general revenue. Taxation in India it would not be absolutely conclusive. trust therefore that the Government will is on a somewhat higher scale than in this fall in with Mr. WHITEHEAD's idea of colony and in the event of any such amal- taking a plebiscitum. This might be satis- gamation as has been suggested taking place factorily done by addressing circular to it would be necessary to look to the protec- all ratepayers on the jury list, appealing in tion of our financial interests. With ade fact to the same constituency as that ap-quate guarantees on that point, incorporation pointed by the Public Health Act to elect with the Indian Empire, so far from being the two representatives of the ratepayers objected to, might perhaps even be wel on the Sanitary Board as it existed comed. As our correspondent "Progress,"
At the whose letter appeared yesterday, says, before the recent disruption. last election, which took place on the it is the policy of the Indian Government 16th June, 1894, Mr. T. JACKSON said: to encourage, not to repress, municipal "There is no doubt the present state of aspirations, and we might therefore reason- Hongkong is a disgrace not only to the ably expect to be accorded a share in the Government but to our civilization." We management of our own local affairs, which is think the opinion of the community if it at present denied to us by the authorities of could be officially arrived at would be that Downing Street and their representatives in to remove the unofficial element from the the colony. Hongkong has certainly little Sanitary Board or to reduce its numbers to thank the Colonial Office for and a to such an extent as to render it powerless severance of the connection would afford no ground for sentimental regret. It was is not the best way of mending matters. The community has emphatically expressed hoped when the present Secretary of State itself in favour of an unofficial majority in for the Colonies came into office that the the Legislative Council, and the principle reasonable claims of the colony would have at stake in the case of the Sanitary Board is received some attention, but the permanent It is reasonable to officials seem to have been too strong even precisely the same.
for Mr. CHAMBERLAIN, suppose, therefore, that the decision would be the same, assuming the matter to be left to the public to decide.
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A SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ASIÄ AND THE POSITION OF HONGKONG.
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LI HUNG-CHANG'S REFUSAL TO -
LAND AT HONGKONG. The views expressed in this column as to LI HUNG-CHANG's failure to land at Hong- kong are confirmed by what His Excellency is reported to have said at Singapore. We hope for the sake of His Excellency's re- commend it. The functions now discharged putation for veracity that there has been an by the Secretary of State for India, the error in the report, but unfortunately the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and the hope seems to have little justification. There was no reason why the Ambassador should Secretary of State for the Colonies, would then, so far as Asia is concerned, be united have landed here, if he did not wish to do so, in one department, and much of the confusion but there was every reason why he should and waste of labour occasioned by the neces- have exercised ordinary courtesy in declining sity of referring questions from one depart-the invitation extended to him." As it was, he ment to another under the present system gave a conllitional acceptance and then, the would be obviated. The advantages of condition being fulfilled, he declined to act the proposal from a general point of view upon his acceptance. It is said he notified have been set out by the Hon. G. N. CURZON the Consul-General at Shanghai that, not and other authorities and it is unnecessary having received a definite assurance before that we should repeat at length what they leaving that port as to his landing here not have said. It may be interesting, however, rendering him liable to quarantine else- to consider what the probable effect would where, he was reluctantly compelled to de- be on this colony in particular. It has been cline the Governor's invitation. We be- suggested by the China Mail that Hongkong lieve we are correct in saying a copy of the under a Secretary of State for Asia would despatch alleged to have been sent to Sir become a mere appanage to India. We see NICHOLAS HANNEN has been preserved in the Ambassadorial archives, but it seems no reason to suppose that that would neces-
The colony is too distant inconceivable that if any such despatch had sarily be the case.
reached the Consul-General he should have from India to be effectively governed as an integral portion of that Empire and it must failed to immediately notify the Governor by therefore be allowed to retain its local auto-telegraph. Granted, however, that His Ex- nomy. The Governor might perhaps be selected from the Indian Civil Service instead of from the ordinary Colonial Service, but while he held the Government he would be responsible to the proposed Secretary of State for Asia, not to the Viceroy of India. What is more probable, however, is that the Government would be entrusted to the General' Officer Commanding the Troops, and it might be considered advisable that for military purposes the colony should be attached to the Indian command, but for
So far the Government has asked only The suggestion that a Secretary of State for for the opinion of the Chamber of Com- | Asia should be appointed has much to re- merce on the Sanitary Board question; it might with equal propriety have asked for the opinion of the Justices of the Peace. As it has failed to do so it might be useful if Mr. CHATER were himself to take the opinion of his constituents. This might easily be done by means of a circular re- questing an answer to the question "Are you in favour of an unofficial majority on If the "noes" were the Sanitary Board?" in a majority then the hon. gentleman would know that his constituents approved of the support he is giving to the Govern- ment in the matter; if, on the other hand, the "yeas
were in the majority he would still be entitled to vote according to his own opinion and to use such argu- as might suggest themselves to him in support of that opinion, but his vote would then not carry the weight of a large backing. When the question of adopting some means of arriving at the opinion of the general community upon this question, by a public meeting or otherwise, has been mentioned in the course of general conversation we have heard it suggested that any such attempt would lead simply to a trial of strength between rival factions, in which the real merits of the question at issue would be relegated to a secondary position. It seems to us an insult to the gentlemen who have taken the more prominent parts in the discussion to suppose that in a ques- tion of this kind they would use any other weapon than that of fair argument, and it is an insult also to the community to suppose that they would allow themselves to be
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cellency did finally decline the invitation before leaving Shanghai on the ground of fear of quarantine and that the Consul-General failed to acquaint the Governor with the fact, Li was notified immediately on his arrival here that he need be under no appre- hension as to quarantine. His alleged objec- tion to landing was therefore removed, but still he did not land. Why? Because, he is alleged to have said at Singapore, "if he 'went, his servants, would also land, and "the infection might be brought aboard.
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