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April 21, 1900.]
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REPORT. supplying a great want. (Hear, hear:) commanding officers here in the different The next thing was to cast about and see where Barracks have encouraged and started teetotal we could have it, and "G Block," on account und temperance meetings, and I can only say of its situation, seemed admirably suited to the that I, in conjunction with them, have the purpose. So the officers got me to write home greatest admiration and respect for a teetotaler! and get permission from the War Office to use who remains a teetotaler on principle, or for Black" for the purpose. Of course it took the weaker mea-weaker in one sense but strong cortain time to get an answer. At last we in a moral sense who say, "If 1 touch liquor at got an auswer saying that they would be willing all I shall exceed and so I will take the pledge to let me have it on two conditions. One was and take none." That man I have the highest that it was really shown to be a positive want, admiration for, but at the same time I feel and the other was the regular one that it should that there is a very much larger body of men be no expense to the public. Well, the officers who are perfectly able to enjoy the good things et me and they determined to go ou with the of this life in moderation and in temperance, and olub. Well, now, I must tell you that when we it is to them that this building is thrown open. first met together I did not anticipate-I do not It seems to me that it would be a very hard know what others did that so large a sum of thing indeed if a man who had come from money would be required to furnish this building Mount Austin into town could not have a glass and to start it as proved to be the case when we of beer in a place like this. I enjoy my went into figures. You see, the War Office gave own glass and I enjoy it in moderation, us the bare walls only. Everything else-light and I am perfectly certain that the great ing, furniture, etc.-had to be provided. Well, bulk of the men in the Army do the same. we felt that the great thing was to make a start. After close ou 38 years in the service I can We felt that if the club proven to be a want, if only say that I do not think I have ever you really appreciated it, the thing could go of seen a greater change than that which I have itself; but it had to be started. The officers at
seen in the Army. When I joined the Army once came forward and said they would like to there was an enormous amount of drinking, no start it and so a commencement was made. | doubt, but that has all changed and now, and I But when I went into figures I found, as I say it most advisedly and most clearly I believe say, that a larger sum of money was required that if you were to take a couple of thousand thau we, or at any rate than I, anticipated; soldiers and a couple of thousand civilians you and so I had the officers up again. I felt it would find more sobriety among the former my duty, and I said, Although you hare than among the latter. (Applause.) Well, there asked me to go ou with this, yet at the sam fore, after a great deal of discussion and after time it is only right, and fair to tell you that a
a great deal of consideration the officers asked larger sum of money than we anticipated will me to allow liquor to be sold here. Then we bo wanted. Now, what do you say?" They at. came to another question. Many of these in- once replied "Geu ral, we think this thing is stitutes or clubs or whatever they are called wanted and we wish it to be done; we wish you mix up religion with them. Here again no to go on with it." I tell you this, and I think
can truthfully say, believes more in the there is no bad taste in my telling it you, be effect of religion than I do, but there is a time cause if I did not tell it yon might fancy and a place for all things, and it seems to me that everything had been done very easily and that as my own club is not considered the place comfortably, and you might not perhaps so com- for religion, so we decided after a great deal pletely appreciate the trouble and expense that of consideration, that this club should be opened it has beep; and if I know soldiers at all I
men of all denominations and that reli. feel quite certain of this, that they will greatly gion should not be a feature. (Hear, hear.) I appreciate a gift, a handsome gift, from the wish to point out another thing-I feel quite officers to the men, from comrades to comrades.
sure I am not unduly detaining you, because And therefore it is that I point this out this is my one opportunity of telling you ex- you. (Hear, hear.) Well, having arranged actly how the whole thing stands. Another all that, the order was given to go on. question came before the committee of officers. We had committee meeting after committeo consy said, the question was, "Shall we have a meeting. When I say we, I had very, little men-commissioned officer on duty here to keep to do with it. Though I appear as the order and so forth ?" And the officers unani- mouthpiece of the officers, I have had only a mously said to me. "No, General; we do not small part in this as compared with them. think there is the least necessity for it." (Hear, There has been a great deal of hard work. I hear.) I feel quite certain that if a man tho suppose there must have been something like roughly understands the conditions on which ten or 12 meetings-first of all of the com- the club exists there will be no trouble what- mittee and then of the working committee-ever. (Hear, hear. Therefore I say there will to see what they should want and what they ought best to do for your comfort. Well, the thing was gone on with and now I have come bere, and it is a very great pleasure to me, as the mouthpiece of the officers, to make it a free gift to the Garrison of Hongkong. (Applause.) But baving started it the officers and I have quite agreed about this: that, once started, the rest must be done by yourselves. There are no subscriptions asked of the members, but sup- posing you do not care about the building, sup. posing it does not prove to be the want that I and the officers generally believed it to be, and that you do not patronise it to any great ex tent, well then I um pledged to close it, and close it I shall. (Hear, hear.) Therefore, I again repeat that it rests entirely with you whether you find it is an advau- tage or whether it is a disadvantage; it frests entirely with you whether the build ing goes on or whether it is closed.. Well, now, I should like to say 腰 few words abont the constitution of the club. We have called it a Soldiers' Club, and the officers have arranged that it shall be exactly on the same footing as one of our officers' clubs, to which all of us belong at some place or another. That is that there shall be no restrictions except the restrictions that good taste, good feeling, and good conduct always compel for the main tenance of any building. We settled that there should be no restriction about liquor. Now I want to speak a few words about the liquor question. Of course, I, as the General Officer Commanding, and all the other officers natur- ally are most strongly in favoar of sobriety and good conduct in every way. Several of the
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with brother soldiers that they might inconve- niently crowd us out in a small building of this kind. If such a thing should happen I know perfectly well-for the Navy men will appre oiate the fact that I and the whole of the officers of the Garrison are anxious to do every thing we can for them-that if under those circumstances I said, "You are rather a large body. We have but a small house, and, there fore, I will ask you to restrict the numbers, the Navy would accept it with the greatest plea will practically have, as 1 say, the management sure. (Hear, hear.) The members of the club
of it. The club is formed in this way. There is a committee of all the senior officers oom- manding the different units of the Garrison, and they have honoured me by making me their Chair-
man.
There is a working committee of officers and non-commissioned officers and, I take this opportunity of saying how much we owe to a number of young energetic officers who have 'de- voted themselves to carrying out this project. It is entirely due to them that the building in what you see it to-night, (Applause.) Well, there is the working committes; and then we have a sub-committee of yourselves, and that sub-com- mittee has only to bring before the working com- mittee anything in reason that it thinks is wise and good, and it will be done. In addition to that there will be a book provided here in which any member will be justified in writing any little thing which he recommends or any complaint that he thinks is worth calling attention to. The only stipulation is that he must sign bis name; otherwise no notice will be taken of the entry. I mention all this because I want you all to understand that every man has got a per- sonal interest in the management of the olab--- that is the members, because the honorary mem- bers have no say in it. They are merely honor- ary members as guests. But the members have all a distinct interest in the club and in its man. agement, and therefore I am perfectly confident that if you see at any time anything going on which is not quite what it should be you will be your own police and put it down. 1 feel so confident of that that I do not say anything more on the subject, except again to remind you-and those who know me know that I am a man of my word-of the two stipulations made. One is that if the building is not suf. ficiently kept going by the patronage of the men, if it is not self-supporting, it will be closed. Then if I find-thongh I do not anti- cipat it in the least-that there is any trouble and that the offer of the officers is not met in the spirit in which it was made, I have arranged that the club shall be closed instantly, and there will be nothing further said about it. (Hoar, hear.) I think I have now told you everything about it.
The olub, yon be no more restrictions in this club than there will see, will be self-supporting. That is what are in any one of the officers' olubs or than the sale of refreshments ought to be, and we there are in the Hongkong Club. (Hear, hear.) believe it will be, sufficient to pay all the Then we hope that this place will be a great working expenses of the club. If there is any- coutre of sport of all kinds. We hope that thing over that goes into the club. The Garrison matches will be planned here. We accounts of the club will be laid before you at hope very shortly to start in connection with certain times of the year posted up in the it a boat club. I cannot help thinking that club. There is one little matter I ought just to in all these ways the club will be of im- mention. A commanding officer who takes a meuse advantage to the Garrison of Hongkong, great deal of interest in his canteen and (Hear hear.) Well, now, about the question of Regimental Institute may well say, "Well, if members. The members who will practically there is money expeniled here it will come out have the management of the club are the men of my canteen profit." Instead of saying that of the Europeau corps of the Garrison, but we the commanding officers at once came and have also wished to make certain honorary said, No, General, if it is for the good, as we members. We feel that the Hongkong Volun believe it to be, of the men, we do not care about teers should be made honorary members, and that. We will give our adherence to it, but we therefore we have sent them an invitation to so will ask you not to undersell the canteens,” (f consider themselves. We were obliged to make conre that was only reasonable and proper, and the restriction that they must be in uniform, therefore as there are greater expenses attached because if they are not in uniform the Exoise to this building than to a Regimental Institute, Authorities might think we were serving out which has pretty well everything found for it, drink to men who were not members, and also the committee have arranged that there shall if they came in plain clothes the Manager might be a small increase on canteen prices for refresh- not know whether they had the right to auy-ments. I mention this because you will then thing or not. Well, then, we decided also that we would ask the patty officers, non- commissioned officers, and meu of the sister service, the Royal Navy, to consider themselves honorary members too (Applause.) This sug gestion was unanimously adopted by the com- mittes, our only doubt being I say it now as I have already said it to the Commodore-that possibly sometimes in the winter mouths, when there is a large number of ships in the Harbour, there may be such a large number of the Navy men who would like to come aud have
glass
see the reason for it. Now I have told yon as far as I can everything connected with the build- ing. There is one thing which will rather amuse you. When the officers met the other day we thought to ourselves that we would throw the club open to-day, and so we informed the Manager that it was intended to open the club to-day instead of on Monday, so that the mem- bers would be able to make use of it dur- ing the holidays. The Manager was h rifled at this. He said his beer would not have had time to settle and that this would