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to by eight out of the nine Anembus present, and recorded on the minutes, to the effect that in the opinion of
the Council the Colonial revenues cannot fairly be charged with contribution towards the Military
expenditure rendered necessary by Imperial requirements in China and
Japan.
This opinion
was
based
the same grounds as those
adopted at the Public Meeting
upon
the 23rd Ultimo, that the
maintenance of troops in Hongkong
is no
longer necessary for the
security of the inhabitants, or
for the protection of any
Colonial interest.
The only
dissentient to this resolution was
the
Acting Chief Justice, and he stated that
he believed his
opinion
was not shared
by any other resident in the Colony
10.
I may mention that the
principle of calling on all colonies to contribute as
far
as
they
are able
towards the cost of the Military defence
of local interests is here acknowledged to the fullest extent, but it is simply denied that Troops are required in Hongkong for any purpose.
And it is further maintained that this Colony would
profit by the withdrawal of the troops
far
more
than it
gains indirectly