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probably be thought by the General Public to constitute the severest commentary on the propriety of the course followed by a body which, in the useful fulfilment of the functions ordinarily attributed to a Chamber of Commerce, might have been expected to have brought to the examination of such a question a careful prelimi- nary examination of the facts which it vouched, and the assertions which it endorsed.
6. It was in vain, however, that some gentlemen urged on the Chamber the propriety of making inquiries into the subject. Of the 13 gentlemen out of 37 who attended the meeting there was a majority in favor of expressing an imme- diate opinion, and this haste led to the adoption of the extraordinary resolution that a measure which had almost broken up the illegal Gaming Haunts of the criminal population had "injuriously affected the trade of the Colony."
7. One gentleman indeed asserted that "Trade to his knowledge had fallen off "25 per cent among the small traders who had no doubt given up their business "because they thought they could make an easier living at gambling!" The same gentleman, who it may be remarked was not even accurate in the facts which he could have ascertained, and who over estimated the amount of the annual Licenso Fees paid to Government by nearly $100,000, argued as follows: "The 7 per cent "(on the profit to the Licensees) must be made from all bets out of which the '$250,000 (?) paid to the Government was supposed to come, and he would like "to enquire what amount of Gambling Capital must be involved in the affair in "order to produce a profit to the Farmer. Mr. TAYLOR had suggested a total profit of $500,000 (!) and this at 7 per cent would produce over $7,000,000 of Capital," &c., &c., &c.
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8. It is to be hoped that the Mercantile business of the eminent firms represented by some gentlemen at the Meeting is not always conducted on a system which has no better foundation than the above argument.
9. Nothing however appeared too unlikely, or was actually too inconsistent with fact for the indulgent humour of the Chamber on that occasion. Thus Mr. TAYLOR, the originator of the Meeting, and a gentleman for whose singleness of purpose and upright motives, His Excellency has the highest respect, appears to have been so amiably credulous as to inform the Meeting, that "when the Governor "first came to the Colony he had put down Gambling for about two weeks without "himself knowing it. He had sent round Officers to say he would not allow Gambling “in any form, but the Chinese after waiting for a fortnight saw no proclamation on the subject and heard nothing further, they consequently concluded that they were the words of a man who did not mean what he said," &c.
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10. It seems almost incredible that any grown up person could have believed that the Chinese secret Gaming Haunts which had for years been kept in full operation despite of the Police and the Laws, should suddenly have been closed at a rumor that the Governor intended to issue a "Brutum fulmen" in the shape of a proclamation requesting obedience to Laws which had been for years openly defied notwithstanding the heavy penalties for their infringement. It is due to the Chinese, whose sagacity is impugned, to say that there never was any foundation whatever for such an inference. It is merely true that the illegal Houses were closed, but for a reason which effectually disposes of Mr. Taylor's argument as appears from the annexed letter of the then Acting Registrar General Mr. Tonnochy, (Appendix B.) Their temporary closing was caused by a rumour that Government intended to establish the present system of Licensed Houses and the consequent wish of the owners to compete for the expected new Licenses, as also by the hopelessness of keeping illegal Houses open despite the vigilance of the
native Licensees. The whole affair however took place without the interference or even knowledge of the Governor, and is almost conclusive as to the soundness of the Policy since adopted.
11. Nothing however but a republication of the whole debate, illustrated as its character was by the common sense observations of Mr. Bosman, could give an adequate impression of the imperfect evidence and strange arguments brought forward to justify an expression of antagonism to the Policy of the Government and the hasty action of a Chamber, whose proceedings can claim no title to authority unless based on the fullest information.
12. It is however due to the majority of the small number of gentlemen present to make known that they declined to vote for the second of the two Resolutions passed.-It therefore was only adopted by a minority of 6 out of 13 present.
13. This result is not surprising when the nature of that resolution is stated. It was as follows:-
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"That it is the opinion of this Chamber that our present Police Force "with the aid of the influential portion of the Chinese Trading Community ' (which would be readily given) are quite competent to suppress Gambling." 14. The assertion that the Chinese community, who can hardly be induced to co-operate in the detection of crimes such as kidnapping, which most nearly affect themselves, should be counted, as active auxiliaries on by a body of Merchants acquainted with their selfish habit of keeping aloof from every business, which does not individually concern them, evinces a very sanguine frame of mind on the part of those, who voted for that resolution. Moreover, as the risk of punishment and even of assassination by those connected with illegal Gambling has been shewn by past experience to be no imaginary danger, whilst the vice, which the influential Chinese are suddenly expected to aid in suppressing, is one in which they themselves as well as nine-tenths of their countrymen indulge, the expectation that they could or would give effective aid to the Police exhibits a very simple and trusting faith. 15. The other part of the resolution as to the competence of the Police to put down Gambling might have been regarded as disposed of by the actual experi- ence of the past. His Excellency therefore still holds that opinion in the absence of any additional reason to the contrary, whilst he also ventures to think that it is just one of those points on which the Executive is entitled to speak with some authority as naturally possessing the most direct and anthentic information on the subject.
16. As however the Resolution was virtually repudiated by the majority of those present it is unnecessary to allude further to it here.
What the Police may
be able to effect will be better ascertained hereafter as permission has been lately given to use the License Fees for the improvement of that Force, but however improved it is probable that they can never command the same amount of infor- mation as the Chinese Licensees of the Gaming Houses, who have lately been induced to become most able auxiliaries of the Police not merely in detecting attempts to start illegal Gaming Haunts, but also in supplying information leading to the arrest of dangerous characters and returned convicts.
17. The annexed explanation given by the Governor to the Legislative Council, affords a clue to the real motives of those Chinese, who advocate a return to the old system and contains much of the information which the Chamber might have been expected to have sought before expressing an opinion, especially as the readiness of the Government to supply information is generally known, and in this case was particularly communicated beforehand to the Chairman of the Chamber.