HongKong
The Daily Press, 38 May, 1899.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was held i yesterday afternoon. There were verant :---
His Excellency the GOVERNOR.
Hon. Sir JOHN SMALE, Chief Justice. Hon. W. . MARSH. Colonial Secretary. Hon. J. RUSSELL, Acting Attorney-General. Hon. M. 8. TONNOCHY, Colonial Treasurer. Hon. P. RYRIO.
Hon, W. KESWICK.
Hon. J. M. PuICE, Surveyor-General. Hon, H. B. GIEB,
MINUTES.
The minutes of the last moeting were read and oeufirmed.
NEW MEMBERS AND THE LATE ME. MAY.
is EXCELLENcy said-Gentlemen, I have to swear in Mr. Tonnochy as Treasurer, and my bou. friend Mr. Gibb as an unofficial member of the ancil, but in ding so I think it is my duty to express, and I only re-echo what you all feel, my deep sense of the loss the Council has sustained in the death of Mr. May, which has taken place since the last meeting, causing one of the vacancies I had to fill up. His death is ou that every one in this Colony has felt as a most serious loss to the whole co- manity. He was, indeed, for the time he sat at this Council table the most experienced official sitting at it. He was the oldest resident of all the members, and I am bound to say that during the whole of the time I had the honour of his acquaintance, indeed of his friendship, his great experience, his natural ability, his straight- forward and honest disposition, and his thorough loyalty to the Government, all rendered him one of my most useful officers and one of the most useful members of Council. With respect to the other vacancy, it is caused by the resignation of Mr. Lowcock, and for that I have selected my hou. friend, Mr. Gibb, and although Mr. Gibb is present I must take the opportunity of saying I believe it would be quite impossible for me or any other Governor to choose any gentleman in this commnuity better fitted for a seat at this Coun- cil.-(Applause.)
Hoù. H. B. GIRB acknowledged His Excel- loney's remarks.
Mr. Tonnochy and Mr. Gibb were then formally Sworn it.
THE SHIPPING ACTS.
His EXCELLENCY-Gentlemen, I find upon the Order of to-day, No. 1, the Merchant Shipping Consolidation Bill, the second reading; 2, the Survey of Steamships and Boilers Bill. On re- ferring to the minutes of the Legislative C uncil of the 29th April, 1878, I find that the Steamship Survey and Regulation Ordinance was referred to a Select Committee consisting of the Acting Chief Justice, the Acting Colonial Treasurer, the Attorney-General, and the three unofficial Members of Council-His Excellency read the minute, which went on to state that the Mer- chant Shipping Consolidation Bill, which in. eluded the provisions of the other Bill, was re- ferred to the sams Committee, and gave a sum- mary of His Excellency's remarks on the Bills. His Excellency proceeded-On the 21st No- vember. 1878, Mr. May, who was then Acting Colonial Secretary, received the following let- ter:--
Hongkong, 21st November, 1878. SB-In response to a notice issued by the Govern rent some five months since, we appeared before the Committee on the New Shipping Bill, and gave our · views upon certain sections of it,
It is of considerable importance to Shipowners, who a ports in China to Hongkong,
have vessels trading ble how the Act will affect!
to know as soon as
their interests, and as a considerable period has Elapsed Binne the Bill was
referred to the Committee, i
wo respectfully beg that you will afford on such in- formation as lies in your power regarding the probable date when the Bill is likely to come again before the Legislative Council.
We have the honour to bo, Sir,
Your obedient servants,
BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE. To the Honourable Charles May, Acting Colonial Secretary, &c., de, ke.
I find on the back of this letter the following minute of mine →→→
MINUTE BY HIS EXCELLENCE THE GOVERNOR. Please let me know the cause of this long delay in the proceeding and report of the Select. Committee.
25th November, 1878.
11210 79
493
Forwarded to the Honourable the Acting Chief. Justice, Chairman of the Select Committes.
C. MAY, Acting Colonial Secretary.
26th November, 1878.
I find the Acting Colonial Fecretary forwarded this document to the Acting Chief Justice, as Chairman of the Select Committee, and then I find the following minute from the Chairwan :---
The last meeting of the Committee was beid July 3rd, when it was arranged that the Bill should be printed as revised for Hual consideration, and the Attorney General undertook, as I understand, to revise the revised Bill and prepare it for the
press. This required two or three days' preparation.
I have mentioned the matter on several occasions to the Attorney.tioneral, but owing to press of business, I presume, and lately from ill-Llth ne has not had time to attend to it.
I have written to ask the Attorney.(renera) when he dan resume the business, and will let His Excellency know.
F. Snowoss, Chairman.
27th November, 1878. The minute made upon that was-
Write in substance to Mesars. Butterfield & Swire, adding that I shall do my boat to expedite the pro- ceedings of the Committee.
28th November, 1878.
I
Well, gentlemen, for the reason stated by Mr. Snowden in this, namely, the illness of the At- torney General, I am sorry to say I have not yat received the report of that Committee. think it would perhaps be convenient if the Acting Attorner General, who I think has seen the draft of t port, and who is probably familiar to some ex: with what was done by bis predecessor in office, nid let us know what is now the exact stage of the proceedings of the committee on those two Pills. I may add my own wish would be to pass as speedily as possible the Rill for the survey of steamships and boilers. The ACTING ATTORNEY-GENERAL-Your Excellency, when Mr. Phillippo was about to leave I tried to see what was exactly done with reference to theso Bills, which he told me had been referred to a committoo of the Council, but I really found his state of health was such that I could not get unch from him without going to the members again. The personnel of the committee has changed so much, owing to Mr. Snowden's absence, and other changes which have taken place, that it was impossible to got together all the members and draw up such a report as I should like to have been able to do. Iu the first stage I see there was some evidence takon, and the first thing discussed was this small Bill for the survey of steamships and boilers. A number of suggestions were made, bat it was finally resolved that as it was to form part of the larger measure, the complote discus. sion should be adjourned until the larger measure was considered. There was one point noticed, which was that it did not refer to forsigu steamers, and that consequently if this measure were carried out British vessels would be placed at a disadvantage as compared with vessels under foreigu flags, and most of the wombors thought this was so inequitable that they would not be prepared to pass it. However, at this stage the msttter was left over. The outcome of the whole of the discussion of the comunittee was a draft report which Mr. Wodohouse made; this was sent to the Acting Chief Justice, who returned it to me a few days before he left. It appeared from what Mr. Snowden told me that Mr. Phillippo was to arrange and draw up the report, but nothing was done, and that is exactly the state of affairs at present. If the small Bill is passed in the original shapo in which it was brought before the Council, I don't think there could be much difficulty, with the oxception of a few omissions of schedules, but if yon go into the larger question it is a very difficult one and would require much consideration, However, the ther gentlemen here who took part in the discussion can go more fully into the subject than I can from what I gather from the records.
Ron. P. BYBIE-Your Excellency, I was pre- sent at the meeting and my understanding of what took place is not exactly as Mr. Russell atates. My impression was that the coinmittee had done with the Bill until they saw it again in Council, or until they saw the report; that there was nothing to be done but to draw the report; my impression was that there was to be no more proceedings at the committee.