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Honourable W. KESWICK—I really did not observe the omission; I did not notice it.
HIS EXCELLENCY—Now I find the vote for Miscellaneous Services in 1880 was $4,000. In these Estimates for 1881, we have the same sum. One might have imagined that the question of the City Hall would have attracted the attention of my honourable friend. However, perhaps he thinks the subject is not one of importance; at all events, not of sufficient importance to bring to the notice of the Governor in the Legislative Council. But still, somehow or other, my attention has been called to it by my honourable friend, for he favoured me with the recent report of the Committee of which he was the Chairman, in which the vote is referred to. I read it with interest, and I find introduced into it some reference to the proceedings of the Governor with respect to this sum of $1,200. In addition to reading this report, to which is appended a good many documents, I took a glance at the proceedings of the meeting itself, and there I saw what my honourable friend had remarked.
He said,—
“With regard to the Museum you will doubtless have perceived that a serious misunderstanding exists between the Committee and the Executive—the Governor. The origin of the difference is seen in the first letter which was addressed to the City Hall Committee. It is unique in the way in which it assumes that the Committee must obey the behests of the Governor in matters connected with the City Hall. It is the first time that the Committee has been so addressed. On all previous occasions when we have had communication with the Governors of this Colony we have received from them from the first until the last—and the last is the exception—every support and assistance in making this public institution as beneficial to the community as possible.”
Now, I observe that this meeting was a meeting of what one may call business men, and such was the statement to which they listened. There were apparently laid before them the various documents which the City Hall Committee had in their possession on this subject. At least, these gentlemen went away from the meeting under that impression. But after all, what is the fact? I have no hesitation in saying that there never was a case in this Colony put either before politicians or men of business in which more serious omissions occurred than in the case as laid before the public in this report and appendix. To begin with, not one word is said as to the Trust Deed under which the City Hall is held, not one word is said as to the conditions upon which Her Majesty's Government gave the Crown land to the public of this Colony. Not one word is said as to the specific and clear conditions of Governor Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL in his various minutes on this subject, all of these minutes being in the hands of the Committee of the City Hall, and being all concealed from the public of the Colony.
At that City Hall meeting there were twenty or thirty men of business, bank managers, leading merchants, sensible men, who thoroughly understand their own business arrangements. Suppose them to be told they were to consider something with respect to which the essential conditions were to be concealed from them, and they were to receive only a certain portion of documentary evidence, the earlier and more important part being kept in the dark. Well, on learning, as they now will do, the actual facts, I think any friends who attended that meeting will be surprised to see that this grant of land was given by the Crown on specific conditions; that the Governor who sanctioned the first vote from the ratepayers' money of $1,200 a year for the pay of the Curator, did so on specific conditions, which were violated by the Committee without the sanction or knowledge of the Executive.
Now, to begin with, here is the deed. I may mention that this very deed which I hold in hand—it is not the first time that my honourable friend has seen it—was before him as a member of the City Hall Committee. These minutes of Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL were all before him. They were considered by him and read at Committee meetings. All this was carefully gone into, but not one word was said at the recent public meeting about these minutes and the deed, which are essential in deciding the question whether the Committee kept good faith with the Government.
Now, what say the deed and minutes?—His Excellency then read portions of the deed, which vested the land in the trustees thereon to erect a building to be used as a City Hall; violation of the conditions to entail forfeiture of the property and expulsion of the occupiers. Such is the deed. Under that deed the property, the legal estate, vested in Messrs. TURING, McDOUALL and RYRIE. Now, I find, on referring to the papers, of which all notice was omitted by my honourable friend at this public meeting, that for a considerable period my honourable friend Mr. RYRIE was in fact the leading man, the chief manager, the person upon whom the whole responsibility was thrown.
I find that he alone represented the City Hall for a long time, and he and Mr. RENNIE did so for a considerable period. Now, what were the conditions imposed by Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL, and under what circumstances? His first minute is addressed to Mr. AUSTIN, Colonial Secretary. He said—
“MR. AUSTIN,—It occurs to me that before the Estimates are finally closed it might be possible for Mr. RENNIE and the gentlemen having the management of the City Hall to show cause for granting a small sum in aid of the Institution, so far as the latter, by its Museum and Library, may be able to offer advantages of a valuable kind to the public.
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It is very desirable that a person acquainted with such things should be early appointed as Librarian and Curator of the Museum, which latter, if well fitted up, would soon attract to it a large collection of interesting objects.
The fittings for a Museum are not, however, an easy whilst they are certainly a costly matter. The things will require time, which is passing rapidly.
“I am anxious to help any scheme likely to secure a Museum and Library of the City Hall, managed on liberal terms and such as may fairly entitle the Institution to a grant from the Colony. Hongkong has quite a sufficient tendency already towards the almighty dollar. It would do the community good to give them a slight ‘list over the other way.
“30th September, 1868.”
“R. G. MACDONNELL.
That minute, made in September, 1868, was referred to Mr. RENNIE, and he, on behalf of the City Hall Committee, wrote a letter, which has been recently, with all the other papers, before the City Hall Committee. I shall now place them before the Council. He gives a long explanation as to what the Committee understood with reference to the admission of the public. Thereupon, Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL writes—
“MR. AUSTIN,—This memorandum omits to answer my principal inquiry, which I shall now put in plain words.
Are the Museum and Library to be managed on liberal terms, and, if so, on what? Is any subscription to be necessary to enable any member of the community who behaves himself quietly and is decently dressed, from visiting the Museum and Library and even reading in the latter place, as is the case in Melbourne, where one of the noblest institutions in the world is free to all the world?
“If perfect freedom of access is not to be allowed, as is probable, what are to be the restrictions?
“R. G. MACDONNELL.
“3rd October, 1868.”
That is dated 3rd October, and here is the answer of the City Hall Committee, that is, the answer of Mr. RENNIE and my friend Mr. RYRIE.
“The whole of the arrangements upon which the City Hall is to be managed have not been definitely fixed, but there never has, I believe, been any thought of having the admission to the Museum and Library otherwise than perfectly gratuitous, and open, as His Excellency states, to all well-dressed and well-behaved persons.
“3rd October, 1868.”
Honourable W. KESWICK—Is that signed by Mr. RENNIE?
“W. H. RENNIE.
“On behalf of the City Hall Committee,
HIS EXCELLENCY—It is signed by Mr. RENNIE “On behalf of the City Hall Committee.” Honourable W. KESWICK—That is a private memorandum.
HIS EXCELLENCY—So far from being a private memorandum, which my honourable friend says it is, here is the document. It is an official document and is headed “C.S.O.,” Colonial Secretary's Office, with the register number, “No. 2669.” It is strictly official in every sense of the word, an official agreement made with the Governor of the Colony—not a private agreement but a public agreement—public agreement recorded in the archives of the Colony, made between the Governor and the City Hall Committee. Not being a private memorandum, it was referred to by Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL in the Legislative Council, and there he said the Museum was to be an institution open to all the inhabitants of the Colony, and he added he would not have given the grant but for that fact.
What was the notice then issued? You will observe, gentlemen, that Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL very properly couples together the Library and Museum. Now here is the notice that exists to this moment respecting the Library, and which for years was acted upon in respect to the Museum: “Library is open without payment to all decent and well-behaved persons of every nationality.” That notice, which refers now to the Library, and which is similar to the notice which referred for so many years to the Museum, was in strict accord, word for word, with the conditions laid down by Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL and accepted by the City Hall Committee.
All these facts are material facts concealed from the public. They were known to my honourable friend, in whose hands I had placed these documents not many months ago. What advantage is there in concealing facts so material, so conclusive, from the public of this Colony? But there was another fact kept back. It is alleged, forsooth, that I, the Governor of the Colony, adopted a totally unprecedented course, a course that no other Governor thought of adopting, in giving instructions last year that the money was to be paid to the trustees.
It happens that we have of the three trustees but one remaining in the Colony. Now, why did I give these instructions? It was only when my friend Mr. PALGRAVE and one or two other strangers passing through the Colony called my attention to what, in their own words, they described as a discreditable notice, or one little creditable to the City Hall Committee, drawing a distinction between one nationality and another. No such distinction had been made as regards the Library, but only as regards the Museum, and that notice had come into effect when Sir RICHARD ...
Dec.