Mr Johnson.
Before M. Pearson's minute on this paper is carried out I should be much obliged if you would look at the minute on 90041771 and draft and see by reference to recent Estimates from Hong Kong (1) whether the instructions to set out in the main heading of the Estimates all Pensions has been attended to & (1) whether the "non-effective" charge for gratuities & Pensions to Police has shewn any tendency to increase since that time.
To give the Governor absolute discretion to dispose of £14,000 without the supervision of the Secretary of State, & my fear is that it will lead to the "non-effective" charges becoming out of all proportion to the "effective" charges. M. Lucas in minuting 18926/80 does not appear in any way to have adverted to the decision taken on 16807/81; & though Mr. Lewes in his minute of 4th October on 16807/81 alluded to that paper, Mr. Meade passed the draft to the Governor on 29th Sept on that paper before Mr. Lewes's minute was written, & I feel sure that Mr. Meade by his minute on the present paper intended deliberately to overrule his own minute on 16807/81.
Mr. Lucas's idea (as would appear from his last minute of 5th Oct on 16007/87) of relieving the financial deck of the trouble of supervising small Police Pensions is no doubt a very laudable one, but the 4th clause of Ordinance 8 of 1867 would allow the Governor to give Capt. Superintendent a full-pay pension for life or any other outrageous thing.
As regards what I have always understood to be the intention of such provisions, it was to give the Executive certain powers in the administration of the affairs of the Colony, but that in his discretion he should take instructions that the Secretary of State may choose to give him as to the mode or extent to which he should exercise the powers conferred upon him by the Legislature.
JNR 5/1/872