41.
40Whitehead containing a clear majority of Unofficial Members of Council. This is not practicable, for in the first place M. Keswick and Mr. Belilios are not available - the former having asked to be excused, and the latter having declined to serve on such a Committee - and Dr Hokai, though an extremely useful member of the Legislative Council, has not the necessary knowledge or experience to render him a suitable member of such a Retrenchment Committee. And in the second place, the reasons urged by the Colonial Secretary against his being required to preside over any retrenchment Committee, are, I fear, more likely to increase than to diminish as time goes on, while nothing but absolute compulsion would induce the Chief Justice to preside over a Committee constituted as
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