Enclosure 13.
Chief Justice to Governor of Hong-Kong.
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Confidential?
Supreme Court,
13 SEP 35
Hong-Kong 10th August 1893
Retrenchment Committee.
I beg to return to Your Excellency with thanks
the Honourable Mr. Whitehead's letter of the 8th instant.
Mr. Whitehead's statements appear to me to emphasize
my objection. He admits that the Unofficial Members of
the Legislative Council have acted in concerted opposition to
the Government on various matters to be submitted to the
Committee and that there not only are but will be sides taken with
regard to such matters.
Under these circumstances I cannot think that an
enquiry by a Committee containing a clear majority of such
Unofficial Members could be properly called independent. On
the contrary it seems to me that the conclusions of the Com-
mittee as a body would be necessarily dependent on the view
taken by one side in the controversy.
I have &c.
(Signed) F. Clarke,
Chief Justice.
His Excellency,
Sir W. Robinson, K.C.M.G.