158
Speech by His Excellency the Governor on 21st December 1899.
I think the observations of the honourable members who have just spoken are very much to the point, and I think it is only right that not alone the Council but that the Chinese people in the New Territory should have some idea why this Bill is introduced by the Government at the present time. The condition of the New Territory is peculiar. The Chinese do not understand our ways, and I desire most heartily to interfere with the Chinese and their customs as little as possible, but it is absolutely necessary that the land in the New Territory should be registered. Of course all members of the Council know that in the interests of the Chinese themselves it should be registered; but for some reason, probably some suspicion which I hope will be removed in the course of time, the Chinese have not been for some time as anxious to register their land as they might be, and for a considerable time we have found great difficulty in getting the Chinese to come forward and give any information about their land or about registration. It then became necessary to approach the Chinese through their elders, their leaders, for the purpose of explaining why it was necessary that land should be registered. However, on more than one occasion when these Chinese elders had been invited to come in they gave no attention whatever to the invitation. Such conduct under Chinese jurisdiction refusing when invited by a high official to come in and assist him and give him information would not have been tolerated for an instant. We do not propose to take the stringent measures which would have been taken had the people remained under Chinese Jurisdiction, but we do wish to get the power to compel their attendance and to inflict a small fine in case they disobey the summons. As to the observations of the honourable gentleman with reference to the supervision, so to speak, of the exercise of this power, the honourable