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thought it would remain, that we should probably always have a very considerable Navy. engaged in the Far East. The question that Wheu was in a nutshell, presented itself they put the question before His Majesty's Government, as they would in their petition -a petition which he hoped and believed he would be able to support most heartily in all its statements and all its suggestions (applause) -the two questions that they would have to consider were, first of all, whether, in the event of the removal of the Dock elsewhere a consider- able amount of time might or might not be lost. They Lad already seen-be was speaking now as the man in the street-that it was quite clear it was to the advantage of His Majesty's service that the Dock should be completed as soon as possible. He knew nothing of the difficulties that had been shadowed by Mr. Shewan, but he assumed that, if there were such diffi- culties, it might help to solve the question, because he took it that, in the removal of the Dock to another position, that position would be such RX would afford a sound bottom and facilities for the building of the Dock which did not appear, from Mr. Shewan's statement, to exist at the present moment. Apart from that question, and assum- ing that that could be answered, and that it could be demonstrated on suquiry that the Dock would and could probably be completed as quickly elsewhere as this Dock might be if it is gone on with, then came the question of the expense to the Imperial Government. That question had already been answered by the Committee, through their chairman, Sir Paul Chater, in his statement that, in their view the Colony could afford to acquire for the Naval authorities the whole of their present holding, and to supply the Naval authorities with a site elsewhere. He had gone into that question a little with Sir Paul Chater and agreed with him. He thought his calculations were probably right, and that it would be for the benefit of this Colony that the Imperial Government should be assured that, if a change be made it would be made without expense to His Majesty's Government. Ho knew nothing of a proposed Commission for the purpose of settling differences between the Military and Naval authorities and hardly thought, not from any official source or official knowledge, that Sir Paul Chater had been quite correctly led to believe. He knew that, in the minds of certain people, and certainly in bis mind, was presented the advisability of sending out a Commission for the purpose of considering the question that they were approaching-the ques- tion as to the ultimate expansion of the Dockyard premises and the possibility of the removal of the Dock--because be did not think he at all singular in the view that, while His Majesty's Nary is here primarily for the protection of the trade of the East, it was rather paradoxical that the protection of
was
that trade of the East should be given in the great port of the East, the second port in the world, in such a manner as to practically strangle the expansion of the Colony, and interfere with He the due expansion of the shipping trade. was quite sure there were many people engaged in His Majesty's service-engaged in the Admiralty and engaged elsewhere, who were quite prepared to endorse that view. The whole question resolved itself into one-whether a suitable site which would be equally free from the possibility of an enemy's shell fire and would offer greater facilities, possibly of approach with good anchorage in the neighbourhood, could be obtained elsewhere. From whai he kuew of the harbour he believed they could assure the Imperial Government that such a site conld be obtained elsewhere, and he earnestly hoped that the effect of their petition might be the removal of the Naval Dockyard from its present unsatisfactory posi- tion (applause), and the possibility that in the future, after he had left Hongkong, he might some day have the great pleasure of reading that this great Praya, which had been extended up to the West, might be con- tinued without any break to the Far East of the town. He had no doubt that it would be of enormous advantage to the town in the future. Ho thought it could be done, and agreed with them that it would be done without practically any expense to the Colony, and without expense to His Majesty's Government. If it could be shown that the factor of time. could be satisfactorily met, and that a changa to another position would enable His Majesty's Government to construct a Dock in something like the same time as that which must elapse before the present Dock is fuished, he thought they might hopefully look for a favourable reception to their petition at home, as he had doubt His Majesty's Government were aš anxious whether the Admiralty, or the Coluuial Office, or the War Office at home to meet the views of the Colony in overy way in which they could be met where a fair statement was put before them, and where, as was probablo, the interests of all are bound up, After all they must remember that in all the movements of His Majesty's forces naval and military, they were all primarily for the benefit of colonists in the East, and for the protection of trade. He had not much fear that if they could show that that factor of time could be satisfactorily answered, he, himself, was of the hope, and the strongest hope, that the petition which they were about to prepare might have a favourable result. (Applause.) He promised them, so far as he could on those lines, he would support that petition by every means in his power. (Applause.)
Sie PAUL CHATER thanked His Excellency for having granted the interview and the pro- ceedings terminated.