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community of the Colony and of the prestige of European races in the East, to accept responsibility for or to admit destitute
persons who have no other claim upon Hongkong beyond the fact of
a fortuitous transhipment at the port.
4.
I am informed that the vagrancy legislation
initiated by Sir Matthew Nathan has had a most salutary effect
in checking the practice, once customary amongst neighbouring
ports, of dumping destitutes in Hongkong. It is most undesirable that it should again become an established custom and I hope,
therefore, that Your Lordship will support my request that
destitute persons who have no connection with the Colony should
not be sent here by His Majesty's Consuls. In the case of Mr.
Le Page I submit that the proper course for the Consul to pursue
was to send him either to his country of origin (Canada) or to
the country (Australia) from which he set out on his journey to
Saigon,
I have the honour to be,
My Lord,
Your Lordship's most obedient,
humble servant,
14. E. Stubbs
Governor,&c.
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