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extent the Chinese, of whom the vast majority have never taken the slightest interest in the administration of the Government. The Europeans are a migratory body, of whom scarcely any were born in Hongkong and probably none wish to die there. The result of establishing an unofficial majority would be to substitute Government by a body of amateurs, whose interests are necessarily those of the moment rather than of the future, for Government by trained professionals. Any such arrangement would, I submit, be ruinous to the Colony, and I do not believe that any responsible person now seriously advocates an unofficial majority. I may say, in this connection, that I have réorganised the two important standing Committees of the Legislative Council, the Finance Committee and the Public Works Committee, by reducing the official members to three in the former case and two in the latter and including all the unofficial members. All the most important work of the Council is done in these Commit- tees so that the unofficial members are given very extensive powere in dealing with public affairs, while the Government majority in the full Council makes it possible if the need arises to carry a proposal which is necessary in the public interests. (No occasion has yet arisen since my arrival for the use of the official majority but I fear that it will be necessary to have recourse to it in connection with the Estimates for 1921 in order to defeat a concerted attack on the Military Contribution).
6.
As regards the number of unofficial members I do not in principle object to an increase in their numbers, provided that the number of official members is increased so as to maintain a majority, but my own opinion is that a Council of fourteen is large enough and there are certain practical difficulties involved. If the mumber of non-Chinese members is increased the number of Chinese must be increased
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