(Two)
106
CHAIRMAN'S SPEECH.
The CHAIRMAN, addressing H.E. the Governor, said:-I wish to ex- press to you, Sir, the great pleasure it gives to us to have you with us at this meeting. Trade is the purpose for which the Colony exists and it is very gratifying to us that the Government keeps in close touch with the Committee of this Chamber and is continually consult ing us in connection with matters affecting our trade. Your presence here to-day, Sir, is further evidence ofte keen interest you take in the trade of Hong Kong and can assure you that the Committee of the Chamber is at all times ready and glad to afford the Gov- ernment all the assistance which lies in its power.
(Applause.)
The Chairman continued: must apologise for the late date at which this meeting is being held. It should have been at the end of March but our Secretary, Mr. Key, was absent
on Home leave last year and it has taken him some time to prepare the report. It has involved a great deal of work and the able way in which it has been compiled reflects great credit upon him. All matters of interest which
have been dealt with during the year are set out fully and there are only a few things on which I wish to offer any comment.
Losses Through Death. The late Mr. Holyoak presided at the annual meeting last year and it was with great sorrow that two months later we learnt of his death shortly after arriving in England. Mr. Holyoak had been a member of the Committee for 13 years. He was Chairman for five years and represented the Chamber on the Legislative Council for over ten years.
He did a prodigious' amount of work for the Chamber and this bare record can only give an indication of his unremitting unselfish labours on behalf of the business community.
ar
By the death of Sir Paul Chater we lost our oldest individual mem- ber. Sir Paul was a member of this Chamber for 54 years. He had an unswerving faith in the future of Hong Kong and was associated with most of its principal enter- prises. He paid special attention to property and it was due to his initiative that the large and im. portant reclamations in Hong Kong and Kowloon were undertaken. In addition to his many business activities Sir Paul was an unofficial member of the Executive Council for nearly 30 years and rendered invaluable service to the Colony during that period.
.
The late Mr. Ho Fook had been દી member of the Chamber for thirty years. He was Compradore Co., Ltd., for a quarter of a cen- to Mesrss. Jardine, Matheson &
tury and he devoted a great deal of time to matters connected with the welfare of the Chinese Com- was also a member munity. He of the Legislative Council for four
years.
We have thus lost during the past year three of our leading citizens whom we can ill afford to spare in the critical time through which the Chamber I wish to express to we are passing, and on behalf of their relatives the deep sympathy of the Chamber in their recent
bereavement.
Shanghai Defence Force.
When we last met there was reason to believe that an early termina- tion of the boycott, which had been in force for nine months might be expected. proved to be incorrect and it was Unfortunately, this not until October 10th that it was lifted. Even then there was consider-
tion with the Nanking atrocities. (Applause.)
Since the foregoing was drafted, however, it has been most disap- pointing to hear that the Powers are having difficulty in getting their ideas into line but I trust they will be able to do so without delay.
It is earnestly to be hoped that the Moderates amongst the Nation- alist party, representing as I am sure they do the sound and pro- gressive views of the bulk of the Chinese people, will soon be able to establish their supremacy and restore peace and good order in the country. (Applause.)
For purposes of record there have been included in our report im- portant statements of British policy towards China. These clearly show the friendly and sympathetic at- fitude of Great Britain and will be useful for reference. We have also included the speech made by H.E. the Governor of Hong Kong at a meeting of the Legislative Council in October of last year. The senti- ments expressed therein have our hearty support and we look for. able misgiving to what the
ward to the time when we shall future had in store, but business
be able to co-operate with our conditions have very improved since that time and therement of the province of Kwang- materially friends in Canton in the develop-
confidence amongst the Chinese merchants. But the purely local situation in South China has been overshadowed by the develop ments in the Yangtsze Valley following on the success of the
is more
as
Nationalist Government's Northern Expedition. It is not my intention to dwell on the political situation and the recent events which are fresh in the minds of us all, but I do wish to say how very much we appre- ciated the action of His Majesty's Government in sending out in the nick of time a strong force to de- fend the Settlement in Shanghai against possible attack from any quarter. (Applause.) The occur- rences of the last few weeks have more than justified their policy and one hesitates to think that would have happened in Shanghai if it had been left to share the same fate as Nanking. (Applause).
Great Britain was singled out by the Red element as the object of its attack, but since the Agreement
was made for the rendition of the Hankow Concession the enmity has been directed at other Nationalities as well. The yielding to what were believed to be the aspirations of the Chinese people has so far been a complete failure. It is now evident to the world at large that the spirit of revolution which is running amok in China cannot be quietened just by surrendering all the privileges and rights acquired by Treaty, and it is very satisfac- tory and encouraging to find the Powers united in action in connec-
tung. With peaceful conditions in the neighbouring province and a good progressive Government, pro- sperity will soon descend on what is at present a much harassed country.” (Applause.)
Piracy.
This leads to the question of piracy which is one of the worst features arising from the unsettled conditions in South China. You will find in the report a list of steamers which have been pirated and taken to Bias Bay in the last few years.
In addition to these there is a list of 30 piracies of small Chinese craft which were reported to the police in 1926, but they are probably only a small percentage of the actual piracies which have occurred. As regards Bias Bay you will observe how the activities of the pirates in that district have increased during the past few years. In 1925 two vessels were taken there and looted, in 1926,
eight and in the first three months of this year three.
The authorities in Canton have made two or three half hearted at- tempts to curb the activities of the pirates, but the failure of their efforts is obvious from the
number of increasing
piracies which have taken place.
It was very satisfactory, therefore, to learn that on March 30th, within 24 hours of the piracy of the s.s Hop Sung, a Naval expedition had razed three villages at Bias Bay