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South China could not possibly he treated as purely Colonial prob- lems
Responsibilities have had to be undertaken and advice has had to be tendered, but if I have seem- ed to take the Colony and in par- ticular this Council too little into my confidence I must only plead this vital necessity, as it seemed to me, of subserving the declared will of the people of Great Britain as transmitted by the Secretary of State for the Colonies even in such apparently local matters as the interference with fishing boats and the like.
WE MUST BE IMPARTIAL But Wrong For Us To Be Indifferent
I have said that few of our re- cent problems could be treated as purely Colonial affairs; but with the sound of gun fire almost within earshot, so to speak, it is perhaps too much to expect the Colony to remain dispassionate.
I am reminded of a sentence in one of Mazzini's essays on histori- cal method: "The historian," says he. "must always be impartial; but he should never be indif- ferent." The rights and wrongs of the present unhappy conflict can be safely left, I would suggest, to the appropriate international tri- bunals or even to the judgment of posterity; but, as with the ideal historian, it would be wrong for us here to be indifferent to the suf- ferings of our near neighbours.
As a token of this attitude the Colony will I think be glad to hear that our new Governor has accepted the Vice-Presidency of the Committee which will ad- minister relief from the funds contributed in London for this purpose. I might add that I have recently accepted the acting Vice- Presidency until Sir Geoffry's arrival.
TRIBUTE TO POLICE Secondly the present conflict is very much a Colonial affair in so far as the peace and good order of the Colony are concerned.
I heartily echo the tributes al- ready paid to the fine work of the Hon. Inspector General of Police and his staff but it is no reflec- tion on those services if I say that no police force in the world could of itself ensure the existing happy internal state of the Colony. I think that many of us who saw the wonderful manifesta- tions of loyalty at the Silver Jubi- lee and the Coronation celebra- tions half wondered if that loyalty would stand the test in a real crisis.
We now have the answer; and I take this opportunity of thank- ing the Chinese representatives on the two Councils for all that they have done. I thank the Urban Council, the District Watch Com- mittee and the two Chambers of Commerce.
CHINESE MASSES
But above all I thank the solid and generally inarticulate mass of Chinese working men and women
for their sound good sense and for their steadiness during this most distressful summer. I venture to think that if certain spectators in Europe and in the Far East could see this Colony with our Japanese friends going about their business quietly and unmolested they might agree that, in this respect at least, Hong Kong "shines like a good deed in a naughty world.”
UNOFFICIAL TRIBUTE
The Supply Bill was then read and passed.
The Hon. Sir Henry Pollock, Senior Unofficial Member, sald.
As this will be the last time that you will be presiding over this Council for the time being, I de- sire, on behalf of all the Unofficial Members, to congratulate you
upon the able manner in which you have conducted the duties of Officer Administering the Govern- ment.
When you took over from Sir Andrew Caldecott, in April last, nobody could possibly have fore- seen the many difficult problems which you have had to face dur- ing the past two months, in conse- quence of the unfortunate state of hostilities which has arisen in the Far East, and which, inevitably, has seriously affected Hong Kong. NOVEL AND UNEXPECTED SITUATIONS
In dealing with those problems, and in handling numerous novel and unexpected situations, you have at all times displayed calm- ness, combined with energy, and for the steadfast and conscientious way in which you have fulfilled your duties as Officer Administer- ing the Government during these critical times, the Colony is deep- ly indebted to you.
The Hon. Mr. T. N. Chan said:- Sir,
As the Senior Chinese member, I heartily endorse the remarks of the Hon. Senior Unofficial Mem- ber. The Colony is indeed under a deep debt of gratitude to Your Excellency for the able and states- manlike manner in which you have handled every difficult and intricate problem that has arisen in recent months.
His Excellency having returned | thanks, Council adjourned sine die.