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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
ADJOURNMENT.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR.--The time is now five o'clock and obviously we cannot get through all the business before us to-day. As I have already explained to the Council, I have, unfortunately, an engagement which I should be very sorry not to attend. It is to review the Police Reserves. I will, therefore, adjourn the meeting until Monday next.
Before I do so, I should like to answer the point raised by Mr. Shields as to a rejoinder to what the Financial Secretary has said. Of course I cannot break the rules of debate which are laid down here and which do not allow a member to speak twice on a subject, but there are still unofficial members who have not spoken and who will have the opportunity of making the rejoinder. The practice of allowing members to know something about the Government's case before they make up their minds about it is not one that should be condemned. This is the only Legislative Council in the Empire, so far as I know, in which it would be apart from ordinary procedure for an official member to intervene in the debate in order to answer criticism of the Government's proposals. Thus it may eventuate that members finish speaking before they have a true conception of Government's case.
I think it is only fair to unofficial members that at a certain stage of the proceedings, after some kind of case has been made against a Government motion, a Government official should stand up and state the other side. It does give unofficial members an opportunity for the rejoinder which Mr. Shields rightly desires to be given.
I should like to see this procedure adopted by this Council as is done in other Legislative Councils in the Empire (of which I can say I have a good knowledge) so that a debate should be fairly free and to put it rather tritely-members should know what they are talking about. I wish to emphasise that I do not say this with any intention of being rude; my point is that it is desirable that the Gov- ernment case should be clearly put before members so that they know what they are opposing-if they are opposing. I shall, therefore, continue on every occasion, where I consider it helpful to the Council, to call at some stage, upon a Government official to reply to the criticisms that have been raised. I trust all members will agree that this is the right way to treat a debate.
Council stands adjourned until Monday next at 2.30 p.m.
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