CO885-11 — Page 398

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།།།། །

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Referenca

C.O.882/11

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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8. I shall be glad, therefore, if you will proceed with the preparation of an Ordinance embodying a settlement on the basis of the proposals of the Unofficial Members as modified by the foregoing observations. The Ordinance would not, of course, include provisions (a) and (b) of the settlement embodied in paragraph 2 of this despatch, but an assurance on the points referred to in paragraph 4 above would be given in my name to the Legislative Council on the introduction of the Bill. The Ordinance should be sub- mitted to me in draft before it is introduced into the Legislative Council. In addition I wish it to be clearly understood that my approval to a settlement of this vexed question on the lines proposed is not to be held to be in any way contingent upon the continuance of the Colony's present fiscal policy or the policy in regard to the Currency Guarantee Fund, with neither of which can it reasonably be linked.

13060/33 [No. 18].

No. 34.

I have, &c.,

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

THE GOVERNOR

to

THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER.

(Received 7.20 a.m., 23rd August, 1933.) TELEGRAM.

23rd August. Secret. Please see my Secret despatches of 8th and 9th August defence contribution. Draft Bill has now received full discussion in the Executive Council and subsequently at conference with Bagnall and A. P. Robinson.

A reprint of the Bill to which a preamble has been added and in which slight amend- ments have been made as well of draft agreement objects and reasons is being sent to you to-day by air mailt. Please await the receipt of this before telegraphing instructions.

Bagnall states that any public suggestion at this stage that voluntary contribution is expected on or after the passing of the Bill would be jeopardizing unanimity and may provoke considerable opposition. He considers that if the Unofficials wish subsequently to make voluntary contribution initiative must come entirely from them without any prompting and without being linked to the new Bill. I suggest that in the circumstances nothing should be said this year about voluntary contribution. I think there is good hope that before long, possibly next year, pressure of public opinion will induce Unofficials to offer such a contribution.

13060/33 [No. 16].

(Secret.) SIR,

No. 35.

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

THE GOVERNOR

to

THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Received 24th August, 1933.) [Answered by No. 39.]

Government House, Singapore, 8th August, 1933. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Secret Straits Settlements despatch, dated the 11th July, 1933§, requesting me to proceed with the preparation of an Ordinance embodying a settlement of the basis of the Colony's defence contribution in the manner agreed upon between His Majesty's Government and the Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council, and instructing me to submit the Ordinance to you in draft before it is introduced into the Legislative Council. Your despatch reached me on the 4th August; and on the same day, after conferring with the Acting Colonial Secretary (Mr. A. S. Haynes) and the Acting Attorney-General (Mr. P. A. McElwaine), I directed the preparation of the necessary Ordinance. The matter is urgent, because the next

§ No. 33.

• No. 35.

† No. 36.

‡ No. 38.

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budget meeting of the Legislative Council will be held on the 2nd of October, 1933, and it is very important that the draft of this Ordinance should be settled and explained to the Unofficial Members of Legislative Council before that date.

2. 1 now enclose a copy of the draft Ordinance*, as prepared by the Acting Attorney- General, together with draft" objects and reasons "t for your consideration. I shall post this despatch by air-mail, and I shall be glad if you will be good enough to telegraph any amendments or additions which, in your opinion, are required.

3. I invite special attention to the following points :-

(a) The Bill does not include any clause dealing with the increase or decrease of the defence contribution of $4 millions. Such a clause would suggest that the Legislature was giving itself power to do, or binding itself in the future not to do, something which it is inherent in a Legislature to do. The point is, however, mentioned in the "objects and reasons.'

(b) No section is included concerning the point taken in the 5th paragraph of your despatch that the rate of contribution will be subject to review in the event of any material change in the sterling value of the Straits dollar. The Acting Attorney-General would have inserted such a provision, were it not for the fact that it would not fit in with clauses 4 and 7 of the draft Ordinance. If you approve, I will make special mention of this point, when... I address the Legislative Council on the subject of this Ordinance, and I will then read out the 5th paragraph of your despatch. The matter is referred to in the 9th paragraph of the draft" objects and reasons.

+

(c) The Attorney-General suggests that clause 6 of the draft Ordinance should objects be entirely omitted, in which case the 14th paragraph of the draft" and reasons" would also be omitted. He feels that the point can be sufficiently covered by an assurance given by myself to the Unofficial Members, when I address the Council, and that to put this clause in the Bill is practically to say that we do not expect the Unofficials to trust us. I should be glad to have your instructions on this point.

(d) I shall be glad to know whether in your opinion clause 7 of the draft Ordinance is sufficient or whether you desire that more specific reference should be made to the manner in which a 20 per cent contribution will be calculated and in particular to the question whether or not interest or income arising from accumulated revenues shall be included. In my opinion these further details can best be covered by a statement in my own address to the Council.

4. In your despatch no reference is made to the proposal initiated by the Unofficials themselves that the Colony should make a voluntary contribution, in addition to the statutory contribution, to His Majesty's Government in respect of the naval defence of the Empire. I presume that His Majesty's Government still expects that such an offer will be made by the Colony, but that the matter will be left entirely to the vote of the Unofficials. I shall be glad if you will telegraph whether you wish me to refer to this matter in addressing the Legislative Council, and, if so, in what terms.

5. A duplicate of this despatch will follow by ocean-mail and I hope then to enclose

objects and reasons." printed copies of the draft Ordinance and the draft

6. I shall also without delay discuss the whole matter in Executive Council and thereafter telegraph to you the views of the three Unofficials (Messrs. J. Bagnall, A. P. Robinson and Wee Swee Teow), who are Members of that Council, and who also have seats in Legislative Council.

objects

7. As soon as you have settled the form of this legislation and of the draft " and reasons," I shall take steps prior to the budget meeting to have the matter fully explained to all the Unofficial Members of Legislative Council, and I very sincerely hope that a settlement of this long-standing dispute may at last be achieved.

I have, &c.,

C. CLEMENTI,

Governor.

• Not printed.

† Not printed.