606
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
528 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 24TH NOVEMBER, 1877.
and I am at present awaiting the reply of the Secretary of State, who I hope will take the opinion of Dr. LEGGE. "I need not dwell at this moment on the primary necessity of our securing a proper system of interpretation. In connection with this, there is one change I notice going on in our official staff which gives me a good deal of apprehension, and that is that the best trained of our Chinese Clerks are going away from us. I have said you cannot expect to get good men unless you pay for them. There was one talented and accomplished native gentleman, I think we paid him £200 a year, Mr. No Chor, he has quitted our service, and I understand he has been offered £1,500 a year by the Chinese Government. It was only the other day, a Chinese Clerk came into my room to wish me good-bye. He was going off also. He is receiving a salary in Japan, the Government he was going to, three times greater than we gave him. We are losing year by year our best English speaking Chinese Clerks. It is a matter we must carefully consider. If we have to give large salaries, we must face that, and endeavour to keep in this Colony gentlemen who are really of use to the Government.
I may, while on this subject, say that I have at heart the desire to see the respectable Chinese of Hongkong establish in this Colony their family houses. I could not fail to be struck on my visit to Macao, when I asked "to whom does that mansion belong?" by the answer, "Oh, that belongs to a Chinese merchant of Hongkong." Going up the river we passed a picturesque village with a large house and walled gardens, and on asking who was the owner of that house, the answer was such and such a merchant of Hongkong. The question arises, why have they not their family houses here? They have their places of business here. Not many months ago, Mr. PRICE wrote to me for permission to issue a duplicate deed to some Chinese merchant for his premises in Hongkong, for it was said his house had been burnt down and his deed burnt. I was a little puzzled at this, and on making inquiry I found it was at Macao that his house was burnt down, and that his family not only lived at Macao, but he kept the deeds of his property in Hongkong there. It is a curious fact. These men know they can make money here. There is no denying the fact they are making money and progressing rapidly, but they don't have their family houses here. Well, that is a subject which is engaging my best attention. I think we may be able, perhaps, yet to devise some changes in our system which may induce the Chinese to establish their family houses here. If we can accomplish it, it will be a great advantage to them and to us.
before us the possibility, I trust a distant possibility, of a rupture. There is always a feeling of attachment to the family house. If they had their family houses here you would have a natural guarantee for the presence of the family houses of the principal Chinese would have. At present, pressure can be put in various ways on our leading Chinese.
Page 625
Page 626
606
Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941
528 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 24TH NOVEMBER, 1877.
and I am at present awaiting the reply of the Secretary of State, who I hope will take the opinion of Dr. LEGGE. "I need not dwell at this moment on the primary necessity of our securing a proper system of interpretation. In connection with this, there is one change I notice going on in our official staff which gives me a good deal of apprehension, and that is that the best trained of our Chinese Clerks are going away from us. I have said you cannot expect to get good men unless you pay for them. There was one talented and accomplished native gentleman, I think we paid him £200 a year, Mr. No Chor, he has quitted our service, and I understand he has been offered £1,500 a year by the Chinese Government. It was only the other day, a Chinese Clerk came into my room to wish me good-bye. He was going off also. He is receiving a salary in Japan, the Government he was going to, three times greater than we gave him. We are losing year by year our best English speaking Chinese Clerks. It is a matter we must carefully consider. If we have to give large salaries, we must face that, and endeavour to keep in this Colony gentlemen who are really of use to the Government. I may, while on this subject, say that I have at heart the desire to see the respectable Chinese of Hongkong, establish in this Colony their family houses. I could not fail to be struck on my visit to Macao, when I asked "to whom does that mansion belong?" by the answer, "Oh, that belongs to a Chinese merchant of Hongkong." Going up the river we passed a picturesque village with a large house and walled gardens, and on asking who was the owner of that house, the answer was such and such a merchant of Hongkong. The question arises, why have they not their family houses here? They have their places of business here. Not many months ago, Mr. PRICE wrote to me for permission to issue a duplicate deed to some Chinese merchant for his premises in Hongkong, for it was said his house had been burnt down and his deed burnt. I was a little puzzled at this, and on making inquiry I found it was at Macao that his house was burnt down, and that his family not only lived at Macao, but he kept the the deeds of his property in Hongkong there. It is a curious fact. These men know they can make money here. There is no denying the fact they are making money and progressing rapidly, but they don't have their family houses here. Well, that is a subject which is engaging my best attention. I think we may be able, perhaps, yet to devise some changes in our system which may induce the Chinese to establish their family houses here. If we can accomplish it, it will be a great advantage to them and to us. before us the possibility, I trust a distant possibility, of a rupture There is always a feeling of attachment to the family house eir family houses here you would have a natural guarantee for esence of the family houses of the principal Chinese would have At present, pressure can be put in various ways on our leadin
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