203
(2)
mooted on 4th October last, a Despatch from Mr Secretary Labouchere, dated as far back as 10th November, 1856, and expounding the views of Her Majesty's Government regarding it. (See Government Gazette, No. 177, of 9th October, 1858.)
The undersigned complains, with all due respect and deference, that His Excellency thought proper to withhold from him the more recent and qualified views of Her Majesty's Government regarding the Bowring Praya, when, at the meeting of this Honourable Council on Friday, the 8th of October, he warned the undersigned to be prepared to vote away no less a sum than £19,000 of the local funds towards its construction, though it now appears His Excellency was absolutely prohibited by the Secretary of State from any expenditure whatsoever upon it "in the course of the current year," 1858-59.
The following correspondence however served to guide the undersigned throughout, in his opposition to this measure last year. It will be found set forth in full in the China Mail newspaper of 24th June last, and to the Proprietors of that journal the undersigned confesses himself indebted for any acquaintance with the more recent views of Her Majesty's Government on an issue so deeply involving his responsibilities to this Community, when called upon to deal with its ways and means.
As regards the Praya question, the following fact of itself would have been sufficient to have induced the undersigned to object to any legislation upon it during the past year.
In a Despatch from H. E. Sir John Bowring to the Secretary of State, which accompanied the Estimates for 1858-59, applying for a further grant in aid of £10,000, His Excellency proposed the following appropriation of the Colonial Funds to the Public Works of the year.
Gaol, on account, £5,000. Hospital 2,000. Bowring Praya, 4,000.The Secretary of State, in a letter dated Downing Street, 24th March last, addressed to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, transmitting His Excellency's Despatch for their Lordships' consideration, pointedly struck out from His Excellency's indent the item of £4,000 for the Bowring Praya, and refused to recommend it. Lord Stanley disallowed the item on the broad principle, that a Colony which was represented to him as under the necessity of begging relief from the Mother-Country to save it "from falling into financial embarrassments," had first to learn the useful lesson of making its own ends meet, and had no right to ask for Imperial funds for its local embellishment. In that sentiment the undersigned does entirely concur. In vindication of it, he protests against the absorption of the small cash surplus in hand, upon a ruinous expenditure, which, he will presently show, would not beget even the poor result of mere "embellishment;" while it would assuredly beget that result against which Lord Stanley so wisely forewarns us, that of leading us into "financial embarrassments."
Upon the necessity of good management and economy of the Colonial Funds, Lord Stanley thus writes the Lords Commissioners :-
"Lord Stanley laments this state of things. He cannot help hoping that, with due care in the expenditure and with general good management, the occurrence of any similar deficiency may be obviated in future years. He is however prepared to recommend, in order to save so important a station of British commerce from falling into financial embarrassments, that the aid of Parliament may once more be sought to the extent of £10,000; but, with an intimation to the Governor, that with this assistance, he will be expected to bring the future expenditure within the limits of the Colonial Revenue, and that the aid thus proposed to be afforded will not again be granted."
In vindication of these instructions, and to save the Colony from falling into future financial embarrassments, and to enable it to meet its own reasonable expenditure, now that it is fairly thrown upon its own resources, the undersigned protests against any further consideration of an Ordinance which, in his judgment, can conduct only to financial disaster.
(3)
Sir Charles Trevelyan, acknowledging in the name of the Lords Commissioners the Despatch of the Secretary of State just quoted, writes as follows,——
"Their Lordships would suggest to Lord Stanley, the expediency of impressing upon Sir John Bowring, that the expenditure of the Grant now proposed must be confined to the object specified, viz;
Gaol, £5,000 Hospital, 2,000 Contribution to Police and Gaols,... 3,000 Total, £10,000,"thus confirming the exclusion of the Bowring Praya from the appropriation.
Again, in earnest reiteration of the same principle, Sir Charles Trevelyan thus concludes his important despatch :—
"And they (the Lords Commissioners) must repeat their suggestion, that he (Sir John Bowring) be reminded of the necessity of refraining from proposing further increases of charge, until the expenditure of the Colony shall have been brought within proper limits."
The undersigned is guided in the Protest he thus makes by the wise spirit of these Despatches. From first to last they inculcate a rigid economy of the narrow finances of this Colony. They pointedly tie up the grants in aid, as if they dreaded any alienation of them; and candidly tell us to be wise in time, as we must henceforth rely solely upon our own resources.
As the undersigned is at a loss to see how these wise recommendations are to be made good, if the whole Cash balance on hand is to be sunk upon one unnecessary and utterly unproductive work alone, he does, in support of these Despatches, protest against any legislation in any way conducting to that end, and to the suspended resolution of His Excellency of 8th of October last, appropriating £19,000, or the whole of the Cash surplus, to this special work. (See Government Gazette, No. 178, of 16th October, 1858.)
In the third place, the undersigned has to protest against this Ordinance on the grounds of the enormous expenditure to which it must conduct. At the Meeting of this Honourable Council on Monday the 4th of October last, His Excellency read a Despatch from Mr Secretary Labouchere, No. 128 of 10th November, 1856, conveying the sanction of Her Majesty's Government to the construction of the Bowring Praya, "whenever the available balance to credit of the Colonial Treasury will fully suffice to defray the requisite expenditure, together with that of the other Public Works already sanctioned.”
His Excellency then called upon the Acting Colonial Secretary for a statement of the funds at present available for such Public Works; when that officer reported that the sum of £19,741.12.3 was in the Banks at interest to the credit of the Public Works, exclusive of the Parliamentary Vote towards the erection of a Gaol and Civil Hospital, amounting to £7,000.
The foregoing Minute will be found in Government Gazette No. 177, of 9th October, 1858,
At the sitting of this Council on Friday the 8th of October following, His Excellency gave notice of his intention to move a Resolution, that a sum not exceeding £19,000 be appropriated to the construction of the Bowring Praya, and works thereunto belonging. (See Government Gazette, No. 178.)
That is to say, His Excellency proposed to expend upon this special work and its belongings, the whole of the "available balance" over and above the residue of the Parliamentary Grant expressly allocated to two accounts, viz., Gaol and Hospital. The undersigned has to observe, that had His Excellency been pleased to carry out that Resolution, there would have been no funds whatever left for the urgent wants of the Colony in other Public Works, especially in enlarged sewerage, and in water supply the want of which daily threatens the destruction of the lower part of Central Victoria, from fires arising out of the Chinese bazaars, which unfortunately intersect it.
203
(2)
mooted on 4th October last, a Despatch from Mr Secretary Labouchere, dated as far back as 10th November, 1856, and expounding the views of Her Majesty's Government regarding it. (See Government Gazette, No. 177, of 9th October, 1858.)
The undersigned complains, with all due respect and deference, that His Excel- lency thought proper to withhold from him the more recent and qualified views of Her Majesty's Government regarding the Bowring Praya, when, at the meeting of this Honourable Council on Friday, the 8th of October, he warned the undersigned to be prepared to vote away no less a sum than £19,000 of the local funds towards its construction, though it now appears His Excellency was absolutely prohibited by the Secretary of State from any expenditure whatsoever upon it "in the course of the current year," 1858-59.
The following correspondence however served to guide the undersigned through- out, in his opposition to this measure last year. It will be found set forth in full in the China Mail newspaper of 24th June last, and to the Proprietors of that journal the undersigned confesses himself indebted for any acquaintance with the more recent views of Her Majesty's Government on an issue so deeply involving his res- ponsibilities to this Community, when called upon to deal with its ways and means.
As regards the Praya question, the following fact of itself would have been sufficient to have induced the undersigned to object to any legislation upon it during the past year.
In a Despatch from H. E. Sir John Bowring to the Secretary of State, which accompanied the Estimates for 1858-59, applying for a further grant in aid of £10,000, His Excellency proposed the following appropriation of the Colonial Funds to the Public Works of the year.
Gaol, on account,
Hospital
""
Bowring Praya,
---
£5,000. 2,000. 4,000.
The Secretary of State, in a letter dated Downing Street, 24th March last, addressed to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, transmitting His Excellency's Despatch for their Lordships' consideration, pointedly struck out from His Excellency's indent the item of £4,000 for the Bowring Praya, and refused to recommend it. Lord Stanley disallowed the item on the broad principle, that a Colony which was repre- sented to him as under the necessity of begging relief from the Mother-Country to save it "from falling into financial embarrassments," had first to learn the useful lesson of making its own ends meet, and had no right to ask for Imperial funds for its local embellishment. In that sentiment the undersigned does entirely concur. In vindication of it, he protests against the absorption of the small cash surplus in hand, upon a ruinous expenditure, which, he will presently shew, would not beget even the poor result of mere "embellishment;" while it would assuredly beget that result against which Lord Stanley so wisely forwarns us, that of leading us into "financial embarrassments."
Upon the necessity of good management and economy of the Colonial Funds, Lord Stanley thus writes the Lords Commissioners :-
years.
:-
"Lord Stanley laments this state of things. He cannot help hoping that, with due care in the expenditure and with general good management, the occurrence of any similar deficiency may be obviated in future He is however prepared to recommend, in order to save so important a station of British commerce from falling into financial embarrassments, that the aid of Parliament may once more be sought to the extent of £10,000; but, with an intimation to the Governor, that with this assistance, he will be expected to bring the future expenditure within the limits of the Colonial Revenue, and that the aid thus proposed to be afforded will not again be granted."
In vindication of these instructions, and to save the Colony from falling into future financial embarrassments, and to enable it to meet its own reasonable expen- diture, now that it is fairly thrown upon its own resources, the undersigned protests against any further consideration of an Ordinance which, in his judgment, can con- duct only to financial disaster.
(3)
Sir Charles Trevelyan, acknowledging in the name of the Lords Commissioners the Despatch of the Secretary of State just quoted, writes as follows,——
"Their Lordships would suggest to Lord Stanley, the expediency of impressing upon Sir John Bowring, that the expenditure of the Grant now proposed must be confined to the object specified, viz;
Gaol, Hospital,
Contribution to Police and Gaols,...
Total,
£5,000
2,000
3,000
£10,000,"
thus confirming the exclusion of the Bowring Praya from the appropriation.
Again, in earnest reiteration of the same principle, Sir Charles Trevelyan thus concludes his important despatch :—
"And they (the Lords Commissioners) must repeat their suggestion, that he (Sir John Bowring) be reminded of the necessity of refraining from proposing further increases of charge, until the expenditure of the Colony shall have been brought within proper limits."
The undersigned is guided in the Protest he thus makes by the wise spirit of these Despatches. From first to last they inculcate a rigid economy of the narrow finances of this Colony. They pointedly tie up the grants in aid, as if they dreaded any alienation of them; and candidly tell us to be wise in time, as we must hence- forth rely solely upon our own resources.
As the undersigned is at a loss to see how these wise recommendations are to be made good, if the whole Cash balance on hand is to be sunk upon one unneces- sary and utterly unproductive work alone, he does, in support of these Despatches, protest against any legislation in any way conducting to that end, and to the sus- pended resolution of His Excellency of 8th of October last, appropriating £19,000, or the whole of the Cash surplus, to this special work. (See Government Gazette, No. 178, of 16th October, 1858.)
In the third place, the undersigned has to protest against this Ordinance on the grounds of the enormous expenditure to which it must conduct. At the Meeting of this Honourable Council on Monday the 4th of October last, His Excellency read a Despatch from Mr Secretary Labouchere, No. 128 of 10th November, 1856, conveying the sanction of Her Majesty's Government to the construction of the Bowring Praya, "whenever the available balance to credit of the Colonial Treasury will fully suffice to defray the requisite expenditure, together with that of the other Public Works already sanctioned.”
His Excellency then called upon the Acting Colonial Secretary for a statement of the funds at present available for such Public Works; when that officer reported that the sum of £19,741.12.3 was in the Banks at interest to the credit of the Public Works, exclusive of the Parliamentary Vote towards the erection of a Gaol and Civil Hospital, amounting to £7,000.
The foregoing Minute will be found in Government Gazette No. 177, of 9th October, 1858,
At the sitting of this Council on Friday the 8th of October following, His Excellency gave notice of his intention to move a Resolution, that a sum not exceed. ing £19,000 be appropriated to the construction of the Bowring Praya, and works thereunto belonging. (See Government Gazette, No. 178.)
That is to say, His Excellency proposed to expend upon this special work and its belongings, the whole of the "available balance" over and above the residue of the Parliamentary Grant expressly allocated to two accounts, viz., Gaol and Hospital. The undersigned has to observe, that had His Excellency been pleased to carry out that Resolution, there would have been no funds whatever left for the urgent wants of the Colony in other Public Works, especially in enlarged sewerage, and in water supply the want of which daily threatens the destruction of the lower part of Central Victoria, from fires arising out of the Chinese bazaars, which unfortunately intersect it.
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