The Daily Press,
HONGKONG, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1869.
THE more the GOVERNOR'S speech to the Legislative Council, on the subject of the estimates and the gambling licences, is studied, the more utterly unreliable does it appear. It is, from beginning to end, a bundle of the most glaring inconsistencies and the most flagrant misrepresentations. As already noticed, the statement that the colony has recovered from its dangerous financial condition, without using one cent of the gambling money, clearly cannot be considered correct in face of the fact that, at the end of the current year, the colony will owe the Special Fund the sum of $140,000, or, in other words, that it has used that amount of the Funds derived from the licenses, in excess of what can by any plausibility be held justifiable.
Even taking whatever may be the concealed items in this wonderful "Special Fund" as justifiable charges on it for the extra police and other luxuries to which the Chinese are entitled on account of their infirmity, it is perfectly obvious that, at the very least, the above amount has been borrowed from the gambling fees; and though, no doubt, it may by and by be paid back, it is most specious to make out that the colony has got through her difficulties entirely by her legitimate resources, when it is acknowledged that she did not do so without borrowing $140,000 from the gambling fees, and while it is quite open to question whether the sum of $177,000, which she has used, can be justified, even on the very plausible grounds of the separation of Government functions which form the basis of this special fund arrangement.
So far as the public can understand it, this account really represents what the Colonial Government appropriated to its use, but what, when it was found the Colonial Office would not allow this, it had to return. Nothing daunted, His Excellency then says: "Oh, yes, the $317,000 are all right. There are $177,000 which ought to have been used for the benefit of the Chinese—Colonial cruisers, lectures on Chemistry, and so forth—and then as to the odd $140,000; well, that will be paid back by and by; so that's all right too, and, you see, we have not touched a cent of the money, &c., &c.," and here follows the usual self-laudation, in the face of the fact that it is certain the $140,000 ought not to have been used, and probable, at least, that a good portion of the $177,000, carefully hidden from public gaze in the "special fund," ought not to have been used either!
And this is the kind of statement with which the public of Hongkong is expected to be put off, and on which it is invited
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The Daily Press,
HONGKONG, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1869.
THE more the GOVERNOR'S speech to the Le- gislative Council, on the subject of the esti mates and the gambling licences, is studied, the more utterly unreliable does it appear. It is, from beginning to end, a bundle of the most glaring inconsistencies and the most flagrant misrepresentations. As already no- ticed, the statement that the colony has re- covered from its dangerous financial condi- tion, without using one cent of the gambling money, clearly cannot be considered correct in face of the fact that, at the end of the current year, the colony will owe the Special
Fund the sum of $140,000, or, in other words, that it has used that amount of the Funds derived from the licenses, in excess of what can by any plausibility be held justifiable. Even taking whatever may be the concealed items in this wonderful "Special Fund": as jus- tifiable charges on it for the extra police and other luxuries to which the Chinese are entitled on account of their infirmity, it is perfectly obvious that, at the very least, the above amount has been borrowed from the gambling fees; and though, no doubt, it may by and by be paid back, it is most specious to make out that the colony has got through her difficulties entirely by her legitimate re- sources, when it is acknowledged that she did not do so without borrowing $140,000 from the gambling fees, and while it is quite
open.
meut.
to question whether the sum of $177,000, which she has used, can be justified, even on the very plausible grounds of the separation of Goverument functions which form the basis of this special fund arrange- So far as the public can understand it, this account really represents what the Colonial Government appropriated to its use, but what, when it was found the Colonial Office would not allow this, it had to return. Nothing daunted, Ilis Excellency then Bays: "Oh, yes, the $317,000 are all right. There are $177,000 which ought to have been used for the bene- fit of the Chinese-Colonial cruisers, lectures on Chemistry, and so forth--and then as to the odd $140,000; well, that will be paid back by and by; so that's all right too, and, you see, we have not touched a cent of the money, &c., &c.," and here follows the usual self- laudation, in the face of the fact that it is certain the $140,000 ought not to have been used, and probable, at least, that a good portion of the $177,000, carefully hidden from public gaze in the "special fund," ought not to have been used either!
And this is the kind of statement with which the public of Hongkong is expected to be put off, and on which it is invited
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