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THE HONGKONG
Government Gazette.
No. 42.
Published by Authority.
VICTORIA, SATURDAY, 22ND SEPTEMBER, 1877.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF HONGKONG. MONDAY, 17TH SEPTEMBER, 1877.
PRESENT:
His Excellency Governor POPE HENNESSY, C.M.G.
The Honourable the Chief Justice (Sir JOHN SMALE).
The Honourable the Acting Colonial Secretary (CECIL CLEMENTI SMITH).
The Honourable the Attorney General (GEORGE PHILLIPPO).
The Honourable the Acting Colonial Treasurer (CHARLEs May).
The Honourable HENRY LowCOCK.
The Honourable WILLIAM KESWICK,
The Honourable Joux MACNEILE PRICE.
CRIME AND PRISON DISCIPLINE.
VOL. XXIII.
HIS EXCELLENCY-Gentlemen, I have the honour to lay upon the table some correspondence relating to prison discipline in this Colony. The first despatch is one from Lord CARNARVON, dated the 20th of June, 1877, in which he instructs me to review the whole question of prison discipline in Hongkong and to make proposals for placing the system on a sound basis in future. Now I think it might be very fairly asked, how is it that the system is not on a sound basis already? How does it happen that a newly-appointed Governor is called upon to review the whole system of prison discipline in Hongkong? His Lordship's despatch is dated the 20th of June; the first despatch I wrote upon the subject of prison discipline was dated the 13th of June; therefore, Lord CARNARVON's despatch must have hal relation to something other than any communications from me; and you will find, on trening to it, his Lordship says:-" Sir,---I have to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. AUSTIN's despatch (No. 75 of the 11th of April) respecting certain matters of prison discipline. I rely on you to review the whole question of prison discipline in Hongkong and to make such proposals as will place the system on a sound basis for the future." But, besides that despatch of Mr. AUSTIN'S, Lord CARNARVON had acknowledged other communications from Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY and Mr. AUSTIN on the same subject. He had received a despatch from Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY, dated the 28th of February, 1877, on the eve of his departure from this Colony, enclosing the report of an important Committee on prison discipline, including certain rules and regulations with regard to prison discipline and dietary, and it was thought those regulations and rules and that report constituted, so to speak, for many years to come, a final settlement of the question. However, you see that I am called upon to review the whole system, and to endeavour to place it upon a sound basis for the future. Now what is it that may have attracted Lord CARNARVON's attention? For instance, was there any remarkable increase of crime? Well, it does happen that Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY, writing on the 29th of September, reported to Her Majesty's Government that there was a very serious increase of crime in the year 1876 in this Colony. He indicated that this serious increase of crime would attract his Lordship's attention, when certain returns would have been laid before him. Now it became my duty to lay those returns before the Secretary of State for the Colonies; but they were all prepared previous to my arrival. They are dated the 31st of January this year, and relate to the crime of 1876. Endoubtedly they show a
serious increase of crime.
The increase of serious crimes in 1876 cannot be explained by the reduction of fares in the Canton river steamers in the autumn of that year. In his despatch on this subject, Sir Antun KENNEDY reported on the 29th of September, 1876, that the cheap fares from Canton came into operation on the 7th of September, 1876.
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