#Hon. W. KESWICK-Your Excellency, the importance of this vote justifies, I think, that the ordinary course of passing without comment the recommendations unanimously come to by the Finance Committee should be departed from on this occasion. The maguttude of the amount in addition to the sum which has already been roted for the defence of the colony impressed the Committee strongly with the conviction that the charge was one which should be borne by the Imperial Government rather than by the colony. But they had to consider what had been said in this Council, and as strongly stated outside this Council that the colony required its defences to be of a much more formidable character, and that a much more complete defence was necessary for the proper protection of commerce, as well as for that of the residents of this colony--and they felt it was not to be wondered at that the Im- perial Government, arged to depart from what they considered sufficient themselves, should ro quire this colony to bear some of the additional expense thus incurred. The importance of pass- ing a vote imposing upon the colony such an addi- tional taxation wasfelt very much by the unofficial members, but, as I have said, they consider that they would not be acting with that loyalty which. in such an emergency as was deemed possible a few months ago, they felt called upon to show, if they did not do so, and they there- fore agree that this sum should be recom- monded to the Council to be passed, and agreed to be prepared to vote for it. Individually I quito recognise those views as bearing very importantly upon the amount, but I nevertheless feel that this colony should not have been called upon to such an extent as £60,000, in addition to the £55,000 which has boon already ! voted, or in all £115,000. Taking into considera- tion the character of the colony, its unpro- ductive character, and its absence of ter- ritory, no one who considers the subject 080 fail to be convinced that it is not for its position purely as a colony, but for the trade it represents and the Imperial interests in China and the Far East centred here that those works are required. In coming to the conclusion that on this occasion the sam should be voted the Committee felt that it was due to the colony and due to themselves that they should have it stated emphatically that this should be a final vote, and that no further claim should be recognised, and that it should be on record that they only, on such an understanding, name to the unanimous vote which they have re- corded. The termus of the minute of the Finance Committee point very olearly to the fear that taxation will become so burdensome to the colony that important sanitary works will have to be postponed, and though protection from outside is a very important thing, we must also consider that protection from disease and illness cast upon us by an unsanitary state should also be provided for. There is not much to say beyond these few remarks, which I hope will make it clear to Her Majesty's Government that it is not with a very good grace, but in a great messure from necessity, that this vote has been passed, recognising the importance of full pro- tection to the colony, and recognising also that in passing such a vote as this we are doing our duty in a final manner, and should not be called upon to supplement it in any form whatever. I beg to second the resolution.
The vote was then passed.
annanimously
12359
350
unanimously by the Conneil, in
the terms settled by the Finance
Committee.
4.
beg to refer Your
"Lordship to Sir G. Bowen's
W.259 despatch of 4th June, 1885, in
which referring to a letter of General Cameron informing him
: that a further large contribution
by the Colony to the Defence -Works will be required, he
But
states if this further
this further sum is
voted, it may probably become "necessary to postpone
"
some
of
"the
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