CO129-267 - Governor Sir Robinson - 1895 [4-6] — Page 502

498

3

Lordship's despatches in which you inquire whether the Jani tary Board

may

not be the

nucleus of a Municipal ~ Council, I have the honour

that in my

my

resi

to inform you opinion, which is shared by falmost all the leading

·dents of this Colony, the es- tablishment of a municipal- ity in Hongkong is not desir.

able even

if it were practicable.

There is no leisured class a-

mong

the European

com-t

munity

munity with sufficient spare time to devote to the affairs

of a municipal Council and, the Chinese population,

among

the

very few Chinese gentle- men who might be capable

would refuse to

of serving wont

act.

There are also grave

objections to

to any body in- dependent of the Government being entrusted with the~ raising and spending of. funds, which

which would be -

mainly