CO129-297 - Governor Sir Blake - 1900 [1-3] — Page 161

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honourable member will see from the second clause that "The "Governor may at any time direct the Registrar General to en- "quire into and report as to any matter which is connected "with the New Territories as defined by section 2 of Ordinance

No. 12 of 1899, if such matter exclusively concerns persons

of Chinese race, whether British subjects or otherwise". The

Registrar General will only summons Chinese to come before

him in certain cases into which he is directed by the Governor

to enquire. Therefore, in no case can there be any action what-

ever without the direction of the Governor, and I think the

honourable member will accept my assurance that the Ordi-

nance will be carried out with every consideration for the

Chinese and with every anxiety on the part of the Government

that we shall never be forced to bring the provisions of the

Ordinance into operation at all. I think that when it is

known that we have power to compel the attendance of these

people who do not up to the present appear anxious to come

forward the Chinese will yield gracefully to the necessity

and come in when invited without our having to resort to this

power. With reference to the suggestion of the honourable

member that this Bill should have a duration clause, I think

it is a very fair suggestion. I shall have no objection what-

ever to it. I hope that in a short time the necessity for any

such Ordinance as this will disappear.