C.0
Extract from The "China Mail' dated 3rd January 1908)
THE ADDRESS TO THE GOVERNOR.
The following is the speech delivered by His Excellency the Governor, yesterday, in accepting an address from the Chinese community :-
His Excellency in reply said :- Dr Ho Kai, Mr Fung Wa Chuen, and gentlemen. I thank you most heartily for the evidence of good feeling towards me and Lady Blake conveyed in this address, and you Dr Ho Kai for the observations with which it has been so kindly prefaced by you. In your observations on the effects of sympathy and forbearance it is difficult for two peoples with divergent social system and customs to live together with comfort as free men. And that we do live without friction in Hongkong where every man enjoys freedom in its fullest form, freedom to think his own thoughts, to speak his own mind, and to guide his own actions without interference, so long as those actions do not prevent the exercise of a similar freedom by others, is a proof that the feeling of sympathy is not confined to the Governor but is widely shared by the community, European and Chinese. You have mentioned many incidents of the three years since I have assumed the administration of this Government, and chiefest among them is the annually recurring visitation of plague. This is a scourge that has been known in Europe for several hundreds of years. In olden times when Europe knew as little of sanitation as China knows to-day one-half the population was swept away in certain places by the plague, but with the increased knowledge of the present day the plague, which has again been introduced from the East, has made no progress, but has died out in consequence of the very stringent sanitary measures of disinfection and cleanliness undertaken by the various Sanitary Boards. It is because we have seen the success of these measures that we are striving so eagerly to save the lives of the Chinese people in Hongkong by the adoption of similar means, and I wish to tell you and, through you, the Chinese people, how deeply I am impressed by their attitude and assistance in our present efforts to avert, by timely precautions, a visitation of plague in the present year. I have walked through the streets that are being disinfected and I see the families bearing all the inevitable discomforts with cheerful fortitude that could not be exceeded by any community in the world. God grant that these precautions may be successful, but successful or not you may rest assured that we are trying honestly to save the lives of the Chinese working people by the measures that seem to us to promise the greatest prospect of success.
The movement in favour of more liberal education is fraught with issues of great moment for the people of all Southern China in the future, for such an advance in knowledge among your immediate families will inevitably extend to neighbouring provinces and bring the light of modern knowledge to supplement the classical literature with which China has been content for so many centuries. With knowledge will come progress and a new and brighter life. I have no doubt that the report of the Commission on education, now sitting in Hongkong, and of which Dr. Ho Kai is a member, will suggest many improvements in the system of Education now existing in this Colony. I receive with great pleasure the renewed expression of your loyalty to His Majesty the King, and the confirmation of reports from other sources of the contentment of the inhabitants of the New Territory. Of your loyalty you have given substantial proof. And, as to the New Territory the inhabitants have shown by their actions that they already realize the benefits of living under the benign rule of Great Britain. I have every reason to be satisfied with their conduct. I agree with you that the New Territory will ere long form a prosperous portion of the Colony of Hongkong. I am glad to tell you that we have completed the construction of the Upper settlement near Un Long to replace the miserable huts in which these afflicted people were half sheltered before we took over the territory. This settlement of wretched shanties constructed by the poor people themselves in the most primitive manner, in the middle of a swamp, has been replaced by small houses built by the Public Works Department on the side of a hill hard by. Rather than this supply of proper shelter, I have not felt it necessary to go, as the neighbours, with that ready charity that I have found so conspicuous in the Chinese people, support the unfortunate sufferers with a sufficient supply of food. You point to the development of the Colony, and I agree with you that its development is everything that could be desired. As the trade of China increases so must Hongkong take its toll of the ever increasing mass of shipping passing through our port. But that increase of business means an increased influx of people and increased difficulty in their accommodation. I hope that the many houses now being erected in Kowloon, and the encouragement to building outside Victoria that will be given by the construction of a tram line from West to East will relieve the over crowding in the town of Victoria where we cannot continue to tolerate a pressure of population declared to be dangerous to the health of the community and unequalled in any city in China or in any part of the world. And now, gentlemen, once again I thank you for your expression of good feeling which I assure you is warmly reciprocated by Lady Blake and myself. I hope to be back before the summer, and I earnestly pray that Hongkong may be spared from a visitation of plague this year. But whatever Providence may have in store for us I am certain that, should we unhappily have to face another epidemic, you will meet it with fortitude and, in any case, that you will be in the future as in the past patient, practical, peaceable subjects of His Majesty the King. I look forward to our return with pleasure and I wish you one and all a happy and a prosperous New Year.
3 FEB
15
C.0
Extract from The "China Mail' dated 3rd.January 1908)
THE ADDRESS TO THE GOVERNOR.
The following is the speech delivered by His Excellency the Governor, yesterday, in accepting an address from the Chinese community :-
F
His Excellency in reply said :-Dr Ho Kai, Mr Fung Wa Chuen, and gentlemen. I thank you most heartily for the evidence of good feeling towards ine and Lady Blake Conveyed in this address, and you Dr H Kai for the observations with which it has been so kindly prefaced by you. In your observations on the effects of sympathy and forbearance it is difficult for two peoples with divergent social system and customs to live together with comfort as free men. And that we do live without friction in Hongkong where every man enjoys freedom in its fullest form, freedom to think his own thoughts, to speak his owntmind, and to guide his own actions without inter- ference, so long as those action do not pre- vent the exercise of a similar freedom by others, is a proof that the feeling of sym- pathy is not confined to the Governor but is widely shared by the community, Euro- pean and Chinose. You have mentioned many incidents of the three years since I have assumed the administration of this Government, and chiefest among them is the annually recurring visitation of plague. This is a scourge that has been known in Europe for several hundreds of years, In olden times when Europe knew as little of sanitation as China knows to-day one-half the population was swept away in certain places by the plague, but with the increased knowledge of the present day the plague, which has again been introduced from the Fast, has made no progress, but has died out in consequence of the very stringent sanitary measures of disinfection and clean- liness undertaken by the various Sanitary Boards. It is because we have seen the suc cess of these measures that we are striving so eagerly to save the lives of the Chinese people in Hongkong by the adoption of similar means, and i wish to tell you and, through you, the Chinese people, how deeply I am impressed by their attitude and assistance in our present efforts to avert, by timely precautions, a visitation of plague in the present year. I have walked through the streets that are being disinfect- ed and I see the families bearing all the inevitable discomforts with cheerful fortitude that could not be exceeded by any community in the world. God grant that these precautions may be successful, but successful or not you may rest assured that we are trying honestly to save the lives of the Chinese working people by the meas- ures that seem to us to promise the greatest prospect of success.
The movement in favour of more liberal education is fraught with issues of great moment for the people of all Southern China in the future, for such an advance in knowledge among your immediate families will inevitably extend neighbouring provinces and bring the light of modern kuowledge to supple-
to
the
ment the classical literature with whith China has been content for so many cen- turies. With knowledge will come progress and a new and brighter life. I have no doubt that the report of the Commission on education, now sitting in Hongkong, and of which Dr. Ho Kai is a member, will sug- gest many improvements in the system of Education now existing in this Colony. 1 receive with great pleasure the renewed expression of your loyalty to His Majesty the King, and the confirmation of reports from other sources of the contentment of the inhabitants of the New Territory. Of your loyalty you have given subatanial proof, And, as to the New Territory the inhabitants have shown by their actions that they already realize the benefits of living under the benign rule of Great Bri- | tain. I have every reason to be sat- isfied with their conduct. I agree with you that the New Territory will ere long forn a prosperous portion of the Colony of Hongkong. I am glad to tell you that we have completed the construction of the loper settlement near Un Long to replace the miserable huts in which these afflicted people were half sheltered before we took over the territory. This settlement of wretched shanties contructed by the poor people themselves in the most primitive manner, in the middle of a swamp, has been replaced by small houses built by the Public Works Department on the side of a hill hard by. Father than this supply of proper shelter, I have not felt in necessary to go, as the neighbours, with that ready charity that I have found so con- spicuous in the Chinese people, support the unfortunate sufferers with a sufficient sup- ply of food. You point to the develop- ment of the Colony, and I agree with you that its development is everything that could be desired. As the trade of China increases so must Hongkong take its toll of the ever increasing mass of shipping pass. ing through our port. But that increase of business means an increased influx of people and increased difficulty in their accommodation. I hope that the msny houses now being erected in Kowloon, and the encouragement to building outside Vic toria that will be given by the construction of a tram line from West to East will re- lieve the er crowding in the towu of Victoria where we cannot continue to tolerate a pressure of population declared to be dangerous to the health of the community and unequalled in any city in China or in any part of the world. And now, gentlemen, once again I thank you for your expression of good feeling which I assure you is warmly recipru- cated by Lady Biske and myself. I hope to be back before the summer, and I earnestly pray that Hongkong may be spared from a visitation of plague this year. But whatever Providenco may have in store for us I am certain that, should we unhap- pily have to face another epidemic, you will meet it with fortitude and, in any case, that you will be in the future as in the past patient, practical, peaceable subjects of His Majesty the King. I look forward to our return with pleasure and I wish you one and all a happy and a prosperous New Year.
4000
3 FEB
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.