Extract from "The Hong Kong Daily Press" 14th June, 1900
it was only about six weeks after the petition had been forwarded to the Governor—that was before the final draft had been passed by the Council—in any case about a month before that, bill became law. Mr. Hooper in writing to Sir Henry Blake referred to the me question of compensation and it was perfectly true that he made use of the words quoted by your Excellency in your memorandum. (Reads.) Mr. Hooper tells me that when he wrote that letter it was in a moment of inadvertence which he regrets. He was not thoroughly conversant with the new Bill before it was finally passed. When he wrote that letter he was under the impression that the Government had honestly and loyally adopted the recommendations put forward in the report which had been drawn up at the instance of the landowners. That is Mr. Hooper's explanation. I think it is only right that your Excellency should have given me, as you have done, the opportunity of making a personal explanation in this chamber in view of the great publicity and considerable weight which has been attached to the letter of Mr. Shelton Hooper, which he tells me was written under a misapprehension. He would never have written what he did had he realised that compensation which owners had so strongly insisted on and was only their just due had been eliminated or rather had not been approved of That is the explanation and I beg to thank Your Excellency for allowing me to make it. I do not think that it was quite right that the Government should take advantage of a moment of inadvertence on the part of a gentleman who had some five years later been a member of the Commission.
With regard to Your Excellency's remarks generally I can only say that no doubt there will be full opportunity given to honourable members before long to discuss the report and the papers bearing upon it. That being so it is quite unnecessary to reply in detail to what Your Excellency has said. There is one point to which I must refer. We gratefully accept the assurance by Your Excellency that the Government are prepared to receive the report in a sympathetic manner. I trust Your Excellency that that will be proved by facts but I can only say that judging by the official papers which have been laid before this Council I fail to see any real sympathy on the part of the Government towards this report.
The gentlemen who collaborated with me in this report and myself spent a great deal of time—far longer than we had any idea of when we were called upon to set, amounting to nearly a year—in seriously considering one of the most important questions that has arisen in this Colony for a great number of years and which practically affects not only the Government but every single resident Clearly therefore when such an important question was brought up there should be no question of parochialism or party politics or whatever you like to call it. It should be the sincere wish of all those engaged in considering the report to treat it in the most sympathetic manner and try to arrive at a conclusion which will bring about the end to which I am sure all the official and non-official members are working, that is the very best interests of the Colony in which we are situated.
That being so I must say with all due respect that I regret Your Excellency should have made use of the word abuse.
HIS EXCELLENCY- I did not use the word abuse.
The HON. MR. HEWETT- I beg your pardon, Your Excellency. I withdraw my remark. Anyhow you spoke of the report having given the Government a broadside. That was not intended. There was no question of an exchange of broadsides between the non-official members and the Government in this matter. In the report the members of the Commission honestly, sincerely and fearlessly stated exactly, after nearly a year's careful consideration, what they found to be the existing state of affairs.
That it was a most ungracious and difficult task was realised from the first. When His Excellency Sir Matthew Nathan first asked me to become a member of the committee and later chairman of the Commission which resulted, I knew perfectly well from my knowledge gained during thirty years in the Far East, of which fifteen years had been spent in Hongkong, and from my knowledge gained during three or four years' work on the Sanitary Board that we would be compelled to pass very strong criticism upon certain sections of the administration of this great department and as a natural consequence I should have unfortunately as a member of the commission to sign my name to comments on the official action of gentlemen who have been personal friends, some very good personal friends, for a great number of years.
In accepting that my colleagues and myself felt that any censure we might have to make was justified by the fact that His Excellency felt constrained to appoint a Commission with all the powers of a Royal Commission so as to sift the whole thing to the bottom. We did our day as well as we could. We are all human and fallible and liable to error. We realise that it would be absurd to expect the Government to adopt our report in toto but we thought and expected that that report would be received in a more impartial manner and in a less hostile spirit than has been displayed by the words you used in criticism of this report.
The last words Sir Matthew Nathan said in reference to this report before leaving the Colony were that he trusted it would be discussed in a spirit of impartiality, or words to that effect. That is the spirit in which the members of the Commission and, I am sure, my unofficial colleagues on the Council would wish to approach the subject. I sincerely trust that in the interests of the Colony, for which I am sure we are all working, that that will be the spirit in which we will be met by official members of this Council.
I will not detain this Council any longer, Your Excellency. The questions of cubicles etc. are burning questions. We specially stated in the report that the subject of cubicles was one which required further consideration. What I desire and hope is that we will recognise in discussing this report the necessity for meeting each other fairly and frankly, and honestly and sincerely endeavouring to discuss this question, here or elsewhere, in a spirit of perfect good friendship and unanimity, working in the best interests of the Colony.
I regret having felt called upon to make these remarks, which I would not have done as member of the Commission had I not felt that a certain amount of personal feeling had crept into the discussion, I don't say that it is altogether on one side. I regret that we have not had public feeling expressed more than in the few articles which appeared in the local papers, but I feel convinced that the feeling in the Colony is in favour of a thorough reform of the Department.
There is only one point with regard to these recommendations which have just been laid before us. I gather from page 7 that it is proposed to retain the Administrative Head of the department. Your Excellency, I can say looking at it entirely from the point of view which you understand I must hold I consider that as stated in our report the Sanitary Department should not be run as an entirely Government Department under the control of a Government Official, and I feel sure that further consideration and discussion will show this to be the consensus of opinion in the Colony. That the Chairman of the Sanitary Board should be a Government Official may be admitted to be feasible.
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Extract from "The Hong Kong Daily Press" 14th June, 1900
it was only about six weeks after the petition had been forwarded to the Governor-that was before the final draft had been passed by the Council-in any case about a mouth before that, bill baosime law. Mr. Hooper in writing to Sir Henry Blake referred to the me question of compensation and it was perfoot y true that he made use of the words quoted by your Excellency in your memorandum. (Reads.) Mr. Hooper tells me that when he wrote that letter it was in a moment of inadvertence which he regrets. He was not thoroughly conversant with the new Bill before it was finally passed. When he wrote that letter he was under the impression that the Government had honestly and loyally adopted the recommendations put forward in the report which had been drawn up at the instance of the landowners. That is Mr. Hooper's explanation. I think it is only right that your Excellency should have given me, as you have done, the opportunity of making a per- sonal explanation in this chamber in view of the great publicity and considerable weight which has been attached to the letter of Mr. Shelton Hooper, which he tells me was written under a misapprehension. He would never have written what he did had he realised that com pensation which owners had so strongly insisted on and was only their just düs had been eliminated or rather had not been approved of That is the explanation and I beg to thank Your Excellency for allowing me to make it. I do not think that it was quite right that the Government shoutake advantage of a moment of inadvertence on the part of a gentle. man who had some five years later been a ment- ber of the Commission. With regard to Your Excellency's remarks generally I can only may that no doubt there will be full opportunity given to honourable members before long to dis- ouss the report and the papers bearing upon it. That being so it is quita unnecessary to reply in detail to what Your Excellency has said. There is one point to which I must refor. We grate- fully accept the assurance by Your Excellency that the Government are prepared to receive the report in a sympathetic manner. I trust Your Excellency that that will be proved by facts but I can only say that judging by the official papers which bave been laid before this Council I fail to see any real sympathy on the part of the Government towards this report. The gentlemen who collaborated with me in this report and myself spent a great deal of time-far longer than we had any idea of when we were called upon to set, amounting to nearly a year-in seriously considering one of the most important questions that has arisen in this Colony for a great number of years and which practically affects not only the Government but every single resident Clearly therefore when such a important question was brought up there should be no question of parochialism or party polities or whatever you like to call it. It should he the sincere wish of all those engaged in con- sidering the report to treat it in the most sympathetic manner and try to arrive at a con. clusion which will bring about the end to which I am sure all the official and non-official members are working, that is the very best interests of the Colony in which we are situated, That being so I must say with all due respect that I regret Your Excellency should have made use of the word abuse.
HIB EXCELLENCY- I did not use the word abuse.
The HON. ME, HEWETT-I beg your pardon, Your Excelleney. I withdraw my remark. Anyhow you spoke of the report having given the Gorerament a broadside. That was not intended. There was no question of an exchangə of broadsides between the non-effois! members and the Government in this matter. In the report the members of the Commission konestly, singerely and fearlessly stated exactly, after nearly a year's careful consideration, what they found to be the existing state of affaire. That
it was a most ungracións and difficult task wa realised from the first. When His Excellency Bir Matthew Natbau first asked me to become a member of the committee and later chairman of theommission which resulted, I knew perfect- ly well from my knowledge gained during thirty years in the Far East, of which fifteen years had been spent in Hongkong, and from my knowledge gained during three or four years" work on the Sanitary Board that we would be compelled to pass very strong criticism apon certain sections of the administration of this great department and as a ustural consequence I should have unfortunately as a member of the commission to sigu my name to comments on the official action of gentlemen who have been personal friends,some very good personal friends, for a great number of years. In accepting that my colleagues and myself felt that ay content we might have to make was justified by the fact that His Ex- cellency felt constrained to appoint a Com- wission with all the powers of a Royal Com- mission so as to sift the whole thing to the bottom. We did our day as well as we could. We are all baman and fallible and liable to error. Wo realise that it would be absurd to expect the Government to adopt cur report in toto but we thought and expected that that report would be received in a more impartial manner and in a less hostile spirit than has been displayed by the words you used in criticism of this report. The last words Sir Matthew Nathan said in reference to this report before leaving the Colony were that he trasted it would be discussed in a spirit of im- partiality, or words to that effect. That is the spirit in which the members of the Commission and, I am sure, my unofficial volleagues on the Council would wish to approach the subject. I sincerely trust that in the interests of the Colony, for which I am sure we are all working, that that will be the spirit in which we will Be met by official members of this Council, I will not detain this Council any longer, Your Excel eney. The questions of cubicles etc. are burning questions. We specially stated in the report that the subject of cubicles was one whl required further consideration. What Ideask and hope is that we will recognise in discussing this report the necessity for meeting each other fairly and frankly, and honestly and sincerely endeavouring to discuss this question, here or elsewhere, in a spirit of perfect. good friendship and unanimity, working in the best interests of the Colony. I regret having felt called upon to make these remarks, which I would not have done as member of the Commission had I not felt that a certain amount of personal feeling had crept into the discussion, I don't say that it is altogether on one side. I regret that we have not had public feeling expressed more than in the few articles which appeared in the local papers, but 1 feel convinced that the feeling iu the Colony is in favour of ä thorough reform of the Lepartment. There is only one point រាំង regard to these recommendations which have just been laid before us. I gather from page 7 that it is proposed to retain the Administrative Head of be department. Your Excellency, I can say leaking at it entirely from the point of view which you understand 1 must hold I consider that as stated in our report the Sanitary Depart- ment should not be un as an entirely Govern- ment Department under the control of a Govern- ment Official, and I feel sure that furthor consideration and discussion will show this to be the consensus of opinion in the Colony. That the Chairman of the Sanitary Board should be a Government Official may be admitted to be feasi-
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