CO129-401 - Governor Sir May - 1913 [5-6] — Page 35

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General Chamber of Commerce communicates on with the British

Minister at Peking.

In view of the instructions contained in your Despatch under reference I am not taking any further steps in this matter, beyond elaborating the regulations of the proposed Society for submission to you for your consideration. This step it was my intention to take before actually proceeding to register the new Society. I shall be glad now to have your further

instructions in the matter.

6.

I take the opportunity of stating that I am very glad to learn that His Majesty's Government does not approve

of the participation of Chinese British subjects in Chinese

elections. I did not intend to suggest that the Society to which I

have alluded in the foregoing paragraphs should be allowed to have

mything to do with such elections. But I pointed out that if His Majesty's Government desired to raise no objection to such

elections the proposed Society would be a fitting organisation

to entrust the work to,

·

I note also with satisfaction your instruction that Chinese in Hongkong should be given to understand that their intermeddling in Chinese politics is not viewed with favour. Both these pronouncements materially strengthen my hands and I lost no time in verbally communicating them to the Senior Un-Official Member of the Legislative Council Sir Kai Ho Kai,and in direct- -ing the Registrer-General to convey them to the District Watch- →men's Committee which comprises the leading members of the Chinese Community. Mr. Hallifar did so and it may serve as an interesting sigh of the times we now live in that you should know that the Honourabls Mr. Wei Yuk, Member of the Legislative Council, thereupon asked what the Secretary of State would do if the instructions were disobeyed. Mr. Hallifax very properly replied that the Secretary of State whose powers were very wide would know

how