CO129-433 - Governor Sir May - 1916 [5-6] — Page 213

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number of Un-official Members from 6 to 10; and that all except Chinese Members may be elected, half of them by the Chamber of Commerce and half of them by the Non-Official Justices of the

Peace.

In support of this alteration in the Constitut- -ion the only arguments adduced are (a) that official members of Council are not free to vote according to their convictions and (b) that the un-official members are in a permanent and hopeless minority because the Governor can command the votes of the

official members.

The first is a well worn but weak argument,

for it is obviously impracticable to allow Government Officers to vote against measures introduced by the Government.

The second has little real weight. If weighty examples existed of the over-riding of popular opinion by the arbitrary exercise of the official vote they would surely find a place in such a Petition as this. No such exemples are adduced for the pod reason that no such examples om be found.

There is not an Ordinance on the Statute Book

of the Colony of which it can be said that it was forced through the Council without carefully end patiently consulting the interests affected by the Legislation. The history of the legisla- -tion affecting Sanitation and Buildings is one conspicuous ex- -ample among many of the scrupulous care with which vested interests and public opinion are consulted, sometimes with a tendency too pronounced to overcome opposition by too generous concessions.

Nor can I call to mind any important question during the past 30 years, not involving legislation, of which it can be said that the Government forced its will upon an unwilling people. I feel sure that two of the most influential bodies in the

Colony the Chinese Community and the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce would not be slow to acknowledge that the Government is

never