CO129-448 - Governor Sir May - 1918 [4-6] — Page 560

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It was felt that the proposed amendment laid too much stress

on the idea of maintenance, thus suggesting that the object

would be to maintain the business of the Colony in its present

atate and without any further restrictions. It was also

the

felt that the words referring to British trade in the Far East

were much too wide, and might result in men being kept here on

the plea that they might be wanted to fill places of men taken

from other parts of the Far East. The amendment actually

proposed by the unofficial members in committee, was the addi-

tion after the word "Colony" of the words "and of British trade

in the Far East" This amendment was not accepted, but it was

stated on behalf of the Government that in their view the

essential interests of the Colony would include the case of

British trade in China controlled from Hongkong. A division

C

was taken and all the unofficial

ment.

members voted for the amend-

The attitude of the Government on this paragraph

of the bill was determined by the fact that the unofficial

members seemed to consider that the main object of the bill

should be to maintain and protect the business of the Colony

and not that it should be to obtain more men for the army.

13.

The second point on section 6 of the bill which was dis-

cussed in committee was the fixing of a limit of time for ex-

emptions granted on the ground of exceptional financial or

business obligations or domestic position. The unofficial

members wished for the proviso at the end of sub-section (6)

of section 6 to be omitted, and they pointed out that there

was no limit of time in the Military Service Act, 1916.

Government agreed to substitute the word "six" for the word

"four" in the proviso, and pointed out that the urgent need for

men required that some limit of time should be imposed.

The