Being invited to the platform Mr. Mc- Guigan remarked that the speeches, both of the Chairman and of Mr. Pollock, had seemed to him to be in favour of his amendment rather than of the resolution itself, in that the speakers had said that the resolution was aimed at obtaining the representatives of the public on
Council. Hé was quite in agreeme with that portion of the resolution which asked for additional representation of the Chinese and the Portuguese. Owing to the peculiar circumstances, of race and language, perhaps it was necessary that those two communities should have separ ate and distinct representation, but he thought there had been no case made out for the separate representation of various)
It sections of the British community. had been a long and bitter struggle to get rid of class representation in Great Britain, but they had succeeded at last, and there was no reason why there should be class representation here. The pro- pertied classes had not materially im- proved the condition of the masses at Home, and at last the people had their chance. It remained to be seen what they would do. He did not think that any case had been made out for the special representation of the Chamber of Com- merce or of the Justices of the Peace, Hi emphasised this because, if the representa- tives were clected by the Chamber of Commerce and the Justices of the Peace, he did not think they would do any better than men of a similar class bad done at Home, He thought that, in view of the sanitary, or rather, lack of sanitary arrangements (laughter) of the City, the educational problem and many other questions, there was an evident need for such change in the personnel of the Legislative Council as would reflect itself in the conditions of the people. It was no good making changes unless the condi tions were going to be changed. What did the public want a vastly increased supply of better houses at lower rents, household commodities at the cheapest possible rate. "Do your interests in this respect harmonise particularly well with the interests of the members of the Cham- ber of Commerce or with the Justices of the Peace (Loud laughter.) Are you
in favour of such a change? We have been fighting these four years to make
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the world safe for democracy. Let us see to it that we make Hongkong safe for democracy." Continuing, the speaker ex- horted the audience to press for the sweeping away of the separate represen- tation of the Chamber of Commerce and of the Justices of the Peace.
It was a ! question whether the people were to elect their own representatives or to leave the Chamber to do the electing. The Cham- bers of Commerce in Great Britain were not particularly represented in Parlia- meat, and he did not think that any man would dare face a British audience in the United Kingdon with a proposition such
as had been put before them that evening. The fate of the people of Britain, and
of the British Empire, was to day in the hands of the British masses, and he did not think that the Eritish people of Hongkong were in any way inferior to their kith and kin at home.
He quite agreed with the previous speakers who had said that they did not propose to interfere with matters relating to 1m- perial policy or with military and naval affairs, for which the full responsibility should rost on the authorities at Home. But on questions affecting municipal ad ministration the people should have their
Bay.
Mr. J. FROST seconded the amendment. Mr. H. A. CARTWRIGHT, who announced he had another amendment to propose, was then invited on to the platform, He said he had not come there with the inten- tion of making a speech, because he had other opportunities of expounding his views. (Laughter). He was constrained, however, to move another amendment, because of the amendment which had just been submitted. He proposed that clause 3 of the resolutions should read:-
"That of the seven elected unofficial members (all of whom shall be British subjects) one shall be elected by the Hongkong General Charaber of Com- merce; one by the Justices of the Peace; four (three of whom shall be of British race and one of Portuguese race) by British subjects who are jurymen, or are qualified for, but exempt from jury service; and one by the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, or some other body representative of the Chinese com- munity.
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