CO129-479 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1923 [1-3] — Page 477

472 of Hongkong with its transitory Europeen population differs entirely from the cases of the other Colonies to which reference is made. If the parallel of Malta or Ceylon is relied upon, the corresponding reform in this Colony would mean placing the power in the hands of the Chinese, a result which would be as displeasing to the petitioners as to any body else.

I am convinced that no responsible person desires an unofficial majority and there is no reason why they should. During the three and half years that I have governed this Colony, the official majority has been used twice to outvote the unofficial members.

The first case was on the 1st of September 1921, when I was unable to accept a motion by Mr. Poll] ock which ran as follows:-

"That, with a view to encourage the construction of "new houses in this Colony, it is desirable for the "Government to pass an Ordinance exempting, for 3 years "after completion, from liability to pay rates, any new "buildings, the plans for which may be sent in for the "first time after the commencement of such Ordinance."

The second was on the 8th of February this year when Mr. Pollock brought forward a motion the effect of which would have been to delay the coming into operation of the clauses in the Female Domestic Service Ordinance which prohibited the engagement in future of "mui-teei" or servant girls under ten years of age.

The motion in the first case was in substance though not in form, a proposal for the reduction of taxation of a character which might in future seriously affect the finances of the Colony: in the second case I had Your Grace's definite instructions that there could be no compromise on the points involved.

In both cases, therefore, it is obvious that,

if there had been an unofficial majority in the Counc I should have had no option but to use whatever power wes given to me by the Constitution and the petitions admit that such power must be given to the Governor in some form

or other – to overrule them.

In matters of purely local interest, 1

have