HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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would be a very serious burden indeed. Hit by the prolonged trade depression, with the cost of living steadily rising, these people already find it hard to make both ends meet; and many parents of large families are not a little exercised in their minds as to how they are to keep their children at school when the increase takes effect. One inevitable result would be that a large number of children would have to be withdrawn from school earlier than they would otherwise be to the detriment of themselves and, consequentially, of Society. Repre- sentations, couched in the most earnest terms, from all classes of the Chinese community praying that the Government may see its way to reconsider its decision, have been made to my senior Chinese colleague and myself; and we feel bound to support this request. Heavy as our expenditure on education is, I respectfully submit that money so spent by the State should not be regarded as a strictly business investment, such as, for example, money spent on a railway when the outlay must be commensurate with the direct return expected. The value of State education cannot be assessed in terms of dollars: it is in many ways analogous to the governmental policy in regard to Public Health. Your Excellency has been even more precise in stress- ing the point. When replying to the unofficial members during the Budget debate last year, you said that money spent by us on educa- tion was of the utmost value to British interests in China, and you further expressed your agreement with the Chinese unofficial members when they said that they did not grudge the expenditure. Since these utterances were made, nothing has occurred to justify a change of policy on the party of the Government. I would therefore respect- fully but strongly urge your Excellency to postpone enforcement of your decision until times are better. If this small financial gain is placed against the hardship to the people who will be unable to bear the extra burden, and the bad effect which the increase will have on the community through a setback to education, it will at once be apparent that the balance weighs heavily in favour of postponement.
There is a further matter in connection with education, to which I desire to call attention. The Hon. Colonial Secretary, in his speech at the last meeting of this Council, warned non-Government schools receiving grants under the Grant Code, that in future a limit must be fixed for grants under the Code; and that expansions involving claims beyond the amount provided in the Estimates would not be admitted While I by the Government as a legitimate charge on the revenue. recognise that a limit must be set to such grants owing to the need for economy, I venture to hope that the Government will consider special applications in a sympathetic and liberal spirit, for any action tending to retard the natural expansion of a school which is doing good work would be a retrogressive step, to be much deplored.
My senior Chinese colleague and I note with satisfaction that $10,000 has been provided in the Estimates for the purchase of water- meters for Kowloon. This is welcome news in that the popular demand, hitherto made by the Chinese without result, is now being
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