He
and he was not opposed again during his lifetime. later became Sir Paul Chater, and one of the great figures of our community. I cmnot find one instance in which a J P. representative has been turned out of office. This is why I prefer the word "selection" to "election". The choice of a representative has little to do with any platform since the chosen representative is a lone voice who can make views known, but cannot carry them through unless the Council as a whole is persuaded.
In November 1897, the Justices of the Peace were invited to convene a Committee of Enquiry into the liquor trade, and the liquor licensing laws followed their report,
The history of the J. P. seat is somewhat patchy, but it would appear that the J P. representatives held many meetings with J P.'s over the years. As the meetings were not public, little is known of what took place, and minutes have not been preserved. Nevertheless, the connection with the J.P 's has been a means for Government to keep closer to the people through a very carefully chosen and moderate body of opinion.
There is a gap in the history of the J.P.#seat which can probably be filled by reference to records in the Colonial Secretarist Library, as Norton-Kyshe's Second Volume ended in 1898. I had a talk over the week-end with the Editor-in-Chief of the South China Morning Post, and he has undertaken to do some research' All the old copies of the SCMP have been preserved.
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