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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 4TH JUNE, 1881.
Now, my two honourable friends on my right (the Acting Chief Justice and the Attorney General) have had experience in other Crown Colonies-in Singapore and Jamaica--and I think they will learn with some surprise and gratification the fact that for four years we have never had a division in this Council.
Perhaps there is some misunderstanding with respect to the functions of this Council. It has been asserted that an unofficial member of the Legislative Council has not the power of initiating anything, and that his position is a peculiar and somewhat discouraging one on that account. But, as a matter of fact, an unofficial member of the Legislative Council has, in that respect, exactly the same powers and privileges as a member of the House of Commons; a member of the Legislative Council can, in fact, initiate any vote or motion he pleases, with the one proviso that he cannot propose the expenditure of money. The same rule applies precisely in the House of Commons; there is no difference whatever; any motion may be made by members of Council in the form prescribed by the rules and regulations, all of which are really based on the orders and procedure of Parliament in England. Our We have now, and have Legislative Council, as constituted at, this moment, represents the community.
had for some time past, a Chinese member sitting in this Council Chamber. No one, I am sure, will deny that I was justified in recommending the Queen to appoint a Chinese member on the Legislative Council in a Colony where so much of the commercial life is conducted by the Chinese--where the wealthiest merchants are Chinese-where the Chinese possess so much property-where they are the permanent inhabitants, and where nine-tenths of the Government revenues are contributed by them. We have, I am happy to say, a representative here of the old house of TURNER & Co., and a represent- ative of the great house of JARDINE, MATHESON & Co.,--and the official members of the Council, they also represent something more than the Government; so that, as far as this body. is concerned, it has, I think, every requisite a legislative body should possess for the proper conduct of public business. And that is one reason why I regard the progress this Colony has made as natural and safe. It has It has been brought about, in fact, by the community, and not been the doing of any one man. under the watchful eye of the legislature of the Colony.
I may, perhaps, take this opportunity of saying a few words upon a subject which has, no doubt, sometimes attracted your attention, and that is the allegation made that during the four years of my Government of this Colony, I have too much encouraged the Chinese. Now, I believe that the duty of a Governor in dealing with a community such as I find here, is to avoid what is popularly called encouragement of any body, or of any class, but to simply hold the balance evenly between all men. And that is what I have done. Coming here with a few years' experience, at the other side of the China Sea, of the Government of a Chinese community, I very soon after my arrival was waited on by some Chinese gentlemen of Hongkong, who frankly told me their position in the Colony. They pointed out to me that there were certain restrictions, some laid upon them, others attempted to be laid upon them, to which they objected, and they asked me, at all events, to assist them to this extent, not to allow undue or unfair restrictions to be laid on the Chinese, but to give them that same equality and fair play that they thought they were entitled to with all other subjects of the Queen. I was not in the Colony many weeks when there came under my notice one most serious restriction that was about to be laid upon them, and which, after consulting them, I was able to prevent. Three days before I came to the Colony, a proposal was made which would certainly have had the effect of preventing an influx of Chinese, and probably would have driven a good many out of the Colony. It was made after Sir ARTHUR KENNEDY left, three days before I arrived, and it was submitted to me because it was assumed The Colonial Secretary himself had great a certain amount of force would be necessary to carry it out.
It was called "Rules and Regulations with doubts as to its prudence, but he submitted it to me. respect to Chinese graves." It was to apply solely to the Chinese. I requested the Colonial Secretary to get ten or a dozen of the most respectable Chinese that he and the Registrar-General knew, to come to me and consider these particular rules. They came. Mr. CHUN AYIN was the spokesman; Mr. WAI AKWONG was present, and some leading Chinese gentlemen now in the Colony. When the document was translated to them, they began by saying that the rules had been framed without any consultation with them and without their knowledge. They pointed out that the rules so framed were inconsistent with their religion and their usages as regards graves and services for the dead. One of the rules to which Mr. CHUN AYIN especially objected was this, "Single graves shall not be more than 6 feet long by 2 ft. wide, nor less than 5 feet deep." Now, he and others pointed out as regards the depth, that they thought it a very good thing, and that a law to that effect already existed in the Colony, but with respect to the provision "not more than 6 feet long by 2 feet wide," they said that their graves were always more than 6 feet long and 2 feet wide. An ordinary Chinese coffin measures 6 feet 6 inches The coffin of a Chinese gentleman who has in length, and it is 2 feet 7 inches wide at the head. received a button or decoration--and many of our merchants who have subscribed to various benevo- lent objects in China possess decorations-is 7 feet 9 inches long, and even the coffin of a Chinese "There is no neces- pauper is over 6 feet in length. Therefore, these Chinese gentlemen said to me,-
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"about our graves.
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sity for any exercise of force. The effect will be that we will go away if such rules are promulgated They reminded me of what occurred at Macao, and said it would drive people out of the Colony. I need hardly tell you that I put my veto on those rules and regulations, and that I have not allowed any system to be enforced that would offend the prejudices of the Chinese on the subject of their graves.
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