LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (cont.)
629 52.
Ordinance No.2 of 1844 was intended to regulate the printing of books and papers and the keeping of printing presses, which the community considered premature! Strangely enough, the ordinance remained on the Statute Book until 1886.
The Land Registry was organised by Ordinance Number Three.
It will be recalled that at a recent meeting of the Legislative Council, an ordinance was passed with a view to assisting destitute seamen in Hong Kong. On February 28, 1844, an ordinance was passed which also dealt with destitute seamen. Masters of ships in those days, it appears, were not averse to discharging a man in Hongkong and allowing him to find his own way home. Beachcombers became a social problem and a good deal of resentment was caused here when it became known that the Home Government disallowed the Ordinance.
Other Ordinances passed early in 1844 dealt with the preservation of order and cleanliness; provided that all civil suits should be settled by arbitration, pending the arrival of Chief Justice Hulme; fixed legal interest at 12 per cent. and prohibited the unlicensed distillation of spirits.
The colonists viewed this rush of legislation with no little apprehension and there began an agitation for popular representation. The British community made continuous demands for representation on the Council, and although various changes in its constitution were made, Sir John Davis, who succeeded Sir H. Pottinger, decided against temporary representation.
On December 1, 1844 the Lieutenant Governor, The Colonial Secretary and the Police Magistrate were made members of the Executive Council, and warrants were issued for the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and the Governor to comprise the Legislative Council.
In January, 1849, the leading merchants signed a petition to the House of Commons, drawing attention, inter alia, to the lack of popular representation on the Council. The then Governor, Sir George Bonham interested himself in the agitation. He selected 15 of the unofficial Justices of the Peace and summoned them to a conference and informed them that Earl Grey had sanctioned his proposal for the admission of two members of the civil community into the Legislative Council. The Justices of the Peace held a further meeting on December 6, 1849, and Messrs. David Jardine and J. F. Edger were elected the first non-official members.
***
So much, then, for the earliest days of the Legislative Council. It was not to attain its present high reputation via a path of roses. Scandals involving the highest executives were to dog its progress.
It became the butt of every newspaper editor in Hongkong. But it survived both major and minor accusations, which to-day can only be regarded as incidents along its path.
Yesterday I referred to the formation and early work of the Legislative Council, and dealt with the period up to 1849 when the first two unofficial members were elected.
The Governor at the time was Sir George Bonham. His great worry was the finance of the Colony. A statement of income and expenditure for 1848 showed revenue amounting to £23,509 (apart from a Home grant) and expenditure totalling £62,308.
One of the local newspapers summed up the position by saying "the Colony is now in a state of insolvency; public works are suspended and the officials paid only a portion of their salaries."
It was a difficult period and events of the next 10 years did little to keep grey hairs out of the heads of successive Governors.
By 1859, we find that a hardy race of newspaper editors had sprung up in Hongkong. They fought for what they, apparently, considered right, but spent about as much time in prison as in their editorial chairs. One editor spent about two hours writing an editorial alleging that His Excellency the Governor...
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (cont.)
629 52.
Ordinance No.2 of 1844 was intended to regulate the printing of books and papers and the keeping of printing presses, which the community consi- dered premature! Strangely enough, the ordinance remained on the Statute Book until 1886.
The Land Registry was organised by Ordinance Number Three.
It will be recalled that at a recent meeting of the Legislative Council, an ordinance was passed with a view to assisting destitute seamen in Hong Kong. On February 28, 1844, an ordinance was passed which also dealt with destitute seamen. Masters of ships in those days, it appears, were not averse to discharging a man in Hongkong and allowing him to find his own way home. Beachcombers became a social problem and a good deal of resentment was caused here when it became known that the Home Government 'disallowed the Ordinance..
Other Ordinances passed early in 1844 dealt with the preservation of、 - order and cleanliness; provided that all civil suits should be settled by arbitration, pending the arrival of Chief Justice Hulme; fixed legal inter- est at 12 per cent. and prohibited the unlicensed distillation of spirits.
The colonists viewed this rush of legislation with no little apprehension and there began an agitation for popular representation. The British commu- nity made continuous demands for representation on the Council, and although various changes in its constitution were made, Sir John Davis, who succeeded Sir H. Pottinger, decided against temporary representation.
On December 1, 1844 the Lieutenant Governor, The Colonial Secretary and the Police Magistrate were made members of the Executive Council, and warrants were issued for the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief Justice, the Attorney General and the Governor to comprise the Legislative Council.
In January, 1849, the leading merchants signed a petition to the House of Commons, drawing attention, inter alia, to the lack of popular representa- tion on the Council. The then Governor, Sir George Bonham interested himself · in the agitation He selected 15 of the unofficial Justices of the Peace and summoned them to a conference and informed them that Earl Grey had sanctioned his proposal for the admission of two members of the civil community into the Legislative Council. The Justices of the Peace held a further meeting on December 6, 1849, and Messrs. David Jardine and J. F. Edger were elected the first non-official members.
***
It was
So much, then, for the earliest days of the Legislative Council. not to attain its present high reputation via a path of roses. Scandals involving the highest executives were to dog its progress.
It became the butt of every newspaper editor in Hongkong. But it survived both major and minor accusations, which to-day can only be regarded as incidents along its path.
Yesterday I referred to the formation and early work of the Legislative Council, and dealt with the period up to 1849 when the first two unofficial members were elected.
The Governor at the time was Sir George Bonham. His great worry was the finance of the Colony. A statement of income and expenditure for 1848 showed revenue amounting to £23,509 (apart from a Horde grant) and expenditure total- Ling £62,308.
از
One of the local newspapers sumried up the position by saying "the Colony is now in a state of insolvency; public wor} a suspended and the officials paid only a portion of their salaries."'
It was a difficult period and events of the next 10 years did little to eep grey hairs out of the heads of successive Governors.
By 1859, we find that a hardy race of newspaper editors had sprung up in Hongkong. They fought for what they, apparently, considered right, but spent about as much time in prison as in their editorial chairs. One editor spent about two hours writing an editorial alleging that His Excellency the Governor
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