LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
(Cont.)
631 54
The acting Attorney General, the Colonial Treasurer and the Auditor-General were the only ones to vote in favour of the Bill.
Further details of the early work of the Legislative Council will appear to-morrow,
The activity of the Legislative Council was, particularly after the arrival (in the spring of 1856) of the Hon. Chisholm Anstey, the Attorney General, somewhat excessive,
Judging by the early records, he had a passion for reform and set to work, revising local procedure in civil and criminal cases.
Twenty-seven ordinances were passed in 1856 and 1857. Mr. Anstey, however, received small thanks for his zeal. Shortly after his departure, a despatch was read in Council (January 20, 1859) stating that the legal advisers of the Crown had severely commented on the careless manner in which British Acts of Parliament had been adopted in Hongkong.
Among the Ordinances of 1857 is one which requires special mention, since it deals with a subject that is still highly controversial. It constituted the first attempt made by a British Legislature to grapple with and control the evils arising from prostitution, and provided for the introduction in Hongkong of a system of registration, compulsory medical examination, and the establishment of a Lock Hospital.
This Ordinance was the work of Dr. W.T. Bridges, the acting Colonial Secretary.
It was with some diffidence that the Governor (Sir John Bowring) permitted the Ordinance to pass, but when the Chinese community made an energetic stand against the application of the measure to the inmates of houses visited by Chinese, Sir John yielded and deprived the scheme of a fair trial.
But the most effective and beneficial legislative act of the Bowring Administration was the passage of the Amalgamation Ordinance, which empowered barristers to act as their own attorneys, and thus gave the public the choice of engaging an attorney and barrister in the persons of two or of one member of the legal profession. The evil it was intended to counteract by this measure was the excessive amount of pettifogging needless litigation and worthless conveyancing that had prevailed in the Colony for many years.
The Bill remained a beneficial measure until it was repealed in 1862 by Sir Hercules Robinson, despite a deluge of protests.
In the late fifties and early sixties, allegations of civil service abuses became the order of the day. An official inquiry was held which did little but tend to stir up old animosities. One newspaper editor was taken to prison no fewer than five times for criminal libel.
One effect of the washing of so much dirty linen was a tightening up in local "Parliamentary procedure." A set of standing orders and rules had been framed in 1858, and using these as a curb rein, Sir Hercules Robinson commenced to rule his Council with a rod of iron, confining its functions strictly to legislation, allowing no criticism of the acts of the Executive, and reducing public influence on the deliberations of the Council to a minimum.
He acted on the principle that legislation should not be influenced by the opinion of irresponsible parties outside the Government.
As to the legislative enactments of this particular period, the regulation of commercial enterprises received a large share of attention. Eleven Ordinances were passed bearing exclusively on commercial matters, such as Chinese
Page 55
Page 56
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
(Cont.)
631 54
The acting Attorney General, the Colonial Treasurer and the Auditor- General were the only ones to vote in favour of the Bill.
Further details of the early work of the Legislative Council will appear to-morrow,
The activity of the Legislative Council was, particularly after the arrival (in the spring of 1856) of the Hon. Chisholm Anstey, the Attorney General, somewhat excessive,
Judging by the early records, he had a passion for reform and set to work, revising local procedure in civil and criminal cases.
Twenty-seven ordinances were passed in 1856 and 1857. Mr. Anstey, however, received small thanks for his zeal. Shortly after his departure, a despatch was read in Council (January 20, 1859) stating that the legal advisers of the Crown had severely commented on the careless manner in which British Acts of Parliament had been adopted in Hongkong.
Among the Ordinances of 1857 is one which requires special mention, since it deals with a subject that is still highly controversial. It constituted the first attempt made by a British Legislature to grapple with and control the evils arising from prostitution, and provided for the introduction in Hongkong of a system of registration, compulsory medical examination, and the establishment of a Lock Hospital.
This Ordinance was the work of Dr. W.T. Bridges, the acting Colonial Secretary.
It was with some diffidence that the Governor (Sir John Bowring) permitted the Ordinance to pass, but when the Chinese community made an energetic stand against the application of the measure to the inmates of houses visited by Chinese, Sir John yielded and deprived the scheme of a fair trial.
But the most effective and beneficial legislative act of the Bowring Administration was the passage of the Amalgamation Ordinance, which empowered barristers to act as their own attorneys, and thus gave the public the choice of engaging an attorney and barrister in the persons of two or of one member of the legal profession. The evil it was intended to counteract by this measure was the excessive amount of pettifogging needles litigation and worthless conveyancing that had prevailed in the Colony for many years.
The Bill remained a beneficial measure until it was repealed in 1862 by Sir Hercules Robinson, despite a deluge of protests.
In the late fifties and early sixties, allegations of civil service abuses became the order of the day. An official inquiry was held which did little but tend to stir up old animosities. One newspaper editor was taken to prison no fewer than five times for criminal libel.
One effect of the washing of so much dirty linen was a tightening up in local "Parliamentary procedure." A set of standing orders and rules had beer framed in 1858, and using these as a curb rein, Sir Hercules Robinson commenced to rule his Council with a rod of iron, confining its functions strictly to legislation, allowing no criticism of the acts of the Executive, and reducing public influence on the deliberations of the Council to a minimum.
He acted on the principle that legilsation should not be influenced by the opinion of irresponsible parties outside the Government.
As to the legislative enactments of this particular period, the regulation of commercial enterprises received a large share of attention. Eleven Or- dinances were passed bearing exclusively on commercial matters, such as Chinese
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