CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (Continuation)
Before closing this brief summary, we might notice several cases of "history repeating itself".
1
In 1892 the question of exchange—the serious uncertainty which existed in exchange between silver and gold* was brought up, and the Home Government was asked to co-operate with other Governments in some form of stabilisation.
In 1893 the Unofficial members of Council asked the Chamber to support them in a memorandum they were forwarding to the Secretary of State, protesting against "the great increase in the cost of administration of the Colony".
It was decided to support part of the petition—the request for the appointment of an independent Commission to report on this cost of administration—and to address the China Association in London on the subject.
Currency questions, strikes, new Chinese taxes, and alleged treaty breaches occupied the Chamber's attention throughout the closing years of the last century, and suggest that history of this kind is definitely recurrent. In the early years of the present century, the Chinese taxation schemes, many of an irregular nature, continued to claim notice, and such matters as registration of partnerships, the opium trade, and so forth bring us to the close of the Chamber's first fifty years of existence, and to within the memory of most of the members at present residing in the Colony.
If one fact stands out from the perusal of the records, it is that the Chamber has been ever watchful of the interests of those whom it stands for, and its efforts in that direction have seldom been in vain.
One of the most influential bodies in Hongkong today is the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. It acts as an Arbitration Court in trade disputes between Chinese, community, and pleads their cause with the Government; it takes a keen interest in Chinese Customs duties and on many occasions has approached the Canton and Nanking authorities seeking reductions in what are deemed to be unfair tariffs.
These are the principal duties of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, as at present constituted. The Chamber, of course, still finds time and money to devote to charity; at one time, however, it was more concerned with raising money for charities in Hongkong and in China than with trade and commerce.
It is interesting to note that the Chamber was once styled the Jubilee Chamber, for the reason that the erection of the institution was proposed in 1891, the Jubilee year of Hongkong. It was hoped that the building would ever serve to remind local Chinese of a most interesting period in the Colony's history.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce was officially opened on the morning of Friday, January 17, 1896, with elaborate ceremony.
By 10:30 a.m., there was gathered in the spacious assembly hall a large number of the most influential Chinese merchants doing business in the Colony, including Messrs. Ho
Page 120
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ( Continuation )
Before closing this brief summary, we might notice several cases of " history repeating itself ".
1
#
In 1892 the question of exchange the serious uncertain- ty which existed in exchange between silver and gold " * was brought up, and the Home Government was asked to co-operate with other Governments in some form of stabilisation.
In 1893 the Unofficial members of Council asked the Chamber to support them in a memorandun they were for- warding to the Secretary of State, protesting against " the great increase in the cost of administration of the Colony "
It was decided to support part of the petition - the request for the appointment of an independent Commission to report on this cost of administration and to address the China Association in London on the subject.
Currency questions, stikes new Chinese taxes and alleged treaty breaches occupied the Chamber's attention throughout the closing years of the last century, and sug- gest that history of this kind is definitely recurrent . In the early years of the present century the Chinese ca- xation schemes, many of an irregular nature, continued to claim notice, and such matters as registration of partner- ships, the opium trade, and so forth bring us to the close of the Chamber's first fifty years of existence, and to within the memory of most of the members at present residing in the Colony.
If one fact stands out from the perusal of the records, it is that the Chamber has been ever watchful of the interests of those whom it stands for, and its efforts in that direction have seldom been in vain.
One of themost influtial bodies in Hongkong to- day is the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. It acts as an Arbitration Court in trade disputes between Chinese, commu- nityand pleads their cause with the Government; it takes a keen interest in Chinese Customs duties and on many occa- sions has approached the Canton and Nanking authorities see- king reductions in what are deemed to be unfair tariffs.
These are the principal duties of the Chinese Chan- ber of Commerce, as at present constituted. The Chamber of course, still finds time and money to devote to charity; at one time, however, it was more concerned with raising money for charities in Hongkong and in China than with trade
and commerce.
It is interesting to note that the Chamber was once styled the Jubilee Chamber, for the reason that the erection of the institution was proposed in 1891, the Jubilee year of Hongkong. It was hoped that the building would ever serve to remind local Chinese of a most interesting period in the Colony's history.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce was officially ope- ned on the morning of Friday, January 17, 1896, with elabo- rate ceremony.
By 10.30 a.m. there, was, gathered in the spacious assembly hall a large number of the most influential Chinese merchants doing business in the Colony, including Messrs. Ho
120
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