Sessional_Paper_1884 — Page 41

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL No. 16.

THURSDAY, 5TH JUNE, 1884.

PRESENT:

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR (SIR GEORGE FERGUSON BOWEN, G.C.M.G.)

His Honour the Acting Chief Justice (JAMES RUSSELL.)

The Honourable the Acting Colonial Secretary, (FREDERICK STEWART.)

the Attorney General, (EDWARD LOUGHLIN O'MALLEY.)

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the Colonial Treasurer, (ALFRED LISTER.)

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the Surveyor General, (JOHN MACNEILE PRICE.)

PHINEAS RYRIE.

WILLIAM KESWICK.

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THOMAS JACKSON.

FREDERICK DAVID SASSOON.

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WONG SHING.

ABSENT:

His Honour the Chief Justice, (SIR GEORGE PHILLIPPO, Knt.), on leave. The Honourable the Colonial Secretary, (WILLIAM HENRY MARSH, C.M.G.), on leave.

HENRY GEORGE THOMSETT, R.N., by leave.

The Council met in pursuance of adjournment.

Minutes read and confirmed.

VOTE OF MONEY REFERRED TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.- Read the following Minute by His Excellency the Governor :-

The Governor recommends the Council to vote the following sum:-

A sum not exceeding Sixty-three thousand dollars ($63,000) in payment of the contribution due from Hongkong to lessen the loss sustained by the Imperial Treasury on the Eastern Mail Service from the 1st of February, 1883, to the 31st of December, 1884, at · the rate of £6,000 per annum.

From the papers on this subject which have already been presented, the Council is aware that, since 1879, this question has been under the consideration of Her Majesty's Government. Successive Secretaries of State have done their utmost to obtain the assent of the Imperial Treasury to a reduction of the sum originally put forward as this Colony's share of the loss, and the present Secretary of State has now communicated the final decision of the Imperial Government.

In Lord DERBY's words, "The Lords of the Treasury have finally consented to an arrangement by which the, Government of Hongkong shall contribute at the proposed rate of £6,000 from the 1st of February 1883 only, the claim for the arrears of this increased payment for the period anterior to that date being waived."

The Council has already assented to the principle of contributing towards the loss to the Imperial Government by the Eastern Mail Service, and, when passing the Estimates for 1884, voted the sum of $22,000 for that year, and $55,000 as arrears for 1880, 1881, and 1882, being at the rate of £4,000 per annum only. This was done in accordance with a resolution of the Finance Committee passed at its meeting on the 21st June, 1883.

Considering that the original claim was for £13,771 per annum, and that Lords KIMBERLEY and DERBY have successively done all in their power to obtain the most favourable terms possible for the Colony, and have caused the contribution originally required, to be reduced by more than one half, the Governor believes that the Council will recognize the efforts that have been made in England on behalf of this Colony, and will accede to the arrangement now proposed by Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies.