54
That your petitioners believe that the ends intended to be accomplished by the said Bill could be attained by other and less objectionable means, and that your petitioners are prepared to co-operate with your Honourable Council and the Executive in attaining the desired object.
That inasmuch as the Bill affects private interests, and was only brought in and read a first time on Friday, the 18th instant, it is desirable to postpone the second reading thereof so as to enable the persons who are more immediately interested, as well as the general public, to acquaint themselves with its scope and object.
Your petitioners therefore humbly pray
1.That the second reading of the said Bill may be postponed until such day as your
Honourable Council may under the circumstances deem meet.
2.-That your petitioners may be heard by Counsel at the bar of your Honourable
Council as to their objections to the said Bill in its present form.
3.—That the said Bill may be so amended or modified as to remove the objections of your petitioners, or that it may be withdrawn and a fresh Bill introduced such as the necessity of the case requires.
And
your petitioners will ever pray, &c.
S E. SHELLIM.
J. S. MOSES.
R. D. TATA.
M. D. EZEKIEL.
M. KHETSEY.
J. KHETSEY. H. M. MEHTA.
Hongkong, 22nd March, 1887.
TO THE HONOURABLE
(2.)
THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF HONGKONG.
The humble petition of the undersigned merchants and traders resident in Hongkong. Respectfully showeth :-
1. Your petitioners are dealers in Opium risiding and carrying on business in Hongkong. 2.-At the meeting of your Honourable Council held on Friday, the 18th March instant, a Bill was introduced and read a first time entitled An Ordinance for the better regulating of the trade in Opium, and the said bill is framed for the purpose of regulating the movement of Raw Opium in this.Colony and of prohibiting the purchase or sale of Raw Opium in quantities less than one chest.
3. Your petitioners deal largely in Raw Opium, buying and selling it in quantities less than one chest, and have a large capital engaged in the said business, and they employ in their said business many hundreds of persons.
4.-If the said Bill becomes law in its present form the business hitherto carried on by your petitioners will absolutely cease and can no more be carried on the capital therein employed will be idle, the hundreds of persons now occupied in the said business will be thrown out of employment, and your petitioners will all of them suffer grievous loss and injury, and some of them will be irretrievably ruined.
5. Your petitioners respectfully submit that the objects proposed to be attained by the said Bill may be far more effectually carried out by means other than those contained in the said Bill, and without loss or injury to any class of the community; and they therefore humbly pray that on the second reading of the said Bill they may be heard by their Counsel against the said Bill, under the provisions of the 47th of the Standing Orders and Rules of this Honourable Council, and that they may have due notice of such second reading.
WING KAT CHEUNG.
Hop Wo.
KING WO.
I UN HO.
I
KU UN HO. WING LI LUNG. LI TAI SING. KWONG UN SHING.
FUK UN CHEUNG KI. YUT WO U Kr. SHUN KAT Ho.
Hongkong, 23rd March, 1887.
His Excellency then addressed the Council. The Chief Justice also addressed the Council.
KWONG IN CHEONG. FUK SHUN LUNG. SHING KI.
KWONG SHINg Li. MAN UN Ho. TIN UN.
PO FUNG CHEONG. CHING LUNG. SHANG UN Ho. ON SHING Ho. MIN UN Ho.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.