Sessional_Paper_1889 — Page 61

No. 1.

REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

FINANCE COMMITTEE,

AT A MEETING HELD IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER, HONGKONG,

On the 28th January, 1889.

59

PRESENT:

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

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

the Acting Colonial Treasurer, (HENRY ERNEST WODEHOUSE, C.M.G.). the Surveyor General, (JOHN MACNEILE PRICE).

the Captain Superintendent of Police, (WALTER Meredith Deane).

the Registrar General, (JAMES HALDANE STEWART LOCKHART).

WONG SHING.

JOHN BELL-IRVING.

BENDYSHE LAYTON, (vice the Honourable ALEXANDER PALMER MACEWEN).

The Committee meet at the request of the Colonial Secretary.

The Minutes of the last Meeting, held on the 17th ultimo, having been taken and read, are confirmed.

(1.) Read the following Message from His Excellency the Governor :—-

G. WILLIAM DES VEUX.

The Governor deems it his duty to draw the attention of the Council to the terrible famine in North China, with a view to the consideration whether some contribution in aid of the sufferers should not be made from the funds of this Colony. Similar calamities are un- fortunately only too common among the dense population of the neighbouring Empire; and sympathy is apt to be paralysed, or rather its manifestation checked, by their very magnitude, and the consequent hopelessness of affording relief at all proportionate to the enormous need for it. But if this consideration were allowed always to have weight, charity would be con- fined within exceedingly narrow limits, if not altogether extinguished. And the only questions really deserving to be considered, either by Governments or by individuals, in respect of any particular case of suffering is (1) whether it is one, in aid of which some portion of the means at disposal may be appropriately used, having regard to the many other objects deserving attention, and (2) whether in case of aid being afforded there is reasonable probability of its being properly and usefully applied.

As regards the first question, the position of a Government differs from that of an indi- vidual in this, that the former is not free to give play to sympathy, and must confine its action to a comparatively limited field. For the funds at its disposal being held as a trust, any application of them can be properly made only when, proportionately to its extent, it is beneficial directly or indirectly, to the contributing taxpayers, or when, though not materially beneficial to them, it is one which meets with their general concurrence.

After much consideration, the Governor has arrived at the conclusion that a reasonable contribution from the funds of the Colony towards the aid of the sufferers by the present calamity would fulfil one and probably both of the above conditions. For such a token of sympathy would tend materially to promote and strengthen those friendly relations with China, which are so all-important to the prosperity of Hongkong; while, having regard to the exceptional magnitude of the present calamity on the one hand, and to the favourable condition of the Colonial finances on the other, there would probably be but one opinion in the Colony as to the expediency of such a contribution, if the second of the above questions can be answered satisfactorily, viz.: that as to the proper application of the contributed funds.