Sessional_Paper_1891 — Page 181

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HONGKONG.

GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS ON THE SUBJECT OF THE FINANCIAL CONDITION OF THE COLONY,

Laid before the Legislative Council, on the 30th April, 1891.

Before proceeding to the Orders of the Day I deem it right to refer to a letter which I received a few days ago from the Un-official Members, informing me of their intention to memorialise the Secretary of State to the effect that the Colony is not now in a position to pay the increased salaries of officials which recently passed the Council, and requesting me to notify the Secretary of State by telegraph of this intention, and of their wish that he should withhold his sanction of these increased salaries until their memorial shall be received.

In reply I caused a letter to be addressed the Un-official Members to the effect that I hoped within a few days to be able to inform them of the course which I should pursue after giving this important matter my full consideration.

In reply to a further communication on the subject from the Honourable Mr. RYRIE, I informed him of the substance of the grounds on which I felt bound to decline sending such a telegram, and I now proceed to state them in full.

As to the first reason, viz.: that from a despatch already received from the Secretary of State it may be expected that the decision on the subject of Salaries will be received very shortly, and that therefore any telegram of the kind would arrive too late, it is unnecessary to say anything further, but as to the other-the second reason-further information may seem to be required.

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It is scarcely necessary for me to remind you that during the year 1889, there was appointed a Committee of the Council for the purpose of enquiring into the Salaries of the public officers, and that that Committee, composed (with the exception of the Chairman) exclusively of Un-official Members, eventually recom- mended unanimously a large increase of the salaries of a great many officers, and votes generally in accordance with that recommendation, but on a different prin- ciple specially authorised by the Secretary of State, were in October last, during my absence from the Colony, unanimously passed by this Council. In view of the apparent unanimity of the Council that these increases were only a matter of justice to the officers concerned, and in view of the fact that the Secretary of State had not disapproved the principle of a general increase, there would seem to be a great probability that His Lordship will sanction at least a part of the recom- mended increase in the majority of cases, and I think it not at all unlikely that some of the officers concerned have made arrangements in anticipation of this sanction, and would have ground of very serious complaint if those who have made to them what was practically a conditional promise should, by now deprecating the sanction of the Secretary of State, endeavour to preclude the condition which is alone required to render that promise binding. As the Estimates which contain these increased salaries are only voted for one year, the Council will, of course, be at full liberty to reconsider the position with reference to the Estimates of 1892, and public officers will understand that though these salaries may be fixed at a given amount for this year, it does not follow that they will remain at that figure for next or any subsequent year, should the circum- stances of the Colony require a reduction. But for this year I regard their remu- neration, in so far as action on the part of the Council is concerned, as definitely fixed, and any attempt to lessen it now would seem to me something very like the repudiation of a contract. And I of course use here the word "contract" not in its strict legal sense, but in the sense of moral obligation. It is, I trust, needless for me to express my utter disbelief that the Honourable Member who originated, or those who supported, this movement would have had any part in it, if they had