Sessional_Paper_1893 — Page 294

I

HONGKONG.

No. 25.

Governor

Secretary of State to Governor.

291

SIR,

DOWNING STREET,

15 February, 1893.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 344 of 21st December last, forwarding a protest by the Unofficial Members of the Legis- lative Council against the Appropriation Bill for 1893 as passed by the Council.

I request you to inform the Memorialists that the course which the Official Members of the Council pursued in voting on the question of the reduction of their salaries was correct, and in accordance with the practice of the House of Commons; and that this being so, I see no reason on that account to advise Her Majesty to disallow the Appropriation Ordinance. I have addressed you separately in regard to that Ordinance and the Estimates for the current year.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient, humble servant,

SIR W. ROBINSON, K.C.M.G.,

&c.,

&C.,

&c.

*

Governor to Secretary of State.

RIPON.

No. 12.

Enclosure No. 1.

MY LORD MARQUESS,

GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 17th January, 1893.

With my despatch No. 344 of 21st ultimo I had the honour to forward for Your Lordship's consideration a copy of a protest made by the Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council against the Appropriation Ordinance for 1893 as passed by the Council, and I have now the honour at their request to forward the enclosed

of a Memorial connected therewith addressed by them to Your Lordship.

_copy

2. The object of the Memorial is two-fold-first, to prevent the Royal Assent being given to the Appropriation Ordinance, and as a corollary to secure the im- mediate reduction of certain salaries; and secondly, to obtain the appointment of a Commission to investigate and report on the cost of the local Administration.

3. Your Lordship will already have gathered from my despatches Nos. 336 and 344 of 5th and 21st ultimo, forwarding the Appropriation Ordinance for 1893 and the protest thereagainst by the Unofficial Members, that I consider that no case has been made out either for disallowing the Ordinance, or for effecting the immediate reductions moved for in Committee on Supply in certain salaries; and I see no reason to alter the opinion which the Colonial Secretary, by my direction, expressed in opposing a motion made on the 9th May last for the appointment of a retrenchment Commission, that the appointment of such a Commission is unneces- sary and undesirable. But it will probably be convenient to Your Lordship that I should deal seriatim with the various representations and contentions contained in the Memorial, and I shall accordingly proceed to do so, referring to the numbers and letters which, for the sake of easy reference, I have prefixed to its several para- graphs and sub-paragraphs.