Sessional_Paper_1893 — Page 641

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4. The institution of the Registrar General as Visitor and Inspector. As such all appointments of detectives, all alterations in Rules and Regulations, all dispositions of women and children would need his sanction, and there should be an appeal from his decision to the Governor in Council.

5. By embodying in the Ordinance all essential Rules and Regulations, or postponing incorporation under it until such rules are duly certified and published.

6. By providing for the cessation of the Society in the event of membership

falling below a certain figure for a definite time,

7. By making special provision for detectives as above set forth.

Question 3.

Whether it is in any sense as suggested by the Honourable T. H. Whitehead Q Secret Society."

18. In the sense in which I have explained myself in appendix No. 46, and in which His Excellency the Governor evidently understood me, there was about the pro- ceedings of the Society an undesirable amount of secrecy, and the provisions suggested by the Governor in his speech of the 25th April, 1892, ought to be introduced into any Bill to be passed.

Question 4.

Whether any of the subscriptions have been obtained by "pressure" or "order"

as asserted by the same Honourable member.

19. My opinion on this point has already been expressed in the paragraph headed Origin and History of the Society.”

Question 5.

Whether some of the Runners are disreputable and squeeze as suggested by a member of the Police Force.

20. There has been no proof that the Runners are more disreputable, or squeeze more or less than the same class of men in the Government service, but there are evidently very strong impressions on the subject.

21. A provision in the Ordinance that the Pó Léung Kuk detectives shall be gua ranteed by the Society and secured, and that they shall be approved by the Registrar General will, with the greater publicity given to the proceedings of the Society, remedy all this so far as it is capable of being remedied.

Question 6.

Whether a grant not exceeding $20,000 should be made by the Government or whether it would not be preferable to hand over the block of houses situated in New Street, including the first floor and the site, to the Society instead of making

them a grant in money.

22. In reply to this question I beg to call attention to the fact that by the provisions of Ordinance No. 11 of 1890, the Government is required to provide a home for women and girls out of the public revenue. The section reads

"It shall be lawful for the Governor in Council, out of moneys to be provided "by the Legislative Council for that purpose, to provide a suitable building "or buildings for the purposes of temporarily housing and maintaining "women and girls detained under the provisions of this part of the "Ordinance and as the Asylum for them during such detention."

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