Sessional_Paper_1893 — Page 804

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ELEVENTH MEETING.

Held February 10th, 1893.

Present.

Honourable J. H. STEWART LOCKHART (Registrar General), Chairman. F. H. MAY, Esq., (Acting Captain Superintendent of Police).

Honourable C. P. CHATER.

HO KAI.

19

T. H. WHITEHEAD.

19

Minutes.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.

The CHAIRMAN said.-Since we met on January 6th, I have circulated among you the report* which Dr. Ho KAI and Mr. MAY kindly drew up after having examined the records of the Pó Léung Kuk Society. I do not know whether there is any other information that you desire to have.

Honourable T. H. WHITEHEAD.-In regard to the report I wish to say that I owe the Committee an apology for not having supplied Dr. Ho KA1 and Mr. MAY earlier with the particulars which I was desirous of obtaining, but the pressure of work on business men during January and which will continue until after China New Year has been such that I have been working very long hours daily. It was, therefore, utterly impossible to attend to the matter of this Pó Léung Kuk during that period. I can assure you

I have done my level best to give it attention but I have not been able to spare the time. Mr. CHATER will agree with me that we have had an exceptionally busy `time-an exceptionally troublous and trying time.

Honourable C. P. CHATER.—There is no doubt about that.

Honourable T. H. WHITEHEAD.-And in addition to our ordinary work the unofficial members of Council had during that period to prepare a memorial to the MARQUIS OF RIPON in connection with the excessive and constantly increasing cost of the administra- tion of the Government of the Colony. Under the circumstances I am very sorry indeed, but it was utterly beyond my power to begin to go further into the question of the Pó Léung Kuk. Our time is very valuable and had the Directors of the Pó Léung Kuk acceded to our request at an earlier date, towards the end of the year when we had more leisure time we could have gone into the matter, but during January and until after China New Year our time is more than fully occupied.

Honourable C. P. CHATER (to the CHAIRMAN).-The particulars and information given by our two friends are all there are they not?

Honourable T. H. WHITEHEAD.-I have read the report over, but it does not give the answers to the questions I asked. One of the questions which I put to a Director of the Pó Léung Kuk and which I repeated at the last meeting of this Committee was in regard to the number of members in the Society during the first year and in every subsequent year up to the present time.

-

Honourable Ho KAI.- -We can answer that now. We stated that we found the original record at the beginning of 1881 showed 120 members, I think, in that year, and we found no record of membership beyond that one book.

* See Appendix 48.