Sessional_Paper_1893 — Page 860

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with the plan referred to above will, I am informed by the architect who made the plan, require an outlay of about $15,000. This would leave a balance of $6,000 which might be given as a grant-in-aid to the Society. I feel certain that, if the Government supports the establishment and maintenance of a Home as I suggest, the Chinese community, which has already subscribed so generously, will be willing to give still further substantial proof of its charity by annually subscribing towards the maintenance of those who come under the care of the Society. It is at present impossible to say whether those subscriptions together with the interest on the other funds will be sufficient to meet the expenses of the Society, but even if they are not, I presume the Government would be willing to make regular grants in proportion to the amount of the subscriptions from the Chinese community.

The Society also asks that it may be placed on a more satisfactory footing. At present it is recognised by the Government and the Rules referred to above have been approved by the Secretary of State. Seeing, however, that it is now a Society possessed of large funds, and that it will have to deal (if my recommendations are approved) with moneys granted by Government, I think it would be well to grant the request of the Society, and have its position and status defined by law in the same way as was done in the case of the sister institution, the Tung Wa Hospital. If this be approved, I shall be glad to place myself in communication with the Acting Attorney General and give him all the information he may require for drafting an Ordinance.

In conclusion I have only to remark that the work which the Pó Léung Kuk does gratuitously, and for the performance of which it has received little or no recognition from the Government and that portion of the public which is ignorant of its working, is much appreciated by the Chinese residents of the Colony, as is shown by the large sum which they have subscribed towards it, and to point out that if it were not for the existence of the Society and the hearty manner in which its members co-operate with this office in endeavouring to suppress kidnapping and other kindred offences and in providing a refuge for destitutes and rescued women and girls, the burden which it now voluntarily undertakes would have to be entirely borne instead of being shared by Government. This would most certainly entail an increased expenditure for the salaries of those who would have to be employed to carry on the duties now so excellently performed by the Society and necessitate the placing on the annual estimates of a large sum for the maintenance of destitutes and others, and in the end the work would not be so effectively or so satisfactorily performed as at present.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Registrar General.

Honourable W. M. GOODMAN,

Acting Colonial Secretary.

Enclosure No. 1.

WAI T'ING-PAN (E), LAU TS6-IN), CHAN WAI-HI (E), SHAM Ü-FAI (岑裕輝),NaÜ-u(伍裕好), Tone PING-LUN (唐炳麟),WONG K‘AI-MING (王啟明), and TÁM KWOK-YING ), Directors of the Pó LEUNG KUK present a petition praying that the Government will be pleased to devise some means of making a grant to the Society which will enable it to meet its expenditure, and requesting that such emendations be made to the laws at present in force as will give petitioners the power to perform their duties and establish the institution on a firm and lasting basis.