420
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
be used in support of the establishment of a education for instance; if the determination Municipality and an unofficid majority on of the clarationd policy of England were the Sanitary Bord. It is it that the hit sally sal catirely to the scholastic officials individually and personally are ta" profession the country would soon be stand- be censured for neglect or incompetence;, ing agrist at the results, yet, other things the colony has on the whole reem to be fling optel, a schoolmaster ought to know proud of its officials, but the iut:-lacting, of | mane ole it education than one who has the unofficial element in the estiul never been engaged, in teaching. In the affairs would, it is claimed, lead to a per Lisme way it would be unsafe to leave improvement in the system. Net të in liçal legislatia cutirely in the hands of unofficials have any fear
docela og haibling legislation entirely in own position, in the event of 1
The labi, of zzvhitects, and, as regards ernment being granted, i
a in general, it is notorious that that they are endowed with d..
Lut inditierent legisla- industry and competence. Th
Bet it in class does professional | ties of England are for the
vall more extensively than in the on common sen-e Lasing
wvice of a Crown colony like Hong- liberal salaries are paid to
⠀ for the correction of that bias the salaries that in towns of ing
lation of the unofficial element in the pare very favourably withi
t of the affirs of the colony is this colony to such
And, for our own part, we would all almid to allow the offi- pa in the ballot on the con- 12 the 2 nitory Board, for, although Cik him ch unbiased, they all the bias of their class and are at miy enviacol es Britishers in de value of representative insti-
AS would elsewhe 1. of a Municipality. Co no charge of libenlig ment of their serv
we think, against the Mul Shanghai or the Mauklje Settlements. In the latter ment secins to be impro of the Municiped Survi keep it on a lower love! Colonial Service, lant cipalities stoutly prot. 4. own officials eqand right on! those enjorel by the 1. Colonial Service, 1 taken in this colunt ca the Sanitary Board shoal i in the light of an cut t officials or to pass ¤ vval. is a question of principle t which personal consiant. obtrude themselves either ch or the other.
The officials clain, that they can run ile e unofficial assistance er alb community is of opinion assistance and vi
in short-world ful } provement is the
THE CHAHKER OF COMM- RUH AND POLITICAL QUESTIONS,
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(May 21, 1896.
which has ever existed between the various nationalities composing the Chamber.
It seems to us that it would be difficult and very undesirable to lay down any hard and fast rule in this matter. The Chamber has interested itself in political questions before and may have to do so again; practi- cal common sense is the compass by which it must steer. As Mr. WHITEHEAD says, the Chamber is a cosmopolitan body, and it may seen anomalous that foreigners who happen to be members of the Chamber should be accorded a voice in local politics while Englishmen who are not members have to remain dumb, but the British con- stitution is full of anomalies and somehow they never seem to do auy harm. As regards the foreign members of the Chamber of Commerce, it may be said without qualifica- tion that they have never once exceeded the bounds of good taste when political questions have come forward, much less in- dulged in action to which constitutional | objection might be taken. As a matter of fact, on purely political questions the for- eign members have usually remained silent, and we do not think there is much danger of a disturbance of the harmonious relations existing between the various nationalities in connection with political questions that may arise in the future. Hitherto the annual meet- ing
of the Chamber of Commerce has been regarded as offering a fair field for any one Mr. Metosacuum is to be congratulated un who wished to deliver himself on any topic av.⠀ st resumé he gave at the meeting of local interest. At the meeting in 1886 in Chanser of Commerce on Wednes this very question of the constitution of the of the ha ince that has conie hefure Sanitary Board was brought up by Mr. this gemmlar during the past year. Most MACEWEN, who said his excuse was that ofil · sanjera- touchesi upon are well worn the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce I there was little that was new to be was the only opportunity a member of the lapom dhena, but the Chairman's speech public had of drawing official attention to. gly arexplicit statement of the present pasi-matters of municipal interest in the colony. and the various questions that so vitally It might be better if other opportunities a the meenutil community. The were afforded, but so long as that is not the into a of the meeting, however, lies ense it. would be a public misfortune if the qesion wised as to whether the annual meeting of the Chamber of Com- mower sheetki interest itself in political as merce were absolutely closed to the discus-
in 26 am reial matters. It would sion of political questions.
la misi ke to give this question wk in wint of importance, but it of interest, because the other dedupost are old friends as to pa tically no difference of
[ is one is new and invites | It will be remembered that at inggit d the opinion of the at the postitution of the He forring to this invitation Mr. McCoNACIE said he xis! the Chamber, which a padly commercial body, gup with political or municipal M. DWELL, on the other the though the Chamber intended to be a com- It had political privileges, die appointment of a member The Quļon the Levishaive Council; such being 7. did not
see how the two doubt he dissociated; and, the health the at laving a great hearing on the riipelations of the port, he thought tha & ar fi the Sruitury Board should be y the Chaher. The Hon. T. 11. With @HAD expressed the ppinion that, ritirat, a the Government would do well to on ult the Chamber more than it has done, you a shotill only do so on matters affecting -dzmmerce; as a cosmopolitan body ught to have nothing to do question like the composition y Board; the Chamber was an foreigners and Britishers and C. Daily o be regretted which might in Government ad two torpe
to disturb or inar the larmno- tettin, through and the cordial friendly feeling
affairs of the e-day. - 0.4 public servants cult-y fact as well as in home, sense of the term "servant, sense as ductors, low...5 other professional men era th their clients in so far th their services. When a t a house he engages an auki. the plans, but it is he bin. M termine what kind of ah :. what he can afford to spot: when a man goes to a len his will prepared, he hi what the character of the wili - lawyer supplying the terii ! required to draft it and at the offering any advice and pd..ia. difficulties that may 01: to doctor, likewise, has to leave inteli or his patient's friends to say wh the gerous operation shall henkbout
So in municipol life it -the public, through thei" proje sig ek
representatives, that ought to have the li. decision upon all questi
not.
be, the
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Public officers must be engaged pores in the higher grades, knowledge and addily to enable them to advise the Bard an which they work as to what i required 1. 1. with as to the means by which it cath-the- out, but it is for the Board,
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to decide. Professional bits is a de .. factor, to be eliminated as far as pestine in the management of public affairs.
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It must be freely admitted that the Chamber of Commerce is not an ideal association for the exercise of political functions, but as in the human body when one orgen is absent or defective its work is thrown on to other organs in so far as they are capable of discharging it, s in the hody politic when the proper machiuery does not exist for the ex- pression of public opinion such machinery as does exist must be made use of. Thus we find that in the past the Chamber of Commerce has concerned itself not only with sanitation and the constitution of the Sanitary Board, which may or may not be considered as coming within the proper purview of the Chamber on account of their direct bearing upon trade, but also with such purely political questions as the military contribution, the defences of the colony, the appointment of a Chinese Consul, the cost of administration, and the holding of the meetings of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council in public instead of in private. Since the formation of the China Association the Chamber would no doubt consider that some of these questions belonged rather to the Association than to itself and would cheerfully hand them over to it, as it would also hand over the others to any properly constituted body competent to deal with them. They are all extraneous to the proper work of the Chamber, but so long as there is no other body to deal with them we do not see how the Chamber can safely shelve them. As regards the question of the constitution of the Sanitary. Board, it seems to us that it was not beyond the
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