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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
presumed, entitled to vote, the civil element, some proportion of which moreover consists of Government officials, will be swamped by the military and naval element.
nucleus of wide reaching British interests in the Far East, must, it appears to ine, be kept ander Imperial protection and under Imperial coufrol.
[July 16 1896.
variably consult the Unofficial: Members befor bringing into Council interest. There is therefor much practical gain from ment of an Urofficial Member Corncil.
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It may be said that the naval and military In saying this much I am assuming that the forces should be debarred from voting on the self-government would be worthy of the name, ground that they are not resident in the colony, and that the elective system would include all 1t has occurred to me that poss but the same objection would apply also, though, ranks of the community, Lut this is uct what mrking any such appointment, possibly in a lesser degree, to the, civil populathe petition demands. Those wlo. framed it standing might be come to that i tion. Indeed, over and avove any other arguand signed it would, I gather, desire to place discussion of specified local subjects, ments which can be urged against representa- the power in the bands of a select few, and to tivé government in Hongkong, it appears to me
so long as there is no municipalitysi constitute a small oligarchy, restricted by the at Horgking, one or more Unofficial that the transient character of the population lines of race. To any such change I am op-shonld be summoned to take part in the is by itself a serious obstacle.
posed. I consider that the well-being of the ings of the Executive Council, without large majority of the inhabitants is more likely them seats on the Council for all purp to be safeguarded by Crown colony system, This is a point on which I shall be glad to have under which, as far as possible, no distinction is your opinion. made of rank or race, than by representation which would leave the bulk of the population wholly unrepresented.
11.-The second claim is the complement or rather the extension of the first. The peti- tioners ask not only that there shall be elected representatives in the Council, but that there shall be a majority of such representatives, in other words that, at any rate as regards legisla tion, the power shall be vested in a very small section of the population, and that more than nine-tenths of it shall he 'controlled by re- presentatives of the small remainder.
12. The third demand is that 'the Official Members shall be allowed to speak and vote as they please. It is a demand which is familiar in the case of Crown 'colcnies, but only one answer can be given to it, viz., that the paid servants of the Government caunot be left free to oppose the Government. I should be sar- prised to learn that the Officials themselves wished to be given this freedom.
It is in fact not peculiar to the Crown colony system; it is of the essence of all administra- tion that the paid supporters or components of a government should either vote for and when necessary speak for the settled policy of the government or else resign their places.
13.--The fourth and fifth claims are to the effect that the Council, or rather the elected majority in the Council, should have complete control over local expenditure and the manage ment of local affairs.
There is point no doubt in these contentions. in that the municipal institutions, which are to be found in Ceylon and the Straits Settlements, do not exist in Hongkong, but the difficulty at Hongkong is and must be to draw a line le tween matters which might be entrusted to a municipal council and the business which must be reserved for the Colonial Government. In saying this I am aware that possibly or even probably municipality would not meet the aspirations of the petitioners, and that they may place a wider construction upon the terms "local expenditure" and local affairs" than I have placed upon them.
14. One of the difficulties with which I am met in dealing with this petition arises frem the fact that the words employed require to he more accurately defined before their meaning and the intention with which they are used can
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municipal council, I frankly say that I should 18.With regard to the institution of a
like to see one established at Hongkong. But I can therefore hold ont no hope that Hong-there appear to be two practical difficulties in the kong will'cease to be a Crown colony.
way. The first is the present crisis I am not 16. It remains to consider whether any step prepared to sanction any important change of can be taken which, while not interfering with administration until the future is tolerably | the Crown colony system, would slightly clear and until the necessary measures for pro modify the existing constitution in the directecting the health of the colony have been [tion in which the petition points.
finally decided upon and brought into operation. Then, in a clear field, it may be possible to create a municipal body with some prospect of success.
There appear to be three practical sugges- tions which are worthy of consideration-
(a) Increasing the number of the Unofficial
Members in the Legislative Council. (b) Introducing, an Unofficial element into
the Executive Council.
(c) Creating a Municipal Council. 17. As regards the first of these three points, I am not inclined to add to the number of the Unofficial Members without at the same time increasing also the number of Official Members, for in a Crown Colony there must be a very distinct preponderance on the Official side, and that the natural result of eveuly balancing the numbers of Officials and Un- officials is friction and irritation.
With this proviso. there is, as far as I can judge, no strong objection to increasing the Dumbers of the Conncil, except that for practical working purposes the number is already suffi ciently large. If, however, an addition is made, it is difficult on equitable grounds to resist the conclusion that another Chinese representative should be appointed. On the other hand, this is contrary to the wishes of the petitioners as far as I understand them; and Mr. Keswick who, in his interesting and temperate letter. which is enclosed in your depatch, advocates the appointment of an additional Unofficial Member to the Legislative Council, strongly deprecates the addition to the Legislative Council of a second representative of the Chinese."
The second difficulty, to which allusion: has already been made, is that of separating muni- cipal matters. I am not confident that that difficulty can be overcome, nor am I confident that a municipality would be welcome to and work barmoniously with the military authori
ties.
Still it is possible that the Sanitary Board might be developed into a satisfactory Municipal Conncil controlling all or some of the revenue which is now derived from rates. Whether any scheme of the kind is feasible I would ask you carefully to consider at your leisure, and in the meantime you are liberty, if you see occa- sion to do so, to give publicity to this despatch. 1 have the honour to be, sir, your most obe. dient, humble servant,
RIPON.
Governor Sir W. Robinson, K.C.M.G.,
&c., &o., &c.
FROM MR. CHAMBERLAIN TO THE GOVERNOR.
Downing Street,
29th May, 1896. the correspondence which has passed in cones- Sir, I have had under my consideration
quence of the petition for an amendment of the constitution of Hor gkong which was addressed to the House of Commons in the year 1894 final decision before he left office. and on which my predecessor had not given a
The balance of argument therefore appears to be against any change in the present number and composition of the Legislative Council.
2.-I should have been glad to be able to 18. The second suggestion is that an Un-date, but, as you are aware, the pressure of communicate with you on the subjectat an earlier official Member should be appointed to the business at this Department has been excep- Executive Council. The suggestion is made by tional for some time past. Mr. Keswick, and you state in your despatch that you have personally no objection to it, and that the concession would be very popular and not altogether impolitic.
I can well realise that the addition of a gentle- man of high standing and great locul experience would be a gain to the Executive Council, and I shall be prepared to sanction the proposal if you still recommend it after further considering the following points.
1894, Lord Ripon stated that he could hold out 3.-In his despatch of the 23rd of August,
1. hope that Hongkong will cease to be a Crown
for I conceive that in the case of Hongkong, colony. Neither can I hold out any such hope, representative Government on whatever form of franchise it might be based, and with what ever supposed safeguards as to the executive power, would be wholly out of place.
4.-There remain two practical points to be In cone of the three Eastern colonies at the decided. The first is whether the present co present time is there any unofficial element institution of the Legislative Connoil should be the Executive Council, and I am not clear that in any way modified. The second is whether the step would in all cases be actively beneficial, whereas I am quite clear. that the existing system has on the whole worked well, and that therefore there is no strong reason for disturb- ing it.
an unofficial element should be introduced into the Executive Council.
be fully gauged. This criticism especially applies to the last in the list of the petitioners' claims, viz., that they should be given a con- sultative voice in questions of an Imperial character. This sentence seems to point to some kind of Imperial Federation, and it is possibly written with reference to the military contri. bution question which has not been without difficulty in varions colonies, including Hong kong. The subject raised is so wide and so vague that it would be less to attempt to discuss it. The question of a general remodel- liug of the colonial system of Great Britain-- for it would probably amount to no less-as it would necessarily become part
of any scheme for a federation of the Empire is a most interesting question; but one too wide and far reaching, a scope to be dealt with in regard to a single case alone.
is as follows-I gather that the Legislative 5. On the first of these two points my view But I may state simply that under the existing 'system when questions arise which concern the
Council, as at present constituted, is large In the next place I note that Mr. Keswick enough for practical purposes, and that an in- various colonies, it has been the endeavour of
proposes that the unofficial member should be of my predecessors in cffice, and it is my own
crease to its numbers is hardly likely to add to English birth. It must, however, be taken its efficiency to any appreciable extent. As earnest endeavour, that he claims, the interests. into consideration that it would be invidious Hongkong is to remain a Crown coking fo and even the prejudices of each colony shall be
and inequitable to lay down that Chinese sub-useful purr: in wont be served, but on the con adequately set forth, and fully and fairlyjects of the Queen shall be debarred from ep- oo isidered.
trary a considerable amount of needless irrita- tion would be, caused by balancing evenly the unofficial members and the officials. But having regard to the fact that, in the absence of the Governor, the Officer Commanding the Troops will in future administer the Govern. ment, I consider that it would be of ad that he should be a member of the Leg Council, and if he is added to it, I am willing
15. To sum up, the petitioners ask nominally that Hongkong should be given self-govern ment and an elective system. In my opinion the place and its circumstances are wholly unsuited for what is proposed.
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An Imperial station with great Imperial interests, on the borders of a foreign land, the
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pointment to the Executive Connell, and there- fore the possibility of the appointment being hereafter filled by a Chinese gentleman must be reckoned with.
In the third place, you state that practically unofficial assistance in the Executive Council "could always be obtained, if the status quo were maintained" and you add that you "in-
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