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MR. CHAMBERLAIN'S DECISION ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM.
The papers in connection with the petition to the House of Commons praying for an amendment in the constitution of Hongkong have now been published. It will be seen that although the colony has not got all it asked for, it has nevertheless obtained a very material and valuable concession, namely, the appointment of two unofficial members to the Executive Council. The constitution of the Legislative Council re- mains practically the same as at present, with the exception that the General is to be addi- appointed a member and that an tional unofficial member is also to be
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[July 16, 1996,
unofficials are, so far as public Affairs are concerned, and particularly affairs affecting the Chinese, ignorant and
it It is assumed, without
any parad that the officials are endowed ledge and ability.
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and
desty,
nor
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
command public confidence, and the most important interests in the colony would not be represented, possibly be signalled out for discriminate treatment. To hand the drainage, roads, wharves, harbour, Police, Treasury, Post Office, and Education over to an unofficial majority would, in Mr. Let tis examine KESWICK's opinion, give rise to evils that another part of his memorandum "would destroy all confidence in the when dealing with another 'administration of affairs and introduce the point, namely, the relative length of colony to the municipal experiences of residence of officials and non officials Mr. New York and San Francisco." But STEWART LOCKHART enumerates the why not the experiences of Shanghai, which official members of Council. First we have is nearer at hand, of which Mr. KESWICK "the Colonial Secretary, whom even the has had some personal experience, and where unofficial members regard as one of the "best officers this colony ever possessed." the community is of similar composition to
"It is," the same That was written when Sir G. T. M. that of Hongkong? gentleman goes on to say, "almost im O'BRIEN was Colonial Secretary. That he 'possible to conceive a representative Gov- was an excellent official we have no wish to "ernment properly so-called put into dispute, but his residence in the colony was appointed, in order to leave the voting "operation in a peculiar place like Hongkong very brief, and he certainly could not " without the worst abuses cropping in.” claim to be possessed of any peculiar strength of the official and unofficial sides
The Hon. E. R. BELILIOS adopts a knowledge of Chinese, either as regards the as it stands at present. The appointment similar line: In his brother merchants he people or the language. Next in order we of unofficial members to the Executive sees so many JABEZ BALFOURS only waiting have "the Attorney-General, whose work Council, it is fair to say, received the sup-the opportunity to despoil the widow and "is of a technical nature and confined port of HE. the Governor and also a half- orphan.. He prefers to trust to officials of " entirely to legal matters, which as a rule "do not require local knowledge - Then hearted support from the present Colonial whose probity he need feel no doubt. “In
England," he says, "the majority of the comes the Registrar-General, namely, Mr. Secretary, but we may safely assume that no
"people are now thanking God that they STEWART Lockhart himself, "who is the such concession would have been made had
possess, in the House of Lords, a check" officer entrusted with the administration, it not been for the strength of the agitation upon rash and excited legislation, and I "of Chinese affairs and who requires a "think that in this colony we should not for extended political privileges. on the part
"special knowledge of local affairs and "be impatient of what are not so much" requirements. The present holder of the of the community. We cannot suppose,
leading strings as safeguards for soupd post has been in the colony fifteen years however, that the community will rest sat-
-"administration in a place where the vast and has held his present post for seven Lisfied with the partial victory that has been bulk of the population consists of natives years." Next we have the Colonial Trea- achieved, and for which we are indebted of the adjoining great semi-civilised and surer, Hon. N. G. MITCHELL-INNES, "Who is "entrusted with the collection of revenue, principally to the untiring efforts of the Hon. "not too-friendly Empire." But in Eng-
"etc., and who has been in the colony T. H. WHITEHEAD. Notwithstanding the land not even the warmest advocate of the
"thirteen years." Certain unfortunate cir- Secretary of State's statement that his maintenance of the House of Lords would decision is final the agitation for a fuller argue that there should not also be a cumstances happened to put that officer's measure of local control over purely local House of Commons. In Hongkong, how capacity to the test of formal investigation time ever, Mr. BELILIOS would have only what and no one, we think, will contend that the will be continued 08 and circumstances seem to favour it, but, he conceives answers the purpose of the result went to show that official capacity as it seems to us, it should now be House of Lords and would have nothing greatly transcends that of unofficials. As directed rather to the establishment of to do with commoners, on account of their No. 5 on the list we have "the Director of a Municipal Council than to an enlarge- supposed Jabez Balfourism. ment of the unofficial element in the Legis- lative Council. From the tone of Lord RIPON's despatch it may he gathered that had a Municipal Council been asked for at first it would probably have been granted.
affairs
LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT AND THE IGNÓrance, incOMPE- TENCE, AND DISHON STY
OF THE COMMUNITY.
The weakness of the cage against granting the ratepayers of Hongkong control over their own local affairs appears so clearly in the arguments advanced against that course that an impartial judge would hardly think it necessary to call on the other side. We regret that owing to the length of the papers on this subject we are unable to reproduce them all, but those who are
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Public Works, who has been in the colony "seven years." We do not for a moment suppose that Mr. COOPER himself would claim any intimate acquaintance with Chinese affairs, and "the Harbour Mas
been*** in ter, who has
the colony "ten years," "we should think would also put in a disclaimer. We have, then, six gentlemen enumerated as representing the Government, only two of whom, Mr. STEWART LOCKHART and Mr. MITCHELL- INNES, could lay any claim to have made a peculiar study of Chinese and their ways. While the gentlemen named may all be excellently qualified to carry on the routine work of their own departments, there would be no difficulty in finding six unofficials to whom the decision, of any large question of general policy affecting the colony might more safely be confided.
The Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART does not indulge in such pointed inuendoes as to the honesty of the community as his unofficial supporters, but bases his argument principally on the assumption that the characteristics of the community, so far as public affairs are concerned, are ignorance and incapacity. He also beats the wind to a considerable extent in trying to prove that British subjects cannot be allowed to take part in the govern- ment of the colony without at the same time admitting the Chinese to equal political privileges, a point to which Mr. KESWICK also refers. On this point we can only say that no one would contend for a moment that the government of Hongkong should cease to be British; as it would if aliens were allowed to exercise a predominate voice in it. Within reasonable limits it is most desirable that the Chinese should have desirous of reading them will find them a consultative voice in matters peculiarly ever why Hongkong should not be al- easily accessible. We have already given affecting themselves, and it is one of the the despatches of the Governor, Lord defects of our system that they have no such RIPON, and Mr. CHAMBERLAIN. There voice. The Chinese, however, all but a remain the Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCK-very fractional part of them, are aliens, and, HART's elaborate memorandum and the com-whatever privileges may be accorded to munications of the Hon. J. J. KESWICK them during their residence in this colony, and the Hon. E. R. BELILIOS. The two the Government must remain British. The last named appear to be satisfied that the important question raised by the petition community with whom they have been so for constitutional reform was not, as Mr. long and honourably-associated consists for STEWART LOCKHART assumes, whether the the most part of a very undesirable class. government should in effect be handed over Mr. KESWICK says that if the free election to the Chinese, but whether, while re- of unofficial members of Council were maining British, it should be carried granted, the Legislative Council would on entirely by officials or partly under certainly have from to time "a most unde- unofficial control. On that point Mr. sirable unofficial element who would not STEWART LOCKHART's contention is that the
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In fact there is no good reason what- lowed to manage for itself its own local affairs, as other places under British rule do; nor do we despair of the efforts to bring that about being ultimately crowned with success. The success achieved by the present move- ment has been only a very partial on we one success paves the way for another, must not be discouraged if we have achieve our emancipation from the rule the official by small instalments. meantime the Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD who has borne the brunt far, is to be congratulated on accomplished. The tial as it is, is one might well feel proud.
the
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