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May 30, 1908.]
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council was held on May 28th in the Council Chamber.
PRESENT:-
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR FREDERICK JOHN DEALTRY LUGARD, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O.
His Excellency the Officer Commanding the Troops, Major General R. G. BROADWOOD.
Hon. Mr. F. H. MAY, .M.G. (Colonial Secretary);
Hon. Mr. W. REES DAVIES (Attorney. General),
Hon. Mr. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Trea- surer).
Hon. Mr. W. CHATHAM, C.M.G. (Director of Public Works).
Hon. Mr. E. A. IRVING (Registrar. General).
Hon. Commander BASIL R. H. TAYLOR, R N (Harbour Master).
Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, M.B., C.M., C.M.G.
Hoo. Bir HENRY BERKELEY, K.C.
Hon Mr H. E. POLLOCK, K.C.
Hon. Mr. WEI YUK.
Hon. Mr. H. W, SLADE,
Hon. Mr. MURRAY STEWART.
Mr. C. CLEMENTI (Clerk of Councils).
MINUTES.
The minutes of the previous mee'ing were read, and confirmed.
FINANCIAL.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by direction of His Excellency the Governor, laid on the tib'e the report of the Finance Committee (No. 8), and moved its adoption.
The COLONIAL TREASURER Seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
ADDITIONAL BYE LAW.
The COLONI L SECRETARY moved the approval by this Council of the additional bye-law made under section 16 of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance, 1903 (Or- dinance No. 1 of 1903) providing that the administration of salt to cattle in depots in any form whatever be prohibited except with the permission of the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon. THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
THE OPIUM QUESTION.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REFORT.
347
parti.
wish to strike at any one innocent of participa- | the Government has been forced into a most tion in what at the time looked like an official conspiracy of silence. To bring out the truth clearly, to fix responsibility sharply, was the sole idea underlying the form in which those questions were put. The answer made was illuminating. It brought out into high relief the fact upon which the first part of my resolu- tion comments. It fixed responsibility with precision, upon the Secretary of State for the Colonies. True, it showed a way out between the alternatives suggested. Notice of the announcement had indeed been given. Yes, less than 24 hours' notice; scarcely enough even to appeal io, much less obtain a hearing. It was made evident that the community had no cause of complaint against the local Govern- ment, that on the contrary practicable means had been taken to withstand the pressure so suddenly and inconsiderately exerted by the Home Authorities. It was, am sure, a relief to the public to be made acquainted with the attitude adopted by Your Excellency in this matter, and to note that it was apparently governed by views coinciding with those held by the leading members of the community. An additional relief might with advantage have been granted earlier, I think, by publishing officially the exact terms of the announcement made in the House of Commons. This course would have saved the Colony from much harassing doubt, due to conflicting reports as to the precise nature of that statement. Bome of the tele- grams in the newspapers left upon the reader's mind the impression that the orders so suddenly issued were to be as promptly obeyed. Others left room to hope that the promptness appertain. ed more to the issue of those orders, than to their execution. The telegram from the Secretary of State quoted by your Excellency did not make this point clear. Possibly the telegram which he made it impossible for you to quote was more explicit, but there would have been no reason for keeping that part of it secret. In any case I think the Colonial Government might have usefully applied for the precise terms and, if necessary, for permission to make them public at this Council table. The members of this Council seem to have equally as good a right to know the terms of that announce- ment as members of Parlament, concerned only, as was wittily remarked by a brilliant correspondent, in the creation of Utopias on the other side of the world, Reticence invites wonder as to whether there is something, either in the announcement or in subsequent communications, which the Secretary of State is anxious to withhold from this Council. Possibly reticence only shields evidence that he was not quite sure of what he was doing, not quite olear how far it would be possible to fulfil the promise made. If there was nothing of this sort why secrecy? If there was anything of this sort-well, I hope that the signs of a typhoon of protest, gathering locally, may have the effect of inducing him to slow down. That is all we want, We do not want to stop. We only beg that he will proceed with caution. If he now does that, and can make it appear that we have been mak ing a fuss about nothing, well, it will be nothing new. It is easy to imagine how it may turn out. The original intention of the order will probably be modified as a result of the outory made and then it will be shown how unnecessary the outery was. In any event, hatil we know what he is saying and doing, confidence will not be restored and an uneasy feeling will hang over the community and over the deliberations
trying position by the motion of the Secretary of Stat. It is not treatment to which we are at all accustomed. It is surely most unusual to conduct the business of State in such fiery haste. This unceremonious promptness compares oddly with the truly wonderful courtesy lately displayed by Lord Elgin in sending out to the local Government the text of a Trade Convention between England and Bulgaria, and asking if they had any objection to its conclusion. Your Excellency referred it on to the Committee of the Chamber of Com- merce, asking them if they saw any objection The Chamber replied that they saw none, as they had never heard of any trade between Hongkong and Bulgaria. I have no desire to ridicule the extreme consideration thus shown. I merely suggest a difficulty in accounting on any intelligible principles of state-craft for such curiously contrasted methods of procedure. Some critics deny that state-craft had anything to do with the present peremptory proceeding. They attribute it to electioneering exigencies. They say that the great interests of this Colony have been treated as a mere pawn in the game of party politics. I do not propose to identify myself with that line of criticism and oularly wish to dissociate myself from criticism of another kind which finds in the present ocos- sion an excuse for attacking, by a somewhat circuitous route, the constitution of the Colony. There is danger in unrestrained and incon- sequent criticism inasmuch as the Home Authorities may possibly say : "We did not consult you because we know you would resist unreasonably." To resist unreasonably would expose this Colony to a form of danger which does not seem to be sufficiently recognised. There is danger lest justifiable resentment against an inconsiderate order for the suppression of a source of revenue which has been sanctioned by successive Governments for many years should be misconstrued as an obstinate and selfish disinclination to shape a course in con. sonance with a polloy which, for better or for worse, has been adopted by both parties in the State, and which may therefore be represented as commanding itself to the national oon- solence. However deeply anyone may doubt the accuracy of the political estimate which that policy is founded; however sceptical anyone may feel as to the results of the efforts at present being made by certain high Chinese officials to eradicate the opium habit; however sure anyone may feel that the poppy fields of Szechuan will outlast the doom assigned, no one can withhold respect for the sentiment which has prompted England to come to China's assistance in her avowed intention of suppressing a form of self- indulgence, over-indulgence in which is degrad- ing. Respect for this sentiment does not imply admission that any sense of responsibility for the spread of that vise should weigh upon the national conscience. The shallow view that associates the name of the thing wish our first war can be easily controverted. Nevertheless, that view has prevailed so completely over the truth that it may now be regarded as one of the classic lies of history, which England seems self-condemned to wear like a cangue. If wrongs of any sort were done in earlier days by Englishmen to China the dragging weight of that lie has amply avenged them upon their
Bon. Mr. STEWART-I rise to move the resolation of which I have given notice. It is the outcome of the answer made to the questions which I raked at the last meeting of this Council, In making that answer your Excellency referred to the form in which thoga questions were put. That reference makes it necessary for me to indicate, in an endeavour to explain the form of those questions, the position occupied in this matter by that section of the community which I have the honour to repre- sent. That I regard as important. The importance of making that position clear most be my excuse for recalling the circumstances in which we stood a fortnight ago. Developments of the opium question threatening a source of the Colony's revenue were reported to be taking place, concerning which this Council had receiv- ed no information. In the Press it had been stated that an official announcement had been made in the House of Commons that His Majesty's Government had the intention of issuing forthwith an order for the immediate olosure of opium establishments in Hongkong. It was difficult to believe that such an announge- ment would have been made without previous consultation with the local Government. It was equally difficult to believe that the Colonial Government had been consulted and had given their consent without informing the Council of the fact. But there seemed to be no escape from one or other of these two alternatives. The public was perplexed and inclined to be angry. Hence the somewhat militant note of interroga tion then sounding in the air. The questions which I addressed to your Excellency were only in a limited sense mine. In reality the Community asked them. I merely drew them up. I drew them up with the primary object of obtaining official information and the secondary intention of displaying a spirit of resistance to the idea that information of the kind required could under any circam stances, be properly withheld. But I had no
of this Council. For there are others besides myself who would decline the honour of serving on it if matters affecting local revenue are to be settled without so much as the usual courtesy of saying " by your leave." Some hint of this is intended to be conveyed by the second part of the resolution, a perfectly respecful remin der that however unimportant this Council may appear in the eyes of those who sit in the Councils of Empire, the members cannot consent to be treated as though their opinion was of no importance at all. Recognition is due to the great interests of this Colony. Those who in any sense represent those interests can- not agree to see them ignored. Ceylon appa rently was treated with more consideration, also Singapore; they were asked their opinion true, the opinion of Singapore was not waited for, but they were asked. Why not Hong. kong ? Sir, the community as a whole including
successors.
"
Those of their successors who revere the prophets must often have groaned in spirit over Ra-kin's vision of the English merchant sailing up and down the China Sea with a pistol in one hand and a packet of opium in the other, demanding of the unfortunata in- habitants-not in the good old manner of the gentleman of the road, "Your money or your life;" at "Your money and your life." Th fantastic absurdity of this kind of misrepre sentation readers it all the more difficult to destroy, and, irritated by the idea, one is at times disposed to agree with those who contend that this part of the legacy of the Great Mogul has been a curse. In the desire to be rid of it I sympathise with the zealot. I envy him his clear view. I cannot adopt it because of the compli oated nature of human affairs. I cannot blind myself to the complicated problems arising in connection with it. The question is complicated by the fact that our Indian fellow subjects have vast interests which we have allowed to grow up and for whose protection we are responsible,
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