Bulletin Number One 1982

earlier. When I was still attending the private tutorial school inside the Tak Shun Bank building, I was very indignant over the daily arrest o f hawkers by policemen, who came everyday at 3:00 p.m. to Kau U Fong opposite my school and threw the hawkers together w ith their goods into their big van. I was only fourteen or fifteen but my reaction was already very strong and I often thought to myself, "How can one treat one's fellowmen like this? This is extremely unfair. I f I can I would do something for the oppressed one day." I have had a strong sense o f justice ever since. In 1946-47 I started a "Symposium" w ith Mr. B.A. Bernacchi and three other friends. Getting together once a month, we would discuss and study social problems (but never political ones) because we felt that there was much to be re formed in the local society. The Symposium was later developed into the Reform Club. Q. Once you were appointed Unofficial Member o f the Legislative and Executive Councils, you were in fact given a golden opportunity to realize your dream o f reforming the society. What do you consider your biggest achievement during the period? A. I don't think I can claim to have any achievement. But I must admit that I worked very closely w ith Sir Murray MacLehose, the previous Governor, and we often saw eye to eye w ith each other. Our working relationship was really congenial. Many a time his secretary just called me at my office and I rushed at once to the Government House to discuss w ith him and give him my advice. Usually matters were settled in this way. Q. What role can the Senior Member o f the Execu tive Council play in government affairs? A. When I was the Senior Member, my duties were more or less the same as the other members. Under the Letters Patent appointing the Governor it is stated that “ in all matters touching the administration o f the Colony o f Hong Kong, the Governor shall govern on the advice o f the Executive Council". Members o f the Executive Council are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation o f the Governor. I have often pointed out that unofficial were there to give advice; that it was the Governor's responsibility to make decisions after taking advice. Any governor who sought my views could be assured that I would give nothing but honest advice, without fear or favour. To me what matters most is whether I have stood by my principles and spoken w ith a clear conscience. Abraham Lincoln once said, “ I do the best I know how, the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing it to the end. I f the end brings me out all right, what is said against me w ill not amount to anything. I f the end brings me out all wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference." This is a good principle for everyone who performs public duties and I always gave a copy o f it to each new fellow member when they took office. Q. You have been appointed by the government to head many trouble-shooting projects over the years. Would you please tell us about your experiences as a trouble-shooter? A. Oh, all those knotty problems! I believe that the best way to solve them is to show our sincerity at the outset, taking the views o f others seriously and trying our best to understand the real situation. When I was Chairman o f the Transport Ad­ visory Committee in 1961-68 ， I used to go w ith the Secretary, Mr. D.C. Bray, to see for ourselves the chaotic traffic conditions o f the area. And every morning our Secretariat would send us clippings on the transport problem from all major English and Chinese newspapers. Mr. Bray and I would consider the problems and complaints worth looking into and we would prepare a reply to be published in the newspapers the next day. Gradually the citizens came to know o f this Committee to which they could air their grievances and began to have confidence in it. Although we might not be able to solve their problems every single time, they felt better because at least there was someone who really cared. In 1974 Hong Kong was hit by the spiralling prices o f consumer goods triggered o ff by the rocketing price o f rice. The Governor asked me to set up a Consumer's Council and act as 6