Precisely at 10 a.m. on Thursday voting began for the election—of members of the new Council. The polling stations were at the Tax Office, 7a The Bund, where Mr. E. L, Allen was in charge, and at the Hongkong branch of the Hongkong Shanghai Bank, where Mr. F. A. Sampson superintended the voting. The procedure at both stations was quite simple. On arrival, voters Have their name to the clerk charge, stating the number of votes to which they were entitled, personally and on behalf of the busi ness interests which they represented, and upon their claim having been verified by reference to the voters' index, they were handed a slip, or slips, of paper containing the names of the eleven candidates, set out in the following order E. L_ Ezra (Brit.), H. Figge (Ger.), H. ©. Gulland (Brit.), A. Hide (Brit.), A. Ishii (Jap.), Count L. Jezierski (Russ.), J. Johnstone (Brit.), C. G, S. Mackie (Brit.), W. L. Merriman (Amer.), E. ©. Pearce (Brit.), A. S$. P. White-Cooper (Brit.)
Of these eleven names, voters had to strike out at least two names, sion the voting paper, and drop it into the sealed box on the counter, A Japanese Canvasser, This interesting duty was a matter of & few moments work only for those who came, with a very clear idea of how the new Council should be constituted, but others went about the business in a more deliberate manner. There was no privacy in the strict sense of the term, voting papers being marked off at the open desk or counter, and it was noticeable that one Japanese at the Hongkew polling station, took a deep interest in the papers marked by his compatriots, who appeared to be consulting him as to how they should vote.
Voting was fairly brisk during the first hour, but the offices were never unduly crowded, about thirty people being the highest number present at one time. British voters were in the majority amongst the early voters, prominent members of the community setting the useful example of an early appearance.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.