File No. 1518/59–60.
The president of the board of home affairs (of China) has issued a
circular order to the various high provincial authorities advising them
to establish self-government bureaus for the study of local
self-administration in their respective jurisdictions at once, with a
view to preparation for the adoption of parliamentary representation.
The Tientsin regulations are recommended as a model. The first municipal
council (of Tientsin) was elected July 24 last. The experiment will be
watched with great interest, as upon its success depends in large degree
the cause of’ representative government in China.
[Inclosure.—Translation.]
Synopsis of the regulations for the municipal
self-government of Tientsin.
The governing body will consist of a municipal council of 30 members
elected July 24 by an electoral college of 135 members, which was
chosen at a primary election held on July 5, 1907.
The regulations divide the city into eight wards or voting precints
and fix the suffrage qualifications. The voter must be a male
citizen of Tientsin, 25 years of age, a property owner, and must be
able to write his name, age, occupation, and place of residence. The
disqualifications are: Conviction of crime, following an occupation
which is not respectable, bankruptcy, and mental incapacity.
Habitual opium smokers, yamen runners (official hangers-on), priests
of the Buddhist and Taoist religions, and all leaders of a religious
order are also denied the suffrage.
A member of the council must have, in addition to those of a voter,
the following qualifications: Pie must be a graduate of a district
or other high school, or the author of a treatise which has been
officially approved, or the owner of property worth $2,000, or
trustee of funds amounting to $5,000, or a school director, or who
has had the management of other public affairs, or an official, or
one who has official rank or the literary degree of Hsiu Ts’ai.
Members of the council serve without pay, and are elected for two
years.
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The electoral college which selects the city council is chosen by
ballot, as follows: The 4 highest names in each of the 8 wards are
declared elected, and to these 32 names are added the 103 names
having the highest number of votes among all the rest of the
ballots. Each member of the electoral college thus chosen votes for
30 names, and the 30 highest names are declared elected city
fathers.
Duties and functions of the city council are the usual ones of
assessment and collection of taxes, finance, public works,
sanitation, fire department, police, markets, etc. It is also
charged with the establishment of subordinate self-governing bodies,
such as town and village councils.
The council will hold two regular annual meetings of thirty days
each, and may hold extraordinary sessions. It may be dissolved by
the viceroy, in which case a new council must be elected and
convened within three months.
The minutes of the meetings of the council shall be published, except
when the local magistrate, the president and vice-president, and at
least 10 members request otherwise.
A member of council is debarred from discussing or voting upon any
matter in which he or a near relative of his is personally
interested. The local magistrate may attend the meetings of the
council and express his views, but may not vote. His retinue may not
enter the council chamber. Visitors are not allowed. Officers and
members of the council shall not be held responsible for views
expressed in debate, and are free from arrest without permission of
the council, except for crime committed during a meeting of the
council.
The executive functions of the city government will be performed by a
committee or cabinet, consisting of a president, vice-president, and
eight members. The district magistrate will be ex officio president,
the others will be chosen by and from the council, but must resign
as councilors upon election to the cabinet. The members of the
executive committee serve four years, one-half to be elected every
two years; they are salaried and select their own staff and
employees. Members of the gentry or natives of Tientsin who have
directed educational or other public affairs—not members of or
employed by the committee—may be honorary members of the cabinet,
and may offer suggestions but have no vote.
The regulations prescribe in detail the various duties to be
performed by the executive committee, such as the preparation of
annual budgets, the management of trust funds and public charities,
etc. It is provided that in case of injury or illness incurred by
municipal employees in the discharge of duty free medical attendance
shall be furnished and equitable compensation made to the sufferer.
In case of loss of life a pension may be voted for the family.
Amendments to these regulations may be proposed to the viceroy in
writing by sixteen councilors, and if afterwards passed by
two-thirds vote of the council and approved by the viceroy become
operative thirty days after publication by him.
