15
HONG KONG.
No. 1938
2
REPORT ON THE THIRD CONGRESS OF PREHISTORIANS OF THE
FAR EAST, HELD AT SINGAPORĖ, 1938.
Of the three Congress meetings held hitherto, this has proved beyond doubt the most important; first, for its production of new and valuable prehistoric material, which I shall outline below; and second, for the increased number of delegates present and countries represented; for besides an increased delegation from Indo-China, and representatives of State governments and learned bodies in the Straits, a delegate from the National Research Institute of China, Professor Lim of Amoy, and two delegates, from the Sydney and Melbourne Museums respectively, brought China and Australia respectively into the circle of countries participating in these Congresses. Of the Far Eastern governments, Siam and Japan were the most notable absentees.
The Congress opened with a business meeting on Monday, 24th January, 1938; the first business was the question of its next meeting-place. I duly conveyed the Government's invitation that it should meet in Hong Kong in 1941, pointing out that that was our centenary year. The Congress accepted the invitation. A second invitation was conveyed in writing by Dr. Willems, of the Netherlands Indies delegation, to meet in Batavia in 1941 if for any reason Hong Kong could not hold the Congress then, and if a meeting did take place in Hong Kong in 1941, then the invitation to the Congress was to be for its 5th meeting in 1944.
This was duly noted with thanks.
The programme of papers was then settled. They included two papers by associate members, one of whom was Father Maglioni, of the Italian Mission, Hong Kong.
After the official reception by the acting Colonial Secretary, the President, Mr. W. Linehan, delivered an address on the preservation of antiquities of all kinds in Malaya, pleading for legislation for that purpose, and pointing out the necessity of providing that antiquities of value found by chance shall be retained, and their full value paid to the finder, by the local government; in fact, that reward as well as punishment be employed to prevent dispersal of such antiquities. In this connexion I would point out that small bronze pieces are being disposed of occasionally in Lamma to hawkers in return for groceries or cash, according to Father Finn.
One of the resolutions of the Manila Congress had been that each country should prepare a report on the glass beads found within it. Two countries only actually presented such reports to the Congress; the Netherlands Indies, and Hong Kong. The Straits Settlements report was not presented, though practically ready, partly perhaps because of the very full programme before the Congress. The Philippines and Indo-China failed to make a report.
Another matter of business raised during the Congress was the date of publication of the Manila Congress proceedings. Dr. Beyer made an explanation of the various difficulties and obstacles that had hitherto prevented publication, and promised that in the course of this year the proceedings would be published and sent to the Govern- ments and delegates concerned.
The papers read demonstrated clearly the rapidly increasing development of Far Eastern prehistory, the growing interest it is arousing, and the speedy widening of its scope, emphasized by the presence of Australian and Chinese delegates. As usual, the most spectacular results were produced by the Netherlands delegates :