June 20, 1895,]
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little hope of convincing the English people to fall in with our views. The population and wealth of England is so much greater than any other unit of the federation; it will be bard to convince them to take up a position of equality with their neighbours. They are anything but a meek people, and so much might be said from their point of view, that they might claim to have right and justice on their side. Yet their claim to supremacy could never be conceded. It becomes, then, the duty of Imperial Federationists to bring their whole force to bear upon England to convince her of the justice of their claims; when they have done so they will have sohieved a triumph."
in the making of wills and in assisting executors and others. An interesting "History of Wills before the Wills Aot” is given in the introduc- tion,
THE PLAGUE.
15th June.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
467
ENGINEERING AND SHIPBUILDING | trouble of inspectors for Board of Trade and
IN THE FAR EAST,
gineers and Shipbuilders of Hongkong, a paper On Friday night, at the Institution of En.
Mr. Winterburn, the writer being unable to be on the above subject, by Mr. Jack, was read by present in person, sided, and there was a large attendance.
Mr. Andrew Johnson pre-view. The following was the paper:-
other societies at home, whose inspection is found incomplete on arrival here, and further expense and the trade for which they are intended. incurred to adapt boals to the laws of the colony.
most important one from the owner's point of The question of price comes next, which is a In the shipbuilding and engineering es- tablishment which the author has the honour to manage in Haiphong, we have been able to show, gunboat, built in pieces, transported and erected by supplying the government with a light draft in a river in the interior, that the work could be done more economically than it had been done in France, in the case of boats built for the same service; and this handicapped as we are in Ton- kin with customs and other duties.
The difference in cost when a boat can be
launched and finished at the works may be imagined. more in France than in England; so it does, but It may be put forward that building costs the author may state that the type of boat of which the writer's firm makes a speciality, the sternwheeler, can be put in the water and of the same type of steamer, in England.
rate of exchange that favours us, as you will see Paradoxical as it may appear, it is the low by the following table of the comparative cost of a steamship of moderate dimensions.
The home prices are taken from the most re- liable sources carefully verified; of course they may rise or fall according to the demand, but may be taken as a fair average.
occasion to put before you a technical paper, bat It is not the intention of the author on this one which will treat more of the economic value of this institution and our craft in the Far East. To the Marine Engineer-whose multifarius The Laio of Wills. For Testators, Heis, and duties at sea call upon him at times to be not Legatees. Also a Practical Guide for Ex-only the engineer whose watchful care is neces- eoutors and Administrators. By C. Esary to the well-being of the machinery, but who STEWART, M.A., of the Inner Temple, etc. from time to time has to undertake the work of the Fourth Edition. London: Effingham Wilson. shipbuilder and patch up a hole in the hull, fix A CAPITAL little handbook, which we are not from raising a sunken wreck to repairing the up a damaged rudder, or in fact do anything surprised to see in its fourth edition. The con- patent log-the progress of shipbuilding in all tents are clearly arranged and cover all the its branches must ever be an interesting subject. points likely to arise in connection with wills. There is a table of cases and an index, and a num-
To follow up the improvements in shipbuild ber of forms are given which will be found neefaling and engineering, even within the past de-finished for less than the F.O B. price of builders, the subject, but for the present let us confine cade, would provide scope for many papers on ourselves to the progress we have made in the East, and the marvellous possibilities in store for this institution and the colony in the future. The primary object of an institution like this should be the expansion of its profession at its own particular centre; it should urge those in- terested to encourage shipbuilding amongst us. A sporadic case of plague occurred on Friday when we can show it will be to their advantage. on the second floor of 9, Holland Street,
The deductious or additions thereto are from Kennedy Town. The patient, a girl, was re-shown that in our midst
Able papers by several of your members have the author's own experience, and will, he thinks, moved to the Kennedy Town Hospital.
We've got the tools, fairly represent the cost of the same steamship The that we've got the men,' other persons residing on the floor have been ject of this paper to point out, both to local pound sterling at ten dollars.
an it will be the ob-if built in Hongkong, taking the value of one placed under observation in one of the marriage builders and owners, and that without any feel- boats, or native marine hotels, at the back of ing of jingoism, that "We only want the ships Stonecutter's Island. The premises were daly to build to show what we can do," to the world disinfected.
in general, to shipowners in the Far East in Five cases of plague were reported on Satur-around us who go so far for their ships and pay partionlar, and to the various governments day afternoon. Four of the cases occurred in a
With a dollar at 2/- and perhaps lower, who native seamen's boarding house in Heung Lane Hongkong has long been famous for its one-third of ship-yard wages at home; a con- kuows, the wages rate here would be less than and one in a mat shed near Holland Street. splendid fleet of stoam launches, for whose fine siderable economy would also be realised on any The cases are now under treatment in the models the Chinese carpenters of to-day are in-materials which could be bought at silver value Kennedytown Hospital. The boarding house has debted to our predecessors, the pioneers of in the country; woodwork for example, having been completely vacated and the other inmates modern shipbuilding in China. These models have been removed to one of the marriage boats would do honour to the first yacht builders in kinds of splendid timber at prices which cannot as we have at our door teak and many other at the back of Stonecutters Island. The mat the world; still there will be many amongst be touched on the home market. shed near Holland Street has been burnt down. your members who can remember when the best The official report yesterday evening was that of them were propelled by a single or double high- there had been no further cases during the pre-pressure engine, and no one can say when they ceding twenty-four hours.
look at the beautiful compound surface condeus- The girl who was attacked with plague in sing and triple engines which propel our launches house in Holland Street died in Kennedytown of the present day, that our engineers have been Hospital on Friday evening. Another case from lagging in the march of improvement. the same street is under observation.
17th June.
18th June.
A case of plague has occurred at No. 12, Heung Lane. There had been three more deaths in the Kennedytown Hospital up to noon yesterday, namely, two from No. 10, Heung Lane (plague), and one from No. 9, Holland Street (disease, not diaguosed yet.) There are now four cases under treatment in the Kennedytown Hospital, namely, one from No. 12, Heung Lane, two from No. 10, Heang Lane, and one from a mat shed near Holland Street.
well for them.
"
$4.
A step from the teak wood launch to the steel came next and Hongkong has supplied its or composite steamer of moderate dimensions neighbours, from Japan to Australia, from the Philippines to India, with specimens of the work that can be turned out here.
actually paid bere, but something must be The wages rate allowed is much higher than allowed for the inefficiency of the native workmen, who in heavy work cannot be expected to com- pete man for man with their European brethren.
Steel, pig, bar-iron, and sun Iries would of as you will see, has been provided for in the course be augmented by the freight out, which,
table.
Cost of the home-built boat £20,941.17.2 Cost of the Hongkong-built boat £21,644,7.0 tabular form and cover seven pages of the [The details of the comparison were set out in
printed copy of the paper. For cost of material from 10 to 40 per cent. is added to home prices to arrive at the cost in Hongkong, the only exceptions being wood and small boats, the local Speaking from experieuce the author can
prices of which are 20 per cent. below home safely say that the Hongkong built boats bprices. Wages are given as 40 to 50 per cent. longing to the firm with which he is connected,
below home rates, except in the case of European defy comparison as far as hall, engines, and
foremen, who are credited with an addition of boilers are concerned, that is to say, that they
100 per cout. The total saving in wages we are ahead of the home-built article in finish, make out to be, from Mr. Jack's figures, about workmanship, and durability,
£2,800, against which foremen's wages and cost of management come to £700 more in Hong- kong than at home, the net gain therefore be ing £2,100.1
19th June. Another case of plague has been admitted To-day Hongkong is in a position to turn out into the Kennedytown Hospital from No. 10, aud equip sea-going steamers in every way equal Heung Lane. One more death occurred during to the home article, and more in accordance with the twenty-four hours ending at noon yesterday. the requirements of the country and the East- The following are the statistics from June 14thern trade. Any of you who have had occasion to 18th:-
No. of cases reported
deaths
"
,, cases under treatment
8
This statement does not include the case in which the cause of death had not been diagnosed when the case was reported to the Sanitary Board.
The P. & O, steamer Pekin, which arrived at Shanghai on the 5th inst., was the means of saving three lives, for when she was 3 miles south of the Hiesbans, & Taichow fishing junk was sighted in distress. The junk had encoun. tered a northerly gale on the previons day and seven of the crew were drowned. The Pekin lowered a boat and rescued the survivors and brought them on to Shanghai. The passengers of the Pekin subsoribed §24 for the sufferers,
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to order a steamer from home builders will readily understand this.
The result, as you will observe, is in favour of the home prices by £706 9s. 9d., or 13s. 10d. per ton gross-not a large amount, and one which would be more than swallowed up by the voyage out, which is generally an unprofitable one for steamers of this size.
Objection is taken even to the little refiue. ments which go to make life worth living aboard ship in this climate; it goes beyond their com As has been already stated, notwithstanding prehension why punkah and Steam heater all the care that may have been taken in prepar should be included in the same saloon or messing the specificatious with builders who do not room; they want to know if the engineers can- understand our requirements, much often re- not be berthed off the upper platform in the mains to be done on arrival, the delays of dock- along 'tween decks, and Hongkong B. T. carti- 'tween decks; and when teak decks, side scuttles ing, overhanling, paying off and sending home ficate are mentioned, they have a new tender
crews; all of which would be avoided if the boat to make out and the first cost is augmented ac
was built ou the spot, aud could leave the ship. cordingly. |
yard for her trial trip aud thence on her run direct.
lance would then be in our favour and still leave The writer makes bold to say that the ba- a fair profit for the builder,
But as a rule this extra first cost is readily met by Eastern owners, and I do not doubt that, if we can make it plain to those interested, what has been done at home can be done here, many would prefer to have boats built under their account, and we are considerably handicapped; The time in building mast next be taken into own eyes as it were, than have all the worry and ' first, on account of the time required to get our