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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
back to the Magistracy for further evidence. The prisoner was released on bail. CRITICISING THE WORK AT THE MAGISTRACY. Mok Man, who had been committed on a charge of bribery, was brought up.
your
The Acting Attorney-General did not proceed with the case, and, by direction of his Lordship, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty against the accused, who were discharged.
[June 20, 1895.
A EUROPEAN ATTACKED IN BONHAM ROAD:
On Friday night P. Hyndman, a Portuguese ยท clerk in the Eastern Extension Company's office, was walking along Bonham Road when he heard the quick pattering of feet behind him. He turned round, when he received a heavy blow on the head from a Chinaman. Another man was hurrying towards Hyndman, and the latter struck out and hit him full in the face. This man and the other then ran away, but Hyndman was too overcome by the blow on the head to follow, and he had to rest before going further. It was about seven o'olook at the time, and no one was hear at hand. E. Wodehouse six shopkeepers were summoned The weapon used was either a log of wood or a At the Police Court on Monday before Mr. H The object of the attack was of course robbrey. for selling intoxicating liquor without a licence. bar of iron, and it is quite possible that if the Mr. Master, Acting Crown Solicitor, prose-ceived the blow on his temple. The assailants olerk had not turned round he would have re- dants, and the remaining two were defended by whether they will be found. cuted; Mr. Phillippo defended four of the defen- have not yet been arrested, and it is questionable
INTOXICANTS V. CHINESE MEDICINE.
The woman gave evidence of the robbery, but her testimony was far from satisfactory. She said that her husband bought the revolver for $10 in Hongkong, and the husband said he paid $15 for it in New Zealand. She admitted having The Acting Attorney-General, who conducted been convicted of cutting trees, and the pri- the prosecution, said I have not filed any in-soners said that the woman had trumped up the formation, and I have no intention of doing case against them out of revenge. 90, Before the man is discharged in the ordinary way I should like to say some thing about the case. At the last Criminal Sessions I mentioned a fact on which lordship commented, namely, that in certain cases the forms they appear to be using at the Magistracy for stating charges are old forms relating to Ordinances which are now obsolete. I was in hopes that these remarks would have had effect, but I have now here a document handed to me in this case stating that the offence is "contrary to Ordinance 16 of 1875," which was repealed by Ordinance 10 of 1890. appears to have been no attention what- There over paid at the Magistracy to those remarks, but I hope there will be in future. So much for the form; now for the case itself. There is an Inspector McAllister, or rather an alleged Inspector McAllister, against whom the prisoner is charged with committing this offence; but there is no evidence that he is an Inspector, or how or when or by whom or under what authority he was made an In- spector. Further, there is very flimsy evidence of motive for bribery, arising out of the question of pig lieconces; there is not a tittle of evidence that licences have been granted by any body, or legally made necessary, nor in fact that such licences exist at all. Under these circum- stances, there is no case to come before the Court; and in some other matters I have noticed that the work at the Magistracy is very loose and slovenly.
His Lordship-I notice the same myself, Mr. Attorney. On reading the depositions I find the charge is made out with the words "contrary to his duty as such officer, to take no notice of the keeping of pigs without licence contrary to Or dinance 16 of 1875." Now, this is clearly incorrect; in the first place I do not think Ordinance 16 of 1875 has anything to do with the subject, and secondly, that Ordinance has been repealed. can only repeat the hope that more care will be taken at the Magistracy with these cases which are sent up to the Supreme Court.
I
The prisoner was then discharged by pro- clamation.
AN UNSATISFACTORY CASE.
Tsang Shan Hi and Tong Wei were indicted for burglary and robbery with violence in a mat shed at Kowloon.
The following jurymen were empanelled H. J. Price, P. Brentnell, J. G. Ribeiro, T. Lammert. G. W. Millward, C. A. Faber, and F. Gomes.
Mr. Pollock.
the sale of the liquor, and Mr. Brown, Go- The witnesses for the prosecution proved vernment Analyst, said the liquor contained a considerable quantity of intoxicants. Inspec- tor Staunton spoke to warning the defendants on two or three occasions not to sell the liquor. Four of the defendants, those represented by Mr. Phillippo, discontinued its sale after the last warning, but the summonses had then been issued.
was that the liquor did not come within the The defence which was raised by Mr. Pollock meaning of the Ordinance; it was, in fact, a medicine, and he would call witnesses to prove that it was prescribed for patients at the Tung Wah Hospital, and was known as medicine. The liquor was not used as ordinary samshn. liquor contained so much per cent. of alcohol.
Mr. Master said the fact remained that the
Mr. Pollock I will also show to your Wor- ship that there has been a case before this Court three years ago in which one of the defendants was summoned for a similar offence, and Mr. Robinson, who was then Acting Police Magis- trate, dismissed the case.
DAKIN, CRUICKSHANK & CO., LIMITED.
The annual meeting of the shareholders of Messrs Dakin, Cruickshank and Co., Limited, was held in the Hongkong Hotel on Saturday. Mr. Geo. Fenwick presided, and there were pre- sent-Messrs. John Andrew, A. Bain (Directors), T. G. Joy (Manager), F. W. Watts, R. A. Gub- Achat, G. A. Watkins. bay G. T. Rivers, Ozorio, W Hugher, Fang
The CHAIRMAN said-Gentlemen, the report and accounts having been in your hands for some days we will with your permission take them as read. We regret having to place before you such a poor report for the past year. The principal cause is the great decline of business in Hong- kong. Our Amoy branch has done exceedingly well, and its management reflects great credit on Mr. Hunter, our Manager at that port. The business there shows a very material increase over that of 1893, whilst we regret the falling off here is very great. Mr. Joy, our General Manager, cannot very well explain the heavy Doctors from the Tung Wah Hospital were loss made here; he attributes it principally to then called, and they stated that the labels on the Morphia Ordinance, to the many oppositions the bottles of liquor stated that it was medical now existing, and to the low exchange which has wine called Wai Shang. It was prescribed for ruled throughout the year. However, we do patients as a stimulant and for rheumatism, weak-not think these causes can account for the ness, and pains in the bones. It was distilled further decline of our business during the from maize, and had benefited patients.
first four months of this year. We have cer- The Magistrate said the defendants were ac- tainly during 1894 had many difficulties to con- quainted with the law on the subject. Counsel tend with. By the typhoon early last October for the defence had urged that this stuff was we sustained a loss of over one thousand dollars, medicine, but Mr. Brown had proved that it the steam launch having been driven on the rocks contained 40 out of 100 parts of alcohol, and at Mongkok, sustaining much damage. The that what was called medicine was in reality no aerated water factory had to be moved twice dur- medicine at all. The only medicinal properties ing the year, firstly, when the lease of the small it possessed was the presence of alcohol. It godown expired, for which we paid $100 per The Acting Attorney-General (Hon. A. G. was perfectly understood that Chinese medicines month, and secondly, when the lease of the other Wise), who prosecuted, said that, as far as he were efficacious more by their names than by godown expired, the rent of which was $280 per could see, there was not the slightest doubt that their ingredients. If a medicine was given a mensem. Our monthly godown rent is now the prisoners raided the complainant's mat shed. good name, it was the good name, rather than only $75 and taxes. In December, 1893, our At 3 a.m. on the morning of the 21st alt. com the properties it possessed, that was looked upon rents amounted to $9,272.25, in December, 1894. plainant and his wife were sleeping in their mat for its good effects, and possibly some of the $6,476.50, a saving of $2,795.72 per annum. shed when they were aroused by the barking Chinese ingredients that the doctors at the December, 1893, salaries and wages were of their dog. They saw a Lumber of men Tung Wah Hospital had mentioned were $18,197, in December, 1894, $14,668 49, a differ- going into
an adjoining mat shed, which names and nothing more.
If the defendants ence of $3,829.18, so that our expenses were, at was the property of the prisoner Tong Woi, wished to sell this liquor they must take the date of closing the accounts, $6,624.90 less Hearing no further noise the couple went back, out a licence. He found the breach of the than in December, 1893. There is no credit due closed their door, and remained watching. The law fully proved, but discharged the four to anyone for these economies. The godowns mat shed consisted of two rooms, each of which defendants who had discontinued the sale of the were simply given up as the leases expired, and had to be entered from the outside, as there was liquor. The other two defendants would be business had so fallen off that a smaller staff no communication between the two. After a fined $100, and the bottles of liquor seized would could do the work, and even now we are of while six men came from Tong Wei's shed, and be confiscated.
opinion that unless there is an increase of busi- divided. Three went into one room, and three into the other. One party proceeded to deal be lodged in the case.
Mr. Pollock intimated that an appeal mightness the cost of working the dispensary is too with the husband, whom they seized and attacked with a chopper, inflicting severe injuries on bis head. The other three attacked the wife. Tsang Shan Hi seized her by the throat and the others rifled the house, and took away a lot of property. As soon as the woman, who seemed to be a resolate woman, could get free, she picked up a revolver, which she was in the habit of keeping, and fired after the thieves as they ran away. The second named defendant thereupon went up to her, took the revolver from her, and prevented her_from_pursuing the men. The next morning Tong Wei returned to the house, handed back the revolver, and denied having taken a part in the plundering of the house. The stolen property was afterwards found in a ravine, and the police traced footmarks from Tong Wei's shed to the ravine.
The following telegram from Raub, dated 3rd June, has been received at Singapore Rough cleaning up of battery yielded 1,000 oz. amal. gam; estimated quantity of stone crushed being 760 tons. Battery commences crashing again to-night." 1,100 ounces amalgam may be taken as about 370 ounces of gold-or, say, half an ounce to the top.
According to a Tokyo journal, the. Nippon Yusen Kaisha intends to open a regular steam- ship line to Formosa, bat will apply to the Government for a special subsidy, as the line is not likely to pay working es penses for some years. Hitherto the company has dispatched vessels to the island only during the sugar season, but these vessels have had to proceed there empty.
In
great. Had we been unable to effect these reductions we are of opinion that the Company would ere this have been in liquidation. Many of our shares being unissued necessitates our work- ing on borrowed capital; our interest account is therefore, as you will see, a very heavy one, amounting during 1894 to $3,042 as against $2,001 in 1893. During the current year our expenses will be still further reduced to the extent of at least $3.932; thus, salaries and wages amount to $12,865 50, and rents to $4 347 resp ctively per annum. You have already had the figures for 1894. We are sorry to report that our present prospects are not at all bright. We would therefore ask you to remain a few minutes at the close of this meeting in order to discuss our pre- sont position and what course we should pursue in the future. There is nothing further that I can usefully lay before you, but before proposing