472
by the Chinese authorities, which the Chamber would be glad to have officially confirmed.
Third.—Likin and Transit Passes.-The Chamber has been in communication with H.B.M.'s Consul-General about the imposition of a likin tax on foreign yarn, thus creating a differential duty in favour of native made yarn, but no redress for this illegal exaction has yet been obtained. The great delay which occurs in the issue of transit passes under the existing system renders them practically inoperative, and some reform is urgently needed,
Trusting that you will agree with me as to the necessity of an immediate settlement of the above questions, and begging your kind assist ance for the Chamber in bringing them to the notice of the higher Authorities,I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant,
A. P. MACEWEN,
Chairman.
Dr. O. Stuebel,
Consul-General for Germany and Senior
Consul, Shanghai.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
more, for they said that they came from distant places and that a dollar was not sufficient to pay for their passage. The officer in charge, who was a kind man, then gave each of them half-a- dollar more out of his own pocket
It is said that R.E. Chang Chih-tung, Viceroy of Kiang-su, sent to Canton a few days ago to hire soldiers to go to Nanking for the protection of that place.
Three cotton mills have been built in Canton. It is said that they will employ more than 10,000
men.
As soon as H.E. Tan Chung-lan took over the office of Viceroy. from Li Hanchang, the director of Po Kap-kuk handed him the follow. ing report on the population of Canton :---
Districts.
Old City New City East Gate...... West Gate
Streets and
untenanted. Temples mo- nasteries & Houses
·Houses
tenanted. lanes.
Male popu*
Enunneries.
lation.
Female
population.
|
[June 20, 1895.
Lieutenant Crowther arrived in Hongkong on Sunday by the P. and O. steamer Khedive, He relieves Captain Brabazon, Royal Marines, who is going home on his return from Formosa. It is notified in the Gazette that H.E. the Governor has given his assent in the name and on behalf of the Queen to the following Ordi- nances, namely, an Ordinance to Supplement Ordinance 8 of 1895, an Ordinance for the Naturalisation of Samuel Donnenberg, the Sup plementary Appropriation Ordinance, and an Ordinance to amend Ordinance 17 of 1887.
Capt. A. W. Miller, of the Naval Dockyard, has furnished us with a copy of the financial statement of the Café Chantant held in the City Hall on the 16th May, from which it appears that the total income was $176.70 and that, after meeting all expenses, there was a balance of $75.45, which has been already handed over to the Treasurer of the Kowloon Institute Building, Fund.
Talking of decorations, says the writer 341 14,718 676 139 81,914 35,922 of "Notes by the Way" in the Japan Gazette, 140 9,250 318 93 45,111 18,053 123 7,253 978 61 23,738 14,812 a Yokohama humourist recently gave what seems 875 41,986 1,356 226 192,249 87,855 to me a very witty definition of the title of South Gate 65 3,200 375 33 13,732 6,402 | knight-the lowest distinction Her Majesty orn confer upon a man for doing nothing. But he Total...... 1,541 76,407 3,698 552 336,744 162,544 was wrong, though witty. Her Majesty can Of the bouses tenanted 69,195 were occupied give a silver inkstand, even to the most pains- by single families only and 7,212 by more than taking. one family.
HONGKONG.
Shanghai, 5th June, 1895. Sir, I have the honour to inform you that I have received a letter signed by thirty-six Shanghai firms, including all the principal ship- ping firms, begging the assistance of the Cham- ber in an endeavour to overcome the determined opposition of the Chinese officials to the es- tablishment of a telephone line from Shanghai to Woosung. For upwards of ten years the Telephone Company have been working hard to obtain official permission to run a line to Woosung, but the utmost concession they suc.
Eight sporadic cases of plague have been re- ceeded in obtaining from the Director of Teleported since the 14th inst. The weather during graphs was the permission to erect a line for the the past week has been very hot, the real sum- sole use of the Commissioner of Customs, with
mer weather having set in at last. On Wednes-- the express stipulation that no other foreigner day Mr. Brady gave a most successful entertain- should be allowed to use it. Though this per- ment in aid of the Kowloon Institute. A paper mission was insufficient, it was enough to show
on Engineering and Shipbuilding in the Far that there was no objection to the line itself, East. by Mr. Jack, was read at the Institute but only to putting any convenience in the way of Engineers and Shipbuilders on Friday, and of the mercantile community.
a smoking concert followed. The Willard Opera Company opened a short season at the City Hall on Monday amid every sign of success. The Criminal Sessions on Tuesday were chiefly notable for remarks made by the Court on the work performed at the Magistracy, it being said that proper care was not taken with a large
Mr. C. V. Ladds, Colonial Veterinary Sur geon, left for London on Tuesday by the O. & O. steamer Gaelic, on leave...
Owing to the present state of the Woosung Bar very much of the shipping trade of the port is perforce done at Woosung, and it is therefore more than ever necessary that shipping firms at Shang hai should possess some means of rapid communi- cation with Woosung, and this could not be more completely effected than by the erection of a tele-number of cases. phone line. I am given to understand that the Telephone Company have laid the matter before H.B.M.'s Consul-General, but on behalf of the mercantile community generally, who are as much interested in the establishment of the line as the Telephone Company, I have to beg the assistance of the Consular. Body in overcoming the opposition of the Chinese officials, and in obtaining permission for the Telephone Company to run a line on the existing telegraph poles, or to erect a separate line.
The building of the proposed new signal station at Blackhead's Hill, Kowloon, has been commenced.
The British barque William Le Lacheur, of 573 tons, was sold by auction on the 11th inst. by Mr. Armstrong and fetched $9,100
The death rate last month was for the British and Foreign community, civil population. 23.2,
I trust that you and your colleagues will re-nd for the Chinese 18.3. cognise this as a most reasonable request, and that the application I now make on behalf of the Chamber will receive the valuable attention of the Consular Body.-I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant,
A. P. MACEWEN,
Chairman.
Dr. O. Stuebel,
Consul-General for Germany.
CANTON NOTES.......
FROM THE
"CHUNG NGƆI SAN PO.”] A notification was issued by the Viceroy and the Governor on the 8th inst. to the effect that all fantan gambling houses must be closed from that date and that the houses that have been bitherto used for fantan gambling are to be re- turned to the landlords, who must never again let their properties for such purposes; also that houses which may be opened for gambling in future will be confiscated and that the officers and gentry of all the districts and villages will be held reponsible if fantan_gambling houses are opened in their neighbourhood.
With reference to the war loan we learn that a further sum of Tis. 4,500 was collected be- tween the 5th and the 9th inst. The total now aggregates Tls. 2,639,150 and the number of the last scrip is 11,157.
The soldiers that were hired some time ago with the intention that they should be sent to Formosa were disbanded a few days ago in Canton. They were each given a dollar for passage-money to return to their native places, but they asked for
O
The stamp revenue last month amounted to $17,963, being an increase of $4,466 on the amount collected in the corresponding month of last year.
The Hon. Treasurer of the Alice Memorial and Nethersole Hospitals begs to acknowledge with thanks the following donations to the funds of the hospitals :
Wong Shue Tong
H.E. Major-General Black, C.B.. King Wa
F. E. L...................
Miss B. Mackenzie
$50
A large number of ladies and gentlemen assembled at the Happy Valley on Thursday after- noon to witness the match between Lord C. Conyngham's Baccarat and Mr. W.Cruickshank's Havoc. The race was for $100, and considerable interest was contred in the event. Baccarat led until reaching the straight, when Havoc drew to the front and won a capital race by half a length.
In a private letter from London, mentioned in a contemporary, a well-informed old Ceylon colonist says he thinks the choice for the next Governor of Ceylon lies between Sir William Robinson of Hongkong and Sir Henry Blake. of Jamaica, and that the former has got great kudos with the home authorities for sticking at his post and doing good work in stamping out the plague.
Two Chinsmen have entered actions against Hon. Commander W. C. H. Hastings, Acting Captain Superintendent of Police, and it will be heard at the Supreme Court on Friday. One claims $27.90, and the other $252.16, money which they state was seized by the plaintiff and wrongfully detained by him. The money was seized by the police in the course of a gambling raid on the Chinamen's premises.
Captain Lunt of the Fushun was summoned at the Police Court on Saturday for allowing his
Dr. Atkinson left on Tuesday by the O. & Oship to be used to convey prepared opium in steamer Gaelic for Japan on sick leave. We hope the trip will completely re-establish the doctor's health.
The maximum temperature last month was 88.6 on the 17th, and the minimum 68.7, on the 4th. The mean was 77.2. The rainfall amounted to 5.64 inches.
Mr. C. J. Holliday has resigned his seat on the Board of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, on his departure from the Colony. Mr. Holliday left for Shanghai on the 12th inst. by the C. P. steamer Empress of China.
The treasurer of the Kowloon Institute begs to acknowledge with many thanks the sum of $110, being the proceeds of Mr. Brady's entertain- ment on June 17th in the Kowloon Institute, which sum has been given to the Building Fund, Two turnkeys in Victoria Gaol named George L. Martin and James A. Inglis were charged on a warrant with repeatedly absenting them. selves from duty at the Gaol without permission from the Superintendent. Each prisoner was sent to gaol for six weeks with hard labour.
It is stated that the new British dollar coinage operations have commenced at the Bom- bay Mint, but none of the coins have been issued, By a mistake in the die Britannia's trident has been struck into the scroll at the head of the coin with a curious result. Further instructions are awaited.
excess of 50 taels. Mr. Dennys prosecuted. A constable spoke to seizing 82 taels of prepared opium and 9 taels orude opium belonging to two passengers on the boat. The passengers were convicted and fined. The chief excise officer said that between May. 1894, and May, 1895, there had been fifteen convictions against passengers on the Fushun for improper possession of opium. Mr. Wodehouse did not consider it was proved that defendant knew the opium was on the boat, and dismissed the case without calling upon the
defence.
At 2.45 on Friday morning the Fire Brigade attended a fire at a clothes store, 76, Jervois Street. The fire broke out on the ground ficor, and before the flames could be extinguished the place was completely gutted. The master is în Canton. The origin of the fire is unknown, and the amount of insurance, if any, is likewise un- known. During the fire it was reported that five of the inmates were missing, but it was afterwards ascertained that all had safely es- caped. The firemen were under the Hon. Com- mander W. C. H. Hastings and Deputy Super- intendent Badeleg. Mr. Wodehouse opened the inquiry at the Magistracy on Tuesday. The accountant, who was sleeping under the counter, spoke to discovering the fire, which broke out on the first floor, and the inquiry was adjourned until the 24th inst.