January 30, 1896.]
KAROFF seems to be entirely sound in principle. His Excellency is to be con- gratulated upon the humane work he has taken in hand and we hope that before many years have passed he may have the satisfaction of seeing his device universally adopted.
PUBLICATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
!
The practice adopted by the Committee of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce of publishing the minutes of its meetings together with the correspondence on the subjects that have engaged its attention is one that might with advantage be followed by the Hongkong Chamber. Formerly the Shanghai Chamber, like the Hongkong Chamber, preserved strict secrecy with regard to its proceedings between the publication of its annual reports. Not long ago one of the members suggested that in view of the growing business of the port and the important questions that were con- tinually cropping up it was desirable that general meetings should be held more fre. quently than once a year. After considera- tion it was resolved, on the suggestion, if we are not mistaken, of Mr. A. P. MACEWEN, the Chairman, that instead of holding general meetings more frequently the minutes of the committee meetings should be published, which seems on the whole to be the preferable course, because an extra- ordinary general meeting can be called at any time when circumstances require it but ordinarily the general body of members of the Chamber and the public will be content simply to know what is going on. Mr MACEWEN is no advocate of secrecy in public matters. Many years ago, when he was in Hongkong, he suggested substantially the course which has now been adopted at Shanghai; he deprecated the "bottling up" of the whole year's correspondence until the issue of the annual report and advocated that it should be published as the subjects to which it referred were dealt with. The suggestion was adopted to some extent and since then it has been customary to publish batches of the Chamber's correspondence on special subjects from time to time between the meetings, but on the issue of the annual reports with their appendices it is generally found that there are some matters with reference to which this course has not been followed. We are quite ready to admit that there are occasions on which it would be undesirable that the correspondence should be published with the promptness we advocate as a general rule, as for in- stance when delicate questions of a diplo- matic nature form the subject of the des- patches. To that extent the Committee 'should be allowed to exercise its discre- tion, but as a general rule it would conduce to the usefulness of the Chamber if a policy of publicity were followed and the public were at the time made acquainted through the press not only with the contents of the despatches but also with the decisions arrived at by the Committee upon the subjects to which they refer. Similar re- marks would apply also to the local branches of the China Association, but we note that the Shanghai branch of that body has not yet followed the example of the Chamber of Commerce. We published a day or two ago the minutes of a recent meeting of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce and would commend them to the Hongkong Chamber, and also to the China Association, as a very
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
MEETING AT THE CITY HALL.
85
On Thursday afternoon, the 23rd January, in response to an invitation from the Committee of the Hongkong General Chamber of Com- Russian Navy, met a number of leading resi merce, His Excellency Admiral Makaroff, of the dents in the Chamber of Commerce in order
excellent model of the information that ADMIRAL MAKAROFF'S COLLISION should be given to the public. There were three subjects dealt with, namely, the
BUFFER. International Telegraph Vocabulary, the Yangtsze Regulations and Ocean Steam Companies, and Bonded Warehouses, and the Shanghai community, vitally interested in each of them, was promptly informed of how each subject stood. It would be an advantage if the same course were followed in Hongkong, but unfortunately the Com- mittee of the local Chamber seem to think their proceedings should be shrouded in the same secrecy as those of the Executive Council.
ACCIDENT TO THE "ON SANG,"
40
22nd Janpary.
to give explanations of his proposed method of minimising the effects of collisions at sea. Hon. A. McConachie presided, and there was a very large attendance, amongst those present being Commodore Boyes, Hon. Commander R. Murray Ramsey, Hon. Commander W. C. H. Hastings, Hon. T. H. Whitehead, Hou. J. J. Bell-Irving, Hon. E. R. Belilios, Captain Tuunard, R.N., Mr. R. M. Gray, Mr. Ñ. J. Ede, Captain Tillett, Captain Burnie, Captain G. C. Anderson, Messrs. A. Woolley, R. Shewan, T. Jackson, St. C. Michaelsen, W. Ramsay, W. H. Ray, R. C. Wilecox. Secretary of the Chamber, and others interested in ship- ping and insurance.
Admiral MAKAROFF-Mr. McConachie and
About eleven o'clock on Monday night the steamer On Sang struck the Cust Rock, which is near the Kowloon Dock, but fortunately the The CHAIRMAN-On the invitation of the ressel was saved and no one was injured The Chamber of Commerce H.E. Admiral Makaroff Navigation Co., Limited (Messrs. Jardine, purpose of explaining his scheme for minimising On Sung is owned by the Indo-China Steam has kindly consented to come here to-day for the Matheson & Co. General Managers), and this the effects of collisions between ships. I may was her first trip to Hongkong. She was built at mention that His Excellency has occupied hini- Middlesborough at the latter end of last year by self in the study of similar schemes since he was Messrs. Raylton, Dixon, and Co., and is of a young Lieutenant, and some twenty years ago steel. She has a registered tonnage of 1,787 one of his inventions-"a collision wat her nominal horse power is 260, and the pos- was exhibited at an exhibition held in Vienna sesses triple expansion engines. She left Eng and received such general attention and approval- of coal for Batavia, and on the 8th inst., navies. land in charge of Capt. Carmichael with a cargo
as to lead to its adoption by most European she left Samarang with a
He has also occupied himself with the cargo of sugar study of the improvement of bulkheads, efe.. for Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co., and and the importance of his ideas in this latter called at Manila on her way. Soon after ten connection so favourably impressed Mr. Mor. o'clock on Monday night she arrived at Lye-ley, Chief Engineer to Sir E. J. Reed, the great moon Pass and as the night was hazy and so naval constructor, that he publicly lectured in dark that the captain could not see the shore London on the suggestions advanced by His imagined all along that he was keeping in the roff was only beginning, as it the engines were set dead slow. The captain Excellency. At this time Admiral Maka- fairway, but a strong tide was running at the naval career, but his own Government very soon were. his time and the ship, altogether unknown to the recognized the great ability of their young captain, drifted over towards the Kowloon officer, and rewarded him by rapid promotions. Dock and eventually struck the Cust Rock. I feel sure the explanations we are about to This rock is also known by the name
listen to, coming from such a distinguished of the Dunmail Rock from the fact that about naval officer and bearing on such an important twenty years ago a sailing vessel, the Danmail, subject as the reducing of the risk to life and struck here and foundered in a quarter of an property, will be followed with close attention approaching danger, as a minute or so before hour. The captain had not the least idea of an by all present. (Applause). the On Sang struck the rock the quartermaster heaving the lead sang out Nine fathoms." A police pinnace was happily near at hand and the constable in charge went on board and the captain consulted him about the position. The fore No. 1 compartment was rapidly filling sinking she was run on to the beach between with water and to prevent the vessel from Bay View and North Point, where she now lies. It is impossible to say at present what is the extent of the damage. Yesterday morn. ing a diver made a cursory examination of the fore part of the vessel and reported a rather large wedge-shaped hole in the side, but received is not yet known. Coolies were busily whether this is the only injury the vessel has engaged in discharging the cargo yesterday, and it is expected that by to-morrow the vessel will be ready for further beaching, when the gap will be patched up and the hold pumped dry. Apparently the only portion of the cargo destroyed by water is that in the fore com partment; the other holds appear t. be quite dry. Captain Carmichael has been in Hong. kong several times before in charge of Messrs. Jardine, Matheson & Co.'s steamers, and it was no doubt h's thorough acquaintance with the harbour that led him to enter on a dark night. The owners will not lose anything by the damage done to the vessel, as she was insured for the outward voyage in home offices, but local offices will be affected by the loss sustained the amount will be very large. An inquiry into the cargo, although it is not expected that the accident will be held at the Harbour Master's office in due course.
to
25th January.
The Indo-China steamer On Sang has now been pumped dry and taken over to the Cosmo- politan Dock.
gentlemen, I need not tell you that collisions are very frequent in these days. I have no statistics, but every one reading one. of the big morning newspapers finds there almost every day some information about collisions at sea and their fatal consequens. details; but more often the report is very In some cases the newspapers give different
brief and simply states that such and such a ship went to the hottom, and SO many lives were lost. Everyone of us is so much accustomed to read such information that we do not ask ourselves whether it is really unavoidable that after the collision one ship is taken for granted that from time to time or both of them should go to the bottom. It ships collide and sink, and I believe this sort of information produces less impression upon us than some trifling political news. From time to time a court of inquiry or court- martial investigates the details of the collision, but it is certain that the court will study chiefly the question; as to who
the collision, and is responsible for little notice is generally taken of the reason why, after collision, a ship goes to the bottom. Ship- builders tell us that ships are divided by the watertight bulkheads, and that the buoyancy is sufficient to keep a vessel afloat should one of the compartments be filled with water. Generally when collisions occur there is nobody to accurately record the details, and as a rule place at the bulkbe. l, and for this reason two it is taken for granted that the collision took big compartments were filled with water. May- be it will also be suggested that one of the bulkheads could not stand such an immense pres- Formerly collisions were not so fatal, as sailing sure and gave at the critical moment. ships, which are usually constructed with a fiddle bow, have bowsprit and so much rigging
very
i