:
Page
June 4, 1896.]
obtain, and that he would pay it at once to the Company. On the 20th defendant read over the accounts to witness from his private book. The total amount of the cash memos from April to May was $3,220,62, which should have been paid into the bank or remitted to Singapore. The defendant had the pass book made up to the amount of $539.01, leaving a balance due to the Company of 82,681.61, but as the sum of $108.85 had been taken from the collection account to meet current office expenses, it left a total balance due from defendant of $2,572.76. None of the items received had been oredited in the ledger and the amounts were not paid into the bank. It was defendant's duty to enter the amounts of the daily cash memos on a cash form and submit the same to the head office every week, but this had not been done regularly. Defendant had taken $108 from the collection account and oredited to the capital account, which he had no authority to do.
I
At the conclusion of Mr. Bottenheim's evidence Mr. Mounsey asked for an adjourn ment.
Mr. Looker asked the Court to allow him to take copies of the documents which had been put in, as up to the present he had had no op- portunity of examining the letters and books.
His Worship-In view of the letter put in and your application I do not suppose you expect to be able to establish a good defence.
Mr. Looker-Perhaps not, but I hope to be able to put forward a good many facts in mitiga-
tion.
In answer to Mr. Looker his Worship in- timated that he would deal with the case summarily.
The case was remanded until the 3rd June.
THE "JOHN BAIZELEY” 'ABANDONED.
at
The barque John Baizeley, which went ashore near Macao on the 23rd May, was afterwards. abandoned, and on the evening of the 27th May the captain and
arrived crew Hongkong. It was found impossible to get the boat off the sands, as she was firmly embedded and the only thing to do was to aban- don her. A wreck always affords a fine oppor- tunity for looting by the Chinese and in this instance the looters will have handsome spoil. The captain brought away the sails and other things, but he had to leave the cargo, which is valued at about $10,000, and unless a Chinese gunboat goes to the scene to protect the vessel she will quickly fall into the hands of the hundreds of fishermen who have been drawn to the scene. The cargo consists of Singapore hard wood, and not only will this be taken away, but the vessel will of course be so.n chopped to pieces.
About 6.30 p.m. on the 29th May the members of the shipping community were considerably surprised to see the John Baizeley, the barque which went ashore near Macao on Saturday, coming into harbour in tow of the tug boat Fame. It was thought by everyone that the barque was so firmly embedded in the sand that it was impossible to save her, but on Thursday night the Dock Company instructed Captain Stopani to proceed with all possible speed to the ship and endeavour to get her floated. Captain Stopani commenced tugging at the ship about five o'clock on Friday morning and he was engaged in the task for several hours before his efforts were rewarded. The barque was then brought into Hongkong and taken to the Cosmopolitan Dock. She will have to under- go very extensive repairs. The looting fisher men who swarmed to the scene of the accident removed everything portable, including all the rigging and sails left on the vessel and also every bit of copper and fittings they could lay their hands on.
The cargo was untouched. It consisted of Singapore hard wood and it seems that the very heavy weight of this wood was altogether too much for the fishermen and they consequently had to, reluctantly no doubt, leave it alone. But they got a very good haul as it was and doubtless they are satisfied with their spoil
[The name of the vessel in the first report of the accident was erronéqusly given as the Mount Lebanon.]
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE "ACTIV" FLOATED,
News reached Hongkong on the 29th May that the Activ, which struck the rocks at Sad Point, about thirty miles west of Hoihow, on April 7th, had been successfully floated through the instrumentality of Mr. Jack. It will be remembered that the Actio was bought at auction a short time ago by Mr. Marty for $1,500, so the purchaser is to be congratulated upon his successful speculation. Captain McIsaac has been appointed captain of the steamer and as soon as possible she will be brought on to Hongkong for repairs.
THE ROBBERY AND MURDER AT WAN CHAI.
486
main street and was the water is parti- cularly clear and pure a filter bed will not be required, the only process of filtration that will be adopted being the placing of some broken stones behind a dam situated at the end of each pipe leading from the streams into the reservoir.` A deep culvert will be constructed along the course of the supply pipe, so that the breaking up of the road in case of accident will | be obviated. The reservoir will be on the hill side off a side street near the soy factory, and the streams are situated on the east and west side of the proposed reservoir, which will be covered over with turf. The main is of iron, three and four inches in diameter and is already laid through the village for a considerable dis tance in the direction of Victoria, and fountains are already fixed in the street. Indeed, for some time the supply has been obtained by means of the fountains, as a pipe has been laid from each stream to the main. The whole of the principal street has recently been sewered and the other streets are being macadamized and channelled. Near the proposed reservoir a bungalow will be erected for the watchman, and it is thought that the whole of the work, which will be under the supervision of Mr. H. P. Tooker, will be completed in nine months.
IMPROVEMENT AT MONG KOK TSUI.
The men charged with complicity in the armed robbery and murder at Wanchai some time ago were taken before Hon. Commander W. C. H. Hastings on the 28th May. There are now six prisoners altogether, including the actual murderer, but as yet there is no evidence of identification in connection with the robbery. The master of the crockeryware shop, 20, Cross Street, where the robbery was committed, turned up yesterday and gave evidence in a most un- satisfactory and unwilling manner. He spoke to four men entering the shop and presenting revolvers at him, but positively said he could not identify one of them. The only clue he could give was that one of the men wore a blue Tenders are now being received for the im- coat. When the murderer of the district watch-provement of streets in Mong Kok Tsui, Yau- man was arrested he was wearing a blue coat, mati. The village is partly built over at the but the master of the shop said he could not present time and the main street running recognise his face, and he even failed to re- through is a continuation of Station Street, cognise him as the man he had seen in the police Yaumati. Recently the work of draining and station soon after the robbery and murder. The providing for storm water has been commenced prisoners were remanded.
and already many nullahs have been completed and sewage pipes led along the main streets. It is now proposed to form the streets by filling them up to the improved levels. The streets to be thus treated are the street leading from Station Street, three cross streets, and a short length of street running parallel with and to the east of Station Street. This work will be completed in three months.
At the Police Court on the 2nd June the man charged with the murder of a district watch man at Wanchai was again brought up, and after plans had been put in evidence was com mitted for trial at the sessious.
IMPROVED WATER SUPPLY FOR SHAUKIWAN.
A MODEL VILLAGE.
+
QUARANTINE AGAINST CHINESE
PORTS AT SINGAPORE. The following telegram from the Colonial Secretary, Singapore, has been received by the Colonial Secretary, Hongkong
THE PLAGUE AT KOWLOON.
EXODUS OF DOCK HANDS.
Shaukiwan is an ideal Chinese village. The inhabitants are nothing if not eminently re- spectable; their houses are, for Chinese, scrupulously clean, while the streets maintain a very wholesome appearance at any time. | Fishermen for the most part, the inhabitants "Chinese ports, Foochow southward includ. are very reserved in their manner and as ex-ing Hainan, declared to be infected owing to clusive as the residents of the West End of bubonic plague. Quarantine as in case of London are from the residents of the East End.. Hongkong. They shun a stranger, particularly if he come from Hongkong, and it is a conspicuous fact, as a testimony of their cleanliness, that very few cases of plague have occurred in the village, and those few are strongly supposed to have The prevalence of plague at Kowloon has been imported by boats. So careful are the in- cansed an exodus of no fewer than nine habitants of their own immunity from plague hundred men from the works of the Dook Com- that they not only adopt a high standard of pany, and at the present time it will doubtless cleanliness, but also take the best possible means be of interest to give one or two reasons which to isolate themselves from the disease. There have been advanced both for the abnormal are no lodging houses in Shankiwan, and not number of cases of plague in that district and a single resident would take a stranger under the very serious diminution in the number of his roof. The homeless wanderer must go else the Dock Company's work people. In 1894, where for shelter, as Shankiwan will have when plague was raging with such persistent nothing to do with him. Outside their own se- fierceness in Hongkong, Kowloon was com- lect circle they look upon everyone as a possible paratively free, and yet lately, strangely enough, communication of the scourge and so these there have been more cases from Kowloon than highly respectable people jog along in a quiet, from the city. It is suggested, and we pat unassuming, and happy fashion and treat every
the theory forward for the consideration stranger with great suspicion. Just now the of the Sanitary Board officials as an interest Public Works Department is rapidly transforming subject for inquiry, that the Chinese, ing Shaukiwan into a model village. Up to the present the place has had no convenient water supply. There are two never failing streams in the village and they supplied water to wells on which the inhabitants relied for their wants. It has now been determined to give them a supply which shall not only prove adequate, but which will add further dignity to the village. A reservoir, 66 feet long, 36 feet wide, and about 15 feet deep, is to be con- structed on the hill side, and by this means there will, it is estimated, be stored sufficient water to last the whole of the dry season, the holding capacity being sufficient to equalise the flow from the two streams, which are never dry. The village will be supplied from a pipe leading from the reservoir along the
t
on the outbreak of plague in Hongkong, flocked over te Kowloon, which they looked upon as safer to dwell in than any other part of the colony, This influx of people of course meant the overcrowding of the houses, and overcrowding carries in its train filth and personal uncleanliness, an absence of efficient ventilation, and consequently disease, so that now the district is much more partial to feed ing the plague germs than it was in 1894. On the other hand Mr. McCallum, the Secretary of the Sanitary Board, says it is probable that Kowloon City is really the source of the danger, but as he is not quite certain yet whether the disease is very rampant in that part of Chinese territory, the opinion must of course be taken as indefinite at present.