1
516
of red tape precision are not complied with.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
but in mercantile establishments where goods are stored in quantity and possibly of a perishable nature even twenty-four hours' notice seems too short, unless there be an imperative necessity for expedition on the ground of public health, when of course all other considerations must give way. But no European hong or store would like to have its establishment turned upside down at twenty-four hours' notice, and the matter is one in which our Chinese fellow residents are entitled to be treated with as much con- sideration as is practically possible. The general cleansing of the city is over for the present, and we hope the provisions of the law rendering it incumbent upon house- holders to keep their premises clean then- selves will render drastic measures un- necessary in the future, but if it unfor- tunately becomes necessary to set the White- wash Brigade to work again its operations should be carried on in such a way as to cause as little interference with the business of the colony or with the convenience of the inhabitants as may under the circumstances of the case be possible.
Three complaints are made in the petition, one being that legal cocklofts have been removed and illegal ones allowed to remain, another that sufficient notice is not given when houses are to be invaded by the Whitewash Brigade, and the third that the compulsory reporting of cases of plague in which the patient desires to leave the colony is a hardship. As to the first of these com- plaints, the Board said nothing, but a minute was made by the Secretary to the effect that specific cases should be given and that in his opinion the statement that legal cocklofts had been removed and illegal onesallowed to remain is untrue. Seeing the unfortunate state the law on this subject has been allowed to get into and that it is not in accordance with common sense, the petitioners may very possibly be incorrect in their opinion as to what cocklofts were legal and illegal, where- as they might have been correct bad their statement been that cocklofts unobjection- able from a public health point of view had been removed and that others that were objectionable had been allowed to remain. If it be the case that the law as it stands works injustice it would have been more becoming in the Sanitary Board to have informed the petitioners that they would con- sider the matter with a view to representing
The promptitude with which Mr. Long- to the Government the desirability of effect-
FORD prepared his elaborate and useful ing an alteration in the law than to have report on the trade of Japan during 1895 treated the whole matter with contempt.
bas justly been made the subject of com- As to the other complaints, namely, the want mendation, but exception has been taken of due notice when the cleansing of houses to the time occupied in printing it after its is to be undertaken and the compulsory re-receipt in London. However, slow as the porting of cases of plague, the Board re- solved to express its concurrence in a minute made upon the petition by the Medical Officer of Health. As to the compulsory reporting of cases of plague that are about to be taken out of the colony Dr. CLARK was sure the Board would "not countenance the removal of plague patients from the colony unless they were first made ac- quainted with the locality of the premises occupied by such patients so that the in- "fected dwellings may be adequately disin- "fected." On this point there is no room for difference of opinion, and Dr. CLARK'S view will be universally endorsed.
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"which
rendered less valuable."
DELAY IN THE PUBLICATION OF DEPARTMENTAI.
REPORTS.
printing may have been, the fact remains that an annual report of exceptional length and requiring an exceptional amount of labour and skill in its preparation has been sent from Japan to London and has been received back in print early in June. Compare this with the dilatoriness shown in the publication of the Hongkong De- partmental reports.
-
These have not to
make the journey to London and back before they see the light of day, yet here
[June 24, 1896.
A DESERVING CASE.
The announcement that the Government. is unable to make any compassionate al- lowance to the widow of an interpreter in the employ of the Sanitary Board who died of plague contracted while in the execution of his duty will be received, we think, with regret by all whose attention has been attracted by the circumstances set out in. the proceedings of the last meeting of the Sanitary Board. We would commend the case to H. E. the Governor for reconsidera- tion. The widow might reasonably be granted at least an amount equivalent to what the deceased's seven years' service would have counted for in the calculation of his pension had he lived and served long enough to entitle him to retire on a pension. be small, The amount would of course but it would nevertheless be a material assistance to the family in the circumstances in which they are left. In the case of a man who meets his death in the execution of his duty special consideration ought to be shown to those who were dependent upon him,
SUPREME COURT.
18th June.
CRIMINAL Sessions.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR DR. Carrington (CHIEF JUSTICE).
THE MURDER CASE,
Hon. H. E. Pollock (Acting Attorney- General)-Will your Lordship allow me to make an application with regard to the order in which I would ask your the cases are to be taken. Lordship to take the murder case, for which s special jury has been summoned, on Monday next at ten o'clock. If that time will be convenient to your Lordship the special jurors might be discharged until that time.
His Lordship Very well, Mr. Attorney, let the special jurors be discharged until Monday Do yon generally morning, at ten o'clock. have a special jury for murder cases P
The Acting Attorney-General-Yes, my Lord.
His Lordship then fixed the order of one or two other cases and the Acting Attorney-General intimated that the murder case would take up Monday and Tuesday.
ACQUITTED,
We are almost at the end of June and with one or two exceptions these reports are still unpublished. The Consular reports are now issued much more. expeditiously than a few years ago, the Government having recognised the reasonableness of the contention that the earlier they are pub- lished the more advantageous will they be stone belonging to a barber in Staunton Street. affected. The example of the home Gov- V. P. Musso, R. M. Mehta, Liso Tze San, to those whose interests may be in any way The following jury tried the case-1
---Messrs.
ernment with regard to Consular reports J. E. Gomes, C. J. Gonsalves, F. X. V. Ribeiro, might well be followed by the Colonial Gov-and E. Manricio. ernment with regard to Departmental re- ports.
The case with reference to the notice given of cleansing operations is not quite so clear. The petitioners say "it is only in the after- noon the notice is given and the very next morning they [the Whitewash Brigade] come to pull things down and to "clean the premises, and not enough time "is allowed for the removal of goods, are damaged by dirt and thus According to Dr. CLARK twenty-four hours' notice is always given; the hour for each house cannot be stated with exactness when a gang are working down a row, but a commence- ment is not made upon a row until twenty four hours have elapsed after the giving of the notice, so that houses at the bottom of a row have actually more than twenty-four hours' notice. Šuch we take to be Dr. CLARK's meaning. The question is, then, whether the system in actual working affords the length of notice intended or whether it is a fact, as stated by the petitioners, that in some cases the notice is only given overnight and the cleansing operations commenced next morning. If the complaint made by the petitioners be well founded they have a substantial grievance which the Protector of Chinese should do his best to see redressed. In the case of a dwelling house it may be possible to remove the furniture' at 8 few hours' notice railways, in which His Majesty apparently without loss or any material inconvenience, I shows great interest.-Mercury.
If these documents are worth pub lishing at all they are surely worth publishing within measurable distance exceptional delay this year is, we opine, of the period to which they refer. The due to the fact that a long interval has elapsed without any meeting of the Legisla- tive Council having been held, it being usual to lay the documents on the Council table before printing them in the Gazette. which might well be departed from, and That, however, is an antiquated practice
we are sure the unofficial members of Coun- eil would raise no objections, the tabling being a mere matter of form devoid of any practical utility.
Hu Yuen-mei, the new Governor of Peking, arrived there on the 4th, had an audience of the Emperor on the 6th, and assumed office on the 7th instant. During the audience the Emperor put many questions to him, the most interesting of which were those concerning
Li Hai was charged with stealing a razor
The Acting Attorney-General prosecuted. the prosecutor and on the 16th August, 1892, The prisoner was formerly in the employ of
he left the shop and afterwards the stone, which was worth $5, was missed. The accused was not seen again until last month when he
was arrested.
The jury found the prisoner not guilty and
he was discharged. ROBBERY.
Li To was charged with receiving, a gold bangle well knowing it to have been stolen.
The jury in the first case also tried this case. Dock of a gold bangle and the prisoner was A woman was robbed at the Cosmopolitan afterwards arrested with the stolen property in his possession.
The jury found the prisoner guilty and he was sent to gaol for eight months with hard labour. ALLEGED THEFT of $2,000. Li I Lum was charged with stealing $2,000 belonging to Malcampo and Co.
The following gentlemen composed the jury: ---Messrs. Lam Hon Won, G. Grimble, T. Meek, E. Mast, J. Lowrie, J. A. Guttierez, and Leong Shin Kong.
Q.
The Acting Attorney-General prosecuted. The prisoner was employed by the prosecutors, who carry on business at 53, Bonham Strand: