428
Bakit Impey Lode. This lode continues about 5 ft. thick of quartz and quartz leaders, but so far does not carry gold. This drive is in a total distance north of 80 ft. and is being extended in the hope of cutting payable quartz. South Drive-I have resumed driving this drive which has been extended 17 feet, the lode being only a few inches thick. So far no gold has been seen in it.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
for the timber for the power station. All the broad merbau planks for the fiume are now cut and stacked alongside of our new road ready to cart whenever required, so that all the work is now well in hand and ought to be finished before the electrical machinery, arrives from England.
TRANSPORT.
The Government cart road from Kuala Kubu to here is now completed and open for traffic. This will greatly reduce our transport charges and bring us within four days of Singapore instead of about a month by our river route.
GILBERT B. WHITE.
THE JELEBU MINING AND TRADING CO., LIMITED.
Singapore, 17th May. highly favourable prospects.
The Rin Lode in Jelebu continues to show On the 7th instant, we published telegrams indicating that shaft was sunk. On the 6th, the lode proved the lode looked more promising, the deeper the to be four feet thick, payable all through. result is still more satisfactory. A telegram, Since then, with further deeper siuking, the dated Jelebu, yesterday, thus reports progress : -"Lode six feet thick; payable all through."
Bukit Kuman.-No. 1 Level North.-The lode has again increased in size, being now fully 10 ft. wide of quartz and quartz leaders of low grade. The drive has been extended 24 ft. making a total distance north from the crosscut of 674 ft. Winze,-No. 1 North. Very slow progress is being made with the sinking owing to the heavy water we have to contend with, the coolies being kept going all the time bailing water night and day. We have still about 20 ft, to go before we haul through to the bottom level. South Drive: Same Level. The lode continues about 5 feet thick of fairly solid ore in which a little gold can be seen in breaking the ore. This drive has been extended 20 feet making a total distance sonth from the crosscut of 854 inches, or a total distance of 1,528 feet from the north to south face at the 140 feet level. The No. 5 Air Shaft, sunk to connect the south drive, is sunk and timbered to a depth of 81 feet. a depth of about 70 feet we cut a lode coming in on the east side of the shaft and as anticipated it carries good gold, quite equal to anything issue of yesterday, respecting the Rin Lode in The favourable prospects held forth in our yet got in the mine. In every shaft,—5 in number-between the 140 feet level aud the
Jelebu, appear to grow better. According to a surface, we have cut good payable quartz, which
teleg ram, received yesterday afternoon, an as- say of the nnroasted ore from the lode at the is of great importance proving as it does that110 feet level gives the satisfactory amount of our ore reserves are payable in every place that we have cut them in the level. It will be years
seven per cent. of tin.-Straits Times. yet before we will require to work this ore, so that the ground we are now opening and prov- ing is an indication of our future prospects.
At
Leading Stope.-This is a little larger, being about 2 feet thick and carrying a little gold. It has every appearance of getting larger and with the present favourable country, ought to open out to a large lode again. No. 2 Stope has now reached the hard country and is pinch- ing the same as the other stopes did.
At pre- sent, it is fully 3 feet wide and carries good gold. No. 3 Stope. I have resumed work here, The lode is larger and will average about 12. feet wide of nice solid quartz carrying very good gold. No. 4 Stope, going north from the No. 3 Air-Shaft still continues small. I do not anticipate any improvement here until the lode resumes its original course; it is at present going very flat. No. 6 Stope.-I am pleased to report a considerable improvement here, this stope for months past has been small and of low grade. It has now opened out and is fully 6 feet wide, carrying fair gold. I expect to get good gold here shortly as it was near here that we got the splendid specimens last year. Bottom Level North Drive. The lode is a little larger being fully 6ft. wide of nice solid quartz carry. ing a little gold. South Drive. The lode still continues about 18ft. wide but is not quite su solid.
Bukit Jellis.-We have cut a chamber at the 250 feet level and crosscut 21ft. We are now engaged putting in another pump to continue sinking another 100ft.
BATTERY.
On Monday, 2nd instant, we had a general clean-up for the past nine weeks, work when: 2,449 tons realized 2,222 ozs. 15 ̊dwts. 12 grs, of smelted gold, being about 18 dwts. 2 grs. per ton. All of this ore came from Bukit Koman, I think our next crashing will be quite equal to this if not a little better. Crushing was re- sumed at 6.45 o'clock the same evening, and has continued since.
ELECTRIC INSTALLATION, The weather has been very wet during the past month; this has hindered the work and caused a lot of sickness amongst the Europeans and coolies employed on the work, but notwith- standing this, good progress has been made. The road from Tras to the power station is com- pleted and is now ready for traffic. The pipe. track is almost completed, there being still some blasting to do on it. The flume-line well in hand, at the dam end there is a lot of rock to blast, which will take some little time to re- ΠΟΥΘ. A contract has been let and coolies are now engaged enlarging the site of the power station. A contract has also been let
18th May.
CORRESPONDENCE.
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
PLAGUE AT KOWLOON-A REPLY TO DR. CLARK.
TO THE EDITOR QF THE
"DAILY PRESS.
11
SIR-I note in your this morning's issue some remarks made by Dr. Clark respecting an anonymous letter published in the Hongkong Telegraph on the 18th instant and of which I am the author. Dr. Clark states that the "letter teems with inaccuracies and false state- ments. I, on the other hand, will point out the inaccuracies in his remarks.
14
X-
He asserts that he received my report on the 14th instant, whereas he actually received it on the 13th instant. and for the sake of verifying my statement I enclose the official form received from him and which reads as follows:-
Sanitary Board Offices. "Hongkong, May 13th, 1898, SIR,-I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 13th instant, and beg to inform you that the matter shall receive immediate attention.-I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,"
Geo. Williams, Esq."
(Dr. Clark's signature.)
Now, sir, you will note that Dr. Clark's letter is dated the 13th instant, and it acknow. ledges the receipt of my communication of the 13th inst. Therefore I cannot understand why he states he received my letter on the 14th inst. My letter was entered in a chit book dated the 13th, and it was duly received and signed for on that date. That is misstatement number one.
I did not state in my letter to the press, "that the women were not taken away until 9.30 p.m. on the 15th instant." If you read over my letter you will note that I said they were re- moved on Saturday night at 9.30 p.m., that day being the 14th instant. Misstatement number two.
I distinctly mentioned in my letter, "reported it Dr. Clark on Friday at 12.30 p.m., 13th instant." I may have made an error in dating the letter in question as the 14th inst., but my chit book and the reply from Dr. Clark are dated the 13th instart, which proves bis iu.
accuracies.
The house was disinfected on the 15th. I leave your readers to form their own con- clusions in the matter, and whether it is "utter
[May 28, 1898,
drivel that is written over noms de plumes," as Dr. Clark states :-I am, sir, yours, &o.,
GEO. WILLIAMS.
[We have seen the reply of Dr. Clark, quoted
Hongkong, 20th May, 1898,
above. It is a printed form, and the date filled in is. as stated by Mr. Williams, the 13th.-ED. D.P.]
PUBLIC LATRINES AND FREE BATHS.
:
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS."]
SIR,-The Honourable Mr. Ormsby's sugges- tion of free public latrines for the Chinese deserves the warmest support of every citizen of Hongkong. The sum asked for is a very modest, one $3,600. Don't you think he could suggest that another $3,600 may be added for Free Baths for the Chinese, then we should kill two birds with one stone. The Chinese in this colony are showing strong tendencies to habits of cleanliness in their social life and I
them.-Yours, &c., think every encouragement should be given
CLEANLINESS.
"
Hongkong, 20th May, 1898.
FINANCE EXTRAORDINARY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
SIB, The Indian Government, at the behest of interested parties, is plunging deeper and deeper into the slough of restricted currency,
а
slough from which they may now emerge without bringing the country to the verge of bankruptcy, but which if further eutered may end in a greater Indian Mutiny than that of 1857 and one that will tax all the resources of Great Britain to suppress, not to mention the cost of it.
Do the present Indian financiers believe that the policy of robbing Peter to pay Paul can be more successful in India than is found to be the case in daily life all the wide-world over. Such
a policy is morally wrong even where the persons representing Paul have a debt due to them, but when the money taken from Peter is not really due to Paul it is a very dis- honest action; further, when Peter is in a position to pay a woalty Paul it is worse than dishonest; of poverty and his little all is taken from him it is an iniquitous and a mean act. of the Restriction of the Coinage Act is to rob the poor native in order to pay what is fleeced from him to the wealthy official classes and to the wealthy bond-holders.
The effect
is likewise a crazy proceeding, for it has failed It is not only an iniquitous proceeding, but it
keep up better were the mints thrown open to to effect the purpose intended; the
rupee would
free coinage, as before. Its only effect has been to depress trade and make money tight, a result felt all the world over, and not confined to India.
The latest act of lunacy has been the melting down of a large amount of the already restricted the advancement of the plea that the Restric- quantities available for currency purposes and tion Act was passed too late to effect its pur- pose. After this we may expect anything, except common sense, from the financial geniuses directing this strange freak.
Surely if a sense of honesty in dealing with the already heavily burdened native will not enter into the confused brain-boxes of these idiotic financiers the cry of the mercantile their business transactions will awaken them to classes for the means wherewith to conduct
a sense of the rock ahead, which they are steer. impression that it is a land of promise. ing for to the best of their ability, under the
A DESCENDANT OF INDIAN OFFICIALS OF THE OLD SCHOOL.
Hongkong, 26th May, 1898.
THE VASCO DA GAMA CELEBRATIONS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE
DAILY PRESS. SIR, The Portuguese community of Hong- kong is by far the largest of the kind in the Far East, yet it is the community that did the least in the matter of the Vasco da Gama cele- bration. The plague is ascribed as the reason for the non-celebration. How many Portuguese