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THE PIRACY OF THE PORTUGUESE STEAMER " TAIPING”
TFE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
honestly used, but it seems useless to expect that they will be so used unless they are placed under European cominand.
BRIGANDAGE AND PIRACY IN THE TWO KWANG.
July 29, 1899,
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rolling that waterway and the idea is a good one, which might fairly be acted upon. With regard to the Taiping tragely, it is to by hoped the Portuguese Government will demand full satisfaction for the outrage, and that the demand will be adequately supported by the other Powers, especially be Great Brit in. The first step is to secure the men who shot OZORIO, the next to insist upon adequate punishment. Finally, ample compensation should be insisted upon for the loss and trouble those on board the Taiping were made to suffer by the pirates. Sup- posing, however, all this is obtained, it will not restore the lives sacrificed nor will it, the minds of traders; neither will it relieve the producers of cargo from the danger hanging over them, and which serves to paralyse their efforts to develop trade. If the free navigation of the great waterways of Southern China is to prove a really valu able concession to the Treaty Powers, the piracy now rampant in the two Kwang will have to be put down with a firm band. Is the Viceroy willing to do this, and has he the means to carry the intention into effect? The British authorities are no doubt willing to co-operate with gunboats- but they cannot undertake to police the river gratuitously.
THE INDIAN CURRENCY QUESTION
-| * (Daily Press, 22nd July.) The piracy of the Portuguese steamer Tai- the West River illustrates once growing danger under which tra- Mỗ on that waterway is conducted. Form-
(Daily Press, 27th July.) the usual plan adopted by the pirates The condition of the Two Kwang provinces was for a portion of the gang to take passage has now for several years been most dis- by the vessel it was intended to rob and orderly, and a general feeling of insecurity upon reaching a point previously agreed both of life and property has for long been upon to rise and overpower the crew and felt by that portion of the population hav- passengers and transfer the booty to boats ing anything to lose. Piracies on the which the remainder of the gang had in waterways, armed robberies in the country, Waiting. The small steamers plying on and raids by banditti even in the large for some time at least, restore confidence int the river have now adopted the use of grat- towns have now become constant, and the ings to confine the passengers below and pre-criminals, waxing bolder with past success- vent their access to the upper deck, after ful ventures, now carry on their operations the plan adopted by the Canton and Macan under the very noses of the chief officials, mor, since the memorable Spark tragedy. The native papers teem with accounts of This plan, however, has not proved suffic- the doings of organised bands of robbers ient to baulk the pi
pirates, who now attack who hatten on the industrious people and from the outside, using an armed launch levy blackmail on every thriving district. for the purpose. If peaceable merchant The local authorities as a rule are afraid to steamers are to be exposed to attack in this interfere, if, as not infrequently happens, ner it is clear that they can do little to they are not in league with the brigands. themselves, and the pirates, en- Even when, in response to an appeal to the by their success and immunity Viceroy for assistance in putting down this Toumshment, may possibly sometime conspiracy against property, a military "Indined to fly at higher game than the force is sent to the disturbed district, it All West River steamers. It is essential almost invariably arrives too late to render that this danger to navigation and trade any assistance or is too feeble to follow and should be removed, and as it appears useless hunt down the banditti in their Inir. After to expect the Chinese to do anything effec- a brief and ineffectual display of force, tive in that direction themselves it is for the therefore, which is no doubt highly edify foreign Powers primarily Great Britain as ing to the robbers in their fastnesses, the the Power most immediately interested to troops return to the City of Rams, and the ake the matter in hand and police the river brigands swoop down upon some other with their own gunboats or organise a flotilla place to repeat the tactics already tried with so much success and so little personal danger. The latest manifestation by these pests has been in the silk district of Saichiu, where they came down on the place and forced each silk shop to pay $400 and other shops in proportion to the amount of their business. The people of this district are getting thoroughly alarmed, we hear, at the demands of the robbers and the
by the
Chinese officials. Indeed there
to believe that they would hail with great satisfaction the substitution of British for Chinese authority. What they want is security, so that they may enjoy the fruits of their industry in peace, none daring to make them afraid or to molest them in their avocations. At present they live in a state of uneasy alarm, terrorised by the presence in the province of a horde of desperate brigands who are bent on obtaining plunder somehow and somewhere. Things have grown so bad
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ate under the Chinese flag but to be ontrolled, commanded, and officered by ans. Some time ago the Viceroy of ston detached several torpedo boats for this instead of hurting out the pirates devoted themselves to the more nerative task of towing junks. It has alleged also that some of the native al are either in active league with the
or find it to their interest not to in-helplessness shown with them. This charge appears to ell founded, for the pirates' resorts are known and yet nothing is done to cope with them. One of their head centres is Köngmoon, near which the latest piracy Fred, and it seems incredible that a launch armed with cannon and could
the put out without ities being well aware that she on no ordinary errand of trade, or she could return to dispose of her oty without the same authorities knowing Ilwell that the property was stolen,
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(Daily Press, 26th July.) Indian and Ceylon papers received by the German mail yesterday contain telegraphic summaries of the report of the Indian Cur- rency Committee. The Committee consisted of the Right Hon. Sir HENRY H. FOWLEK,
Lord BALFOUR G.C.S.I., M.P.; BURLEIGH, Secretary for Scotland; Sir JOHN MUIR, Bart., lately Lord Provost of Glasgow; Sir FRANCIS MOWatt, K.C.B., Secretary to the Treasury; Sir DAVID BARBOUR, K.C.S.I., lately Financial Mem ber of the Council of the Governor-General of India; Sir CHARLES CROSTHWAITE, K.C.S.I.. Member of the Council of India Mr. F. C. LE MARCHANT, Member of the Council of India; Mr. ...EVEBARD FAMBRO, a Director of the Bank of Eng- land, Mr. W. H. HOLLAND, President of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce; Mr. ROBERT CAMPBELL, General Manager- of the National Bank of India; and Sir ALFRED DENT, K.C.M.G.; with Mr. ROBERT CHALMERS, of Her Majesty's Treasury, ng Secretary. The report is unanimously in favour of the establishment of the gold standard. Several members of the committee make separate recommendations on points of detail, but they are updivided as regards
question of piracy on the waterways of now in many districts that no one is safe the main question. They say, in section
the adjoining provinces was dealt with in one of the resolutions which the Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce sent to Lord CHARLES -Beresford in November last. The resolution_read :—“In view of the lawless condition of the Two Kwang it "should be strongly impressed on the Chi-
Government that vigorous mensures “be promptly taken to put down brigand-
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from robbers, and even the payment of blackmail does not always secure immunity from further exactions.
more.
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8, that the effective establishment of a gold standard is of paramount importance to the material interests of Imlin, not only to The extension by the pirates of the sphere promote existing trade, but to encourage the of their operations to vessels on the West influx of capital. It is, therefore, not merely River flying foreign flags is likely, however, in the interest of the natio, al finances to bring the condition of the two provinces that the recommendation is made, but ins prominently before the Foreign the interests of trudde also. Discussing the Powers. Trade is greatly obstructed by fears of the Intian tea industry being and restore order throughout the the interferences of the robbers and pirates threatened by Chium producing
on in silver Vindes. "The Chamber would not be with native craft; it becomes an intolerable basis, the Committee considers that the. yond its functions if it took the offence when that interference is extended peromnent interests of the industry would. again and advanced some definite to foreign steamers. When the foreign be promoted if worked under the sime or dealing with
the evil. The work steamers, because they are small craft, | standarı of value as the countries to which; are audaciously stopped, the master they export their produce. The fears of shot dead or placed hors de combat, and the planters have, therefore, been held-- passengers and their baggage forcibly to be unfounded, and we think
rightly removed, it becomes a question how is only during the period of transition that far and how long we are to submit to this a depreciating currency can assist producers, sort of thing. A correspondent suggests for when the diminution in the purchasing that another gunboat, the Snipe, should be value of the currency has been fully realised placed on the West River to assist in pat the price of labour as of all other commodi-
sion should naturally be done at of China, and the simplest plan probably be to require the Viceroy dbou to allow a flotilla to be organised
European control.
A great deal doubt be accomplished with the boats already told off for the if they were intelligently and