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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND still further disbanded, and drift off swelling | the coolie classes, or if their military instinots are not allayed, swell the ranks of the insur- gents in the periodical rebellions, or turn pirates. So, the money is squandered, and the armies go the way of other reforms in China.
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ted to mention that the majority were small children, who were thus being trained as profes- sional beggars. In spite of that complaint, and presumably many others that reach the police, nothing has been done to check this increasing nuisance. A few days ago a friend from the north, a cousul by the way, was entering a shop in Queen's Road, with a lady, when he was de The seat of the evil, and the great difficulty liberately followed into the shop by two or three confronting the upkeep of an efficient army, is roung rascals, who demanded ""cumshaws." the system of provincial viceregal government, The Chinese storekeeper had to drive them out, the absence of a justand equitable system of taxa- and they waited on the threshold for the bene- tion, or, in brief, the atter absence of any fin- volent-looking stranger, who only got rid of ancial system. If the soldiers were regularly them by taking a chair, Another lady of my paid, as soldiers of the Empire and not of acquaintance, on the same road, ignoring the Viceroys, if the status of the native officer was appeals of a beggar, was surprised to find her raised to attract and keep desirable young men. arm roughly seized, and had to intimidate the willing to go through a thorough modern train- beggar with her umbrella to escape him. Oning, there would be some use in talking of Sunday morning last I counted thirteen beggars handing over foreign trained battalions to native between the Cathedral and Glenealy, all control. But as things financial at present exist, sorts and all sizes, demanding alms from aud are likely to do so, until the financial ad- every Europeau Å Sikh policeman WAB ministration of the Empire is placed under for- carefully patrolling the same section, which had eign control on the same basis as the I.M. no effect on the presence of these vagrants. To Customs, it is impossible, and if your Weihaiwei find a parallel, one will soon have to journey to Regiment was handed over to the Viceroy of & Chinese city, and as neither Singapore nor Pechili, it would become a banner corps in a Shaughai are infested with this class of people, month, and after that would be heard of no it is difficult to understand the indulgence of more, though its pay-sheet might for many the authorities here. One of the unofficial
years appear on the expenditure side of the members at the next Council meeting might give annual statements of the Viceroy to Peking. notice of a question to the Chief of Police, as to
OBSERVER. why wholesale begging by natives from Euro- Feans is permitted in the colouy, in reply to which at the subsequent meeting the chief might which would enlighten and produce reasons pacify not a few residents.
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With reference to General Black's recent speech in which he expressed his opinion that if one or two Chinese battalions had been raised in the sixties, they would have formed the nucleus of a Chinese army, I am inclined to your opinion, Mr. Editor, that the question of regenerating the state by means of an efficient army is a theory that possesses at least two as- pects. It is one thing to raise the desired army by means of foreign money, honesty, and brains, but it is another matter in China to keep up that army when it is handed to the pro- vincial authorities for control. If Great Britain had philanthropically trained a brigade of Chi- nese the reform of China would not have been advanced one iota until enforceable guarantees were given that the Brigade would be regularly paid and kept efficient. This would necessitate a thorough reform of the financial system, or rather want of system, in China, and when that is secured there would be no difficulty in get- ting soldiers and even trained native officers.
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THE INTERPORT SHOOTING
MATUH.
SHANGHAI'S SCORE. The shooting of the Shanghai team in con- nection with the Interport Rifle Match has resulted in 887 being scored.
Shanghai scored 893 last year, Hongkong 934. and Singapore 926. Of the nine contests which have taken place Hongkong has won six, Singapore two, and Shanghai one. The Hongkong team shoot on Saturday.-EB. D.P.]
FOOTBALL NOTES.
The initial game of the Hongkong Football Club's A team, played on Wednesday against H.M.8. Endymion, was a very even affair and resulted in a draw. The navy men scored once in the first half through the instrumentality of their centre forward, and H. S. Holmes equalized for the Club during the second period. The Endymion's goal keeper should have prevented the score against his side.
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On Tuesday the Hongkong Football Club's fifteen outplayed the Royal Welch Fusi- liers, representatives in Rugby game. The Club scored three tries. Hancock was entrusted with the attempt to convert once and Castle (Captain) made the other two attempts himself, but none of the efforts were successful. The soldiers made no score, so the result was Club nine points, R.W.F. nil.
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13th November.
The fact is perhaps sometimes lost sight of that in China the profession of a soldier is one that respectable families look askance at. The man who becomes an officer is generally run pretty close in other opportunities for making a living, and as his position gives him no stand. ing in public opinion, but is regarded rather as a last resource for a man of brains, and no fit- Ling employment for a mau of means, it can be The most important event in the football readily understood that the officer class is not world during the week was the drawing of the exactly that required to reform any country. first round of Shield ties, which occurred on With due deference to the gallant General's Tuesday, the particulars of which we have al opinions, the experiment of organising regi-ready published. Only one naval team, H.M,S. ments of Chinese on modern lines has been repeatedly tried, especially in recent years, and found wanting. Under the jurisdiction of the Viceroys at Nanking and Tientsin bat- talions of men have been raised, splendid fellows as regards physique, tractability, and under. standing, who have been trained by competent European officers, and at the various reviews aud in sundry rebellions, have given evidence of their fitness as soldiers. The reason of this being simply that the Chinaman, like most other people, when paid fairly well for his services. and paid regularly, is willing to drill regularly and becomes an efficient fighting unit. But what is the eventual result? Why, the Viceroy finds that the squeezes or contributions de- manded from Peking to compensate blunders made elsewhere, suddenly grow larger. He is forced to retrench and squeezes in turn his The Hongkong Football Club brought off subordinates; the foreign instructors are gradu- two fixtures during the week, on Monday a ally dismissed, the native officers find their pay weak team drawing with G Co., R.W.F., and decreased, and to make up for it they squeeze on Wednesday a representative eleven beating those remaining soldiers who are not disbauded the 38th Co. Artillery by oue goal to nil. We when the foreign instructors are dismissed. I have, however, already reported on these games. Finally, the men, objecting to this, desert or are The Honorary Secretary of the Hongkong
Victorious, has entered this season, and on this account the number of clubs competing is below the average. All the ties for this round have to be played off by 31st Dec. An early start is being made, the first coming off next Saturday, the 18th instant. We have seen too little of the teams to speak with any degree of certainty as to results, but we should say that the best foot. ball will be.seen in the encounters between the Club and 25th 8.D., R.A. and Victorious, and Royal Engineers. The R.E. in the past have never been particularly strong, but this season they appear to have a more formidable eleven than usual. Burrell and Barlow, late of Kowloon, are now in their ranks, and both of these are players of no mean order. The 38th Co. R.A. and the Engineers' Institute we think should get through their matches all right.
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[November 18, 1899.
Football Club sends us the following fixtures for this week:
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This afternoon at 4.30 the Royal Engineers' Recreation Club will be met, when the Club team will be: F. H. Kew, goal; M. B. Blake and B. C. M. Johnston, backs; H. W. Looker, C. T. Kew, and W. H. Howard, halves; and E. J. Libeaud, H. E. Green, J, F. Noble, H. C. R. Hancock, and J. D. Danby, forwards.
Johnston is a strong player, but has been unable to turn out before, owing to an injury received while playing for Noble in the six-a- side competition.
On Wednesday the newly formed A team will play its opening match, and on Thursday there will be the usual Rugby game. On Saturday, as mentioned above, a Shield tie will be played.
The match, reported in this column last week, between the V.R.C. and the Engineers, Institute has been the cause of much misfortune to the former club Not content with beating the Recreation men by four goals to nothing, the Engineers did them a far greater injury by enticing away, couple of their best men. This, to say the least, is unkind, for it is difficult enough at any time for the V.R.C. to get a decent team on the field. It is a plucky little club and it is very hard for it to have to stand this rebuff. For five or six successive years it has put a team on the field, never with much success, but it has always come up smiling. The powerful Kowloon Club did not meet with one tenth the disappointments of the V.R.C., but it is now defunct, whilst the sturdy little Recreation team has still kept going, and it is particularly disappointing that this season, when the latter has just obtained the privilege of a ground, this new organisation should come forward and spoil its chances. The Engineers' Institute team is formed from players from the elsewhere," principally "else- Institute and " where," but most of them are also members of the Victoria Reoreation Club, and all are eligible for membership. We think it a pertin- ent question to ask. If the Engineers were unable to form a team amongst themselves, and apparently such is the case, why did they not join the V.R.C. Club and strengthen it instead of adopting the course they have and attempting · to wreck it?
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If the V.R.C. team collapses there will be no olub in the colony in which the beginner will be able to cultivate the game. However, we know there are a few prominent members of the club who will do their best to prevent such an unfortunate occurrence and we see no reason why they should not be successful.
On Saturday the V.R.C. received a severe drubbing from the Royal Engineers, being Seth was unable beaten by five goals to one. to turn out for them, Tuohy has gone over to the Engineers, and Howarth has been transferred to Shanghai, so they could not be expected to do very well. The R.E. outplayed them, but hardly to the extent of the score. They missed Tuohy and Howarth very much, and their back division was in consequence decidedly rooky. In the second half their forwards put in some good runs, but their backs collapsed entirely, offering very little resistance to the R.E. at- tack. They have absolutely no weight in the team. The R.E. are a fairly level lot all round, but Deane, half back, and Lieut. Brown centre forward are about the best. Their wing for. wards finesse too much and against a good great deal, but Lieut. defence would not score Brown in the centre always makes straight for the goal.
As we do not wish the V.R.C. any harm we will not remark on any of their players, for just at the moment it would doubtless injure the club to praise the play of any of its team.
The A Coy R.W.F. defeated the Engineers' Institut, at Causeway Bay on Saturday by two to nil, one goal being scored in each half. Owing to the late hour at which the game was arranged the Engineers were unable to get their full team on, so the match-assumed rather a scratch nature and afforded no criterion as to the relative abilities of the teams. The soldiers did not play badly, but none of the Engineers in any way distinguished themselves.
The Foochow Echo of the 4th November says -The rice harvest has commenced this week and the crop is reported to be fairly good on the average. In some districts the growing orops have suffered severely through want of rain.