294
time to be hit with a large loss. We may have several of them all in one year, and we do not want to have to reduce our divi- dend and our bonus to contributors in such a
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
GYMKHANA MEETING.
Favonred with fine weather the fifth and last Gymkhana of the season came off on Saturday, 6th inst, at the Race Course, and was a decided success. From the ring of the first saddling bell, till the last ring of merriment over the final event never slackened, and the working committee must be congratulated upon such a pleasant termination of another year's labours. At Saturday's meet the ladies turned up in numbers, and as the day wore on some one said they predominated. They certainly attended in larger parties than usual, and early in the after-
P. A. Cor nominate Gwyther, R.W.F.
October 13 1000,
Mr. Hill, R.W.F nomin Capt. Goodwin, RA, nomina
LEMON CUTTING —Cavalry Four ents. Points for pace and
Blake.
igan:
case to meet a loss that we have had the oppor. tunity of providing for otherwise. It is also an addition to the security of our policy holders, and, as I have said before, the increased premium -- which it enables us to earn helps materially to of the day, the interest in the sports from all sides Entrance $1. Prize from Gymkhana Fund.
pay our dividends. The "Underwriting Sus- pense Account" has always been in existence. We have still considerable claims to pay on account of former years, and this is the money we have put aside to pay them out of. Now that we are showing separately the item "Reinsurance Fund" it is thought best to show this item too.
The balance of $115,000 under the heading noon took up every coign of vantage available, scoring first plan t
"Sundry Creditors represents personal credi- tors of the Society in various parts of the world. On the other side of the balance sheet
thereafter evincing the greatest interest in the various events of the day's programme. The general pleasure and amusement shown in the
assembled.
run
are shown our Investments in Hongkong, sports, however, were marred somewhat by an jump race this season revious winners of a
Shanghai, London, and Melbourne. At the time of the scare in the North attention was naturally drawn to the position of the Society's mortgages at Shanghai and even at Hongkong. Our mortgages are all on good rentable property with considerable margin of security, and while, of course, we do not expect the security of con- sols combined with a seven or eight per cent. investment, the Directors are satisfied that the proportion of the Society's funds which is in- vested in mortgage is not too large at either place. Before proposing the adoption of the report I shall be glad to know if anybody would like to ask any questions.
There being no questions, the CHAIRMAN proposed the adoption of the report and ac- .counts...
Mr. PLAYFAIR, in seconding, said-It is very gratifying to see the increasing prosperity of the Company and the increasing dividend, and it must be a source of satisfaction that the mantle of the late directors had fallen upon such worthy successors. There is one point in the report which is worthy of commendation, and that is the recommendation of a bonus to the staff. The labourer is worthy of his hire, and in these days of increased cost of living and when the buying value of the dollar is much less than it was ten years ago, I think it is only just we should pay him an increased salary or give him a bonus, or both. There is one suggestion I should like to make to the direct- ors Now that the company is in such a strong position, could they not see their way to relax in some small measure the very strin- gent rule about the transfer of shares? The in-
trinsic value of a share is $300, and with good will and prospective value it is very much more than that, and yet if a shareholder wants to sell his shares he can only get about $245 each. That is to say he does not get the value of his property. I can quite understand that at first in the early days of the company it was very necessary to have this rule, but I do not believe that now-a-days it would affect the income of the company one little bit if a little relaxation was shown and it would be a great boon to the shareholders.
Messrs. N. A, Siebs and R. L. Richardson were re-elected directors on the motion of Mr. SLADE, seconded by Mr. MORRIS.
Messrs. J. H. Čox and W« Hutton Potts were re-elected auditors, on the motion of Mr. HASKELL seconded by Mr. WICKHAM,
The SECRETARY-On behalf of the staff both here and in London I beg to thank the share- holders for their handsome bonus. We shall do our best to deserve it. (Hear, hear.)
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accident which befel the Hon. R. M. Gray's Emperor during the second steeplechase. The animal was in a good position of taking a place in the race, when on the bend home he fell at the last steeple mount, and threw his rider some dis tance ahead of him. Mr. Potts's Forest King came bounding over scarcely a neck behind Em- peror, when he too came a cropper but rising again riderless galloped over the course towards the Black Rock, while Emperor, severely injured, limped clear of the steeple, and was led off the ground. The riders themselves came out of the spill without a scratch. The Band of the Royal Watch Fusiliers.attended, and played a choice selection of song and dance music during the afternoon. The following were the events :-
WATERING RACE.-China ponies only. Ride one pony and lead another by a halter, round a post and in. No whips. Entrance $1. Prize from Gymkhana Fund,
A capital start was made notwithstanding two or three of the ponies preferred to be for- cibly dragged rather than run willingly over the ground. Dunmore took the lead almost from the first whip, and maintained it through- out, Offside making a good second, while The Flyer and Lazy Bones came in a rather bad third. Lieut.-Comdr. Wilkin's Dunmore and A. N.
Other...
Capt. Loring's Off-side and Buccaneer Capt. Goodwin's The Flyer and Lazy
Bones
Major Koe's Peking and Tientsin Mr. Hill's Can Do and Have Got Mr. Stockwell's A. B. C. and X. Y. Z.
2
3
6
OPEN STEEPLECHASE. Catch weights over 11 stones. Start at Black Rock, once round and
in. First prize, presented by Hon. R. M. Gray. 2nd prize, $20. Entrance $2.
There were five competitors and they entered the field apparently in good trim. They got away together, and for a few score yards there was scarcely any perceptible difference between them. Charlie was the first to spurt, and then The Miser, followed by Lady Laura. When half round the course Mac showed a good place with Charlie and Lady Laura, but on the bend home the latter fouled at the last mount,
and falling, threw her rider somersault fashion; this gave Mao a chance of coming up with Miser, and with Charlie leading, they came in in the order named.
44
Mr. Babington's Charlie, 15.2 Lieut.-Comdr. Wilkin's Mac, 15,2 Mr. Brutton's The Miser, 15.0 Mr. Wibel's Ingo, 15.0
Mr. Burton's Lady Laura, 15.0
well, Capt. Loring, and Mr. Labertonche. The There were three competitors, Major Kettle- first two named came almost to a level and ent in twain two lemons out of four piled on bam- boos a few yards apart from each other, but the Major scored on the final dash and swept asunder one more than his opponent, thus amid the cheers of those
STEEPLE CHASE. For China Ponies. Weight as win, 10 lbs. for two. First prise from Gym- penalized 7 lbs,” for one khana Fund. Second prize, $20. Entrance $2. This was the most exciting of the afternoon s sports, and were it not for the scoident referred to above would have been the best run day. There was a splendid start, the ponies n of the keeping well together till the first post was reached. Then came a spurt and a scatter, and for a time it looked as if there would be a tie between Emperor and Interrogation, so well did they round Black Rock, and together mount the hurdles on the off-side of the course. They however got parted, and Interrogation forged ahead, while Emperor and Pilgrim came up behind, with Peking and Forest King close on their heels. Then came the unfortunate spilla which entirely turned the race, and finally the ponies passed the winning post in the order given below
Mr. R. H. Potts Interrogation, 13 hds. 2
ins., 11st. 4lbs. Mr Hill's Pilgrim, 18hds. 2ins., 11st. 4lbs. 2 Major Koe's Pekin, 13 hds. 3ins., 11st. 7lbs. Mr. Stockwell's Dunrobin, 13hds. 1 in., 11
st. llb
Mr. R. H. Potts Forest King, 13hds. 2ins.,
11st. 4 lbs.
Hon. R. M. Gray's Emperor, 13hds. lin.,
1st. 11lbs.
A buffalos' race with its usual merriment concluded the day's programme.
CRICKET.
THE OPENING MATCH OF THE SEASON.
On Saturday morning, 6th inst., the cricket season at Hongkong was opened with a match,
First XII. v. All-Comers, fifteen players appear. ing in the latter team. The First XII. won on the first innings by 19 runs, passing their oppon- ents' score with seven wickets down. Score:
· ALL-COMERS. Major Dorehill, o Smith, b J. Grant Smith, e Burnie,
Elliott
b Strong:
B. E. Hanson, b Elliott Capt. Wall, o Elliott, b
Strong
Lt. Krickenbeek, b Strong E. A. Sargent, b.Strong Lieut. Burke, b Strong Lieut. Legard, o Smith, b
Strong
0
15
.0
not on
10
e Burnie, b Ward 32
... 11' not out. Aleo Marsh, b Strong ་་་་ H. Sutton, c Buttenshaw, b
Strong
4
-
G. A. Woodcock, o Ward,
b Smith
9
0
J. Hooper, b Lee
15
Lowe
21
LADIES NOMINATION.-The Wardrobe Stakes. The CHAIRMAN-Gentlemen, that is all the Gentleman to start from post down the straight, business. Dividend warrents will be sent out ride to lady at Entrance Gate, and get dressed in fancy costume of at least three articles, then ride back past winning post. First past post to win. Prizes, objets d'art.
to-morrow.
་
Traffic northwards is becoming very brisk, says the Shanghai Mercury. All steamers bound to Taku and Newchwang have been full, in the saloons, Passages have had to be secured days before the sailing of the steamers, so great has been the demand. There have been but few of the compradore class of Chinese return ing except those employed by foreigners. The greater bulk of cargo going North has been coal and commissariat stores, cattle and ponies. Launches and lighters are in great demand at Port Arthur and Taku, adds the Mercury, and good. number have already gone up from Shanghai and Hongkong.
'I his was the most amusing event of the day. The ladies had selected a good variety of costumes, and as they gathered in a little spot within the enclosure a few yards from the start- ing bell they met with quite an enthusiastic reception. Lieut. Comdr. Wilkin, R.N., who was robed as a sailor, was described the winner, and Mr. Stockwell, R.W.F., arrayed as a circús clown, was declared second. The competitors. were therefore :-
Lieut. Comdr. Wilkin, R.N., nominated by
Mrs. Morris. 1 Mr. Stockwell, R.W.F., nominated by................. Mrs. R. H. Bertie.
Capt. Ainslie, o Noble, b
D. W. Salter, not out.... .... 11 e Smith, b Wood- E. Mast, b Lowe ....................................
Extras
Total
gates
13
ཟ་སཟབ་་་ནན ་་་་་*་་་
21
. 123 | Total (2 wickets) 74 FIRST XII.
Lieut. Strong, o Balter, b Dorchill A. G. Ward, o Smith, b Salter t H. M. Elliott, e Hanson, b Dornhill, C. M, G. Burnie, b Dorshill J. J. Wild, 6 Wall be
A. B. Lowe, & Burke, b Krickenbec J.J. Lee, b Krickenbeek ...... J. A. Woodgates, o Mast, J. F. Noble, e Burke, b Balt Major Buttenshaw, b Balt B. C. Gerrard, b Salter T. Berbombe Buxith,
Extras