TON
[FROM OUE CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 19th January.
A THREATENED RISH IN SILK. The native silk guild has been paying lekin and fort taxes for the last ten years to the amount of $150,000 yearly, and a merchant by name Ling and others, no doubt members or representatives of the guild, have petitioned the officials and offered to pay a further sum of $100,000 in addition to the above sum, mak- ing in all $250,000, for the monopoly of lekin, to be paid in monthly instalments, so as to take under their control the silk trade, under rules to submitted to and approved of by the authori- ties. Besides this they have offered to pay to the latter a squeeze of 3,000 taels, so as to make matters go easily. This probably will lead to the increase of price in silk in future, to the detriment of the foreign market.
THE MUEDEBIES TURNED PRIESTS. The two murderers of Yeong Cho Choi, a soldier of Li Ka Chook regiment, who turned priests and were arrested in a monastery at Ying Hoo hill near the city of Sew Hing by two spies, as described in my last letter of the 5th alt, were tried, and put to torture before the Prefect She. They denied the charge, and the case was further adjourned. It is said that they are members of the Kolao Hui,
AFFRAY AT A MONASTERY.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Suget her in the zoot bag and car off to a certain distance, when to their dismay it was discovered that she was his future mother-in-law. The old lady was left on the road to walk back home as best she could, while Tang and his associates took to their heels.
PERFORMANCE AT SHAMEEN.
On the evening of the 16th inst, a perform ance was given by the Canton amateurs in the audience. It was an opera in two sots entitled Club Theatre before a large and appreciative Bombastes Furioso. The performaners all sustained their parts very creditably and sang well, and the dresses and scenery were new. on the whole it was a great success. The whole community of Shameen was invited and entrance was free.
HONGKONG AND W HAMPOA DOCK COMPANY, LIMITED.
EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL
MEETINGS.
FIRST MEETING.
On the 21st inst., at noon, an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders in the Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Company, Limited, was held at the offices of the company, No.1, Queen's Buildings, for the purpose of confirming or otherwise as special resolutions the resolutions passed at the extraordinary general meeting of the company held on the 31st December last The following were the resolutions:----
In one of the Budhist temples in Fatshan, named Yan Sew, which has been existing for over a hundred years, there are several hundreds of priests. One day two itinerant Hunan1-That the following Article be inserted priests had a quarrel with other priests there. The abbot summoned them before him to make ¡ investigation, when being armed with fighting irons they struck him on the head, thereby causing a serious wound, and he fell down in sensible. The other priests immediately rush ed to his rescue, and had these two men tied up and handed over to the magistrate.
PIRACY FROM MESSRS. MELCHERS, Recently a boat sent by Messrs. Melchers and Company, with a consignment of kerosene oil and matches, into the interior and up the river of Yu Chü, in the district of Pan Yu, was robbed and captured by pirates. The matter was reported to the German Consul, who sent a despatch to the local Chinese official, when the cargo was discovered and a man named Leong A. To arrested. He denied the charge. A the chief offender, and of $70 for an accomplice. reward is issued of 8300 for the apprehension of
PIRACY RAMPANT IN KWANGTUNG.
....
after Article 6, namely:"6a. The Directors may issue certificates for fractions of shares, and provide for the exchange of such fractional certificates amounting to a whole share or number of shares for certificates of a whole share or shares."
2.-That in Article 11 the figures “4,000′′ be substituted for the figures “1,000.”
3. That the existing shares in the capital, namely 12,500 fully paid up shares of $125 each, be subdivided into 31,250 fully paid up shares of $50 each.
4.-That in Article 47 the figures "10,000 be substituted for the figures “2,500.” Thousand" be substituted for the words "One 5.-That in Article 59 the words "Four. Thousand."
6.-That in Article 62 the words "for overy be substituted for the words "for every complete complete additional number of forty shares
additional number of ten shares.”
It is reported that the local banditti and 7.-That in Article 71 the words "more than robbers in the districts and villages of Kwangtung twelve or less than six" be substituted for the are now worse than ever, and that where they words "more than nine or less than four." cannot succeed in exacting blackmail by 8.-That in Article 73 the words "two hun- threatening letters, they do not hesitate to rob dred" be substituted for the word "fifty." by force. Some of them have asssumed the 9-That in Article 96 the words "and names of generals and military officers. In bonuses" be deleted, and that at the end of Heong Shan, in the places known as Kungkuk the same Article there be added the following and Chee Chu Chow, the state of affairs is worse; paragraph, namely:"The Directors may also, a large band of pirates, to the number of 70 to with the consent of, and in such manner, and 80, had a fight with the mandarin soldiers, upon such conditions, and at such times as who captured nine of them, who were taken shall be authorised by shareholders in meeting, back to the yamen, and killed twenty-one. employ the reserve fund for the time being, Fifteen rifles and four boats were also captured, or any part thereof, in the payment of a bonus The robber "general" was named Chung Aor bonuses to shareholders in respect of every Sang, his military adviser Chung Kum Sang share and fraction of a share.” his A.D.C. Lee Amo, and another assistant The Hon. J. J. Keswick presided, and there went by the name of "broken-teethed " Yeongs They were beheaded.
BAGGING A MOTHER-IN-LAW.
In other provinces the custom obtains of taking away the bride by force; but this is not soon in Canton, and it is not legal to do so here. In the city of Sew Hing there lived with his family a man Ching, who kept a lot of pigs. His daughter Sew Lin, aged 16, was betrothed to a young man Tang, who had no means wherewith to marry the girl. So he made up his mind to kidnap her, and having concocted a plan with some evil associates, made a large cotton bag. It was customary for the daugh
to
go out into a lane every evening feed the pigs. It so happened that one, evening, the 8th inst, she was taken ill and her mother went to feed the pigs in her stead. It was pretty dark and hardly possible "dis- tinguish between young and old. So Tang nd his friends, hiding themselves in the lane, a female feeding the pigs, and approach
tar
A second
then held for the purpose following resolutions
[January 20, 1901.
1.That out of the present Reserve Fund amounting to $900,000 and out of the sum of $37,500 representing undivided profta, the directors do pay to every shareholder a bonus at the rate of $30 per share in respect of every in his name on the 28th day of February, 1901, share and fraction of & share which is registered and that such bonus be, at the option, expressed in writing, of any shareholder, applicable to the payment of the amount payable by such sharǝ- holder in respect of the taking up by him of his proportion of new shares under the pro-
visions of the next of these Resolutions.
2.-That on the ssid 28th day of February, 1901, the capital be increased from $1,562,50J to $2,500,000 by the issue of 18,750 new fully paid shares of $50 each, and that such new
up shares be offered at par to every shareholder who on that date is registered as such in the pro- portion of three new shares for every five shares of his registered holding on that date, and that if
any such shareholder shall not take up and pay for his said proportion of new shares be- fore the first day of June, 1901, the Direc.. tors may dispose of the proportion of new shares mot so taken up and paid for at such prices (not being less than the par value thereof) and upon such terms as they may in their discretion think fit.
The Directors may, however, in their dis- cretion, if the special circumstances of the case appear to them to render such a course desir- able in order to obviate hardship to a share- holder, permit a shareholder to take up and pay for the proportion of new shares to which he would be entitled under this resolution, not- withstanding that the aforesaid time-limit for doing so, namely the first day of June, 1901, has passed.
3. That the said new shares shall rank for dividend and bonus as on and from the first day of January, 1901.
The SECRETARY read the notice convening the meeting.
The CHAIRMAN-Gentlemen, the resolutions which you have just heard read to you explain themselves. It is unnecessary for me to make any remanks to further elucidate them. I therefore beg to submit them to the meeting
eristim.
meeting separately and carried unanimously.
The resolutions were then submitted to the
The seconders wero Messrs. Wilcox, Hum- phreys and Haskell.
the business of the meeting. I am very much The CHAIRMAN-Gentlemen, that concludes
obliged to you for your attendance,
HONGKONG LAND INVESTMENT
AND AGENCY CO., LD.
On Thursday at noon the thirteenth ordinary meeting of shareholders in the above company was held at the company's offices, Victoria Buildings. The Hon. J. J. Keswick presided, and there were also present the Hon. C. P. Chater, C.M.G., N. A. Biebs. A. J. Raymond, A. Haupt, D. M. Moses, J. H. Lewis (Directors), A. Shelton Hooper (Secretary), G. Murray Bain, S. 8. Benjamin, V. H. Deacon, F. M. de Graça, J. M. de Graça, W. J. Gresson, D. Has- kell, J. Hooper, P. Jordan, E. H. Joseph, 8. A. were also present Messrs. N. A. Siebe, J. 8. Van Joseph, R. K. Leigh, A. Mackenzie, M. Buren, A. Haupt, J. H. Lewis, R. Showan, H. Michael, 8. H. Michael, H. N. Mody, D. E. Brown, P. Witkowski (Directors), DEJ. Moses, M. S. Northcote, E. A. Ram, Š. Gillies (Chief Manager), T. I. Rose (Secretary), Rustomjee, C. 8. Sharp, R. C. Wilcox, R. R. C. Wilcox, H. Humphreys, T. Skinner, D. T: Wright, Ho Fook, Ho Kom Tong, and Haskell, Ho Fook, S. Rustomjee, and Lo Lo Cheung Shiu star Cheung Shui.
The SECRETARY` read the notice convening the meeting.
The CHAIRMAN said-The object of this meeting is to confirm the resolutions which were passed at the meeting held on the 31st Decem ber last. I will now read the resolutions, and propose them separately.
The CHAIRMAN then read and proposed the resolutions given above separately, the resolu tions being seconded and carried unanimously, The seconders were Messrs. Wilcox, Humphrey Rustomjee, Ho Fook, T. Skinner, D. Ha Rustomjee, Haskell, and Wiloor.
The CHAIRMAN That concludes the busi. mess of the extraordinary general meeting.
The SECRETARY read the notice convening
read the notio the meeting.
The CHAIRMAN said-Gentlemen, with your permission we will follow the usual practice and take the accounts as read. When I addressed you from this chair at the last annual meeting I was able to submit to you what we all then considered very satisfac- tory accounts of the previous year's and it I remember correctly I then sounded note of warning that we should not be too
mistic as to the future profita, but I
antifled that the caution was u
on this occasion the most mnguine expectatio including $3,352.94 brought, í
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