512
rain. A few hose-pipes from the floating fire engines could do this effectively daily.
In his Plague Report for 1894, Dr. Lowson, said any civilised centre need not fear com. bating an epidemic of plague if sufficient medical men are forthcoming to meet it. Think of the wretchedly undermanned medical and public health staffs we now havo and realise how the Government have profited by Dr. Lowson's warning!
If the Government is hopelessly unable to fight the disease, and is unwilling to expend any of that dear surplus it hugs so tightly to its official bosom, perhaps a public subscription list, which will put the Government to everlast- ing shame and condemnation, will help to
alleviate the present shameful condition of things.
We want more doctors, a dozen at least, and
at least a corps of 300 supernumerary Sanitary Inspectors, made up of volunteers from the regiment. These can be had by the expenditure of a portion of that very surplus. We want the daily fushing of sewers, at least on the lower levels, by the fire-boats, and if they can be employed for weeks in pumping out derelict dredgers, they may also be allowed to serve a useful purpose in cleansing the lower streets and drains daily.
Has the Government no brains that it cannot think these and other remedial measures out and put them into operation, or is it going to Sumber for ever at the Peak and leave the lower levels to disease and death, or wait until a wholesale exodus from the colony reminds it of its duty ?-Yours, etc.,
8.
[As our correspondent will see from the paragraph in another column, the flushing of the sewers was begun last Saturday, so that we have at last one necessary step taken for meeting the present epidemic.-ED. D. P.]
THE FLUSHING OF THE SEWERS
Hongkong, 18th June.
**
带有
Own
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS. Sir. Really the Government ought to “
and ask the leading inhabitants to help пр them out of the present plague crisis. Just fancy after all these years of inaction and in competence to start flushing drains from the bottom of a hill. It is obvious to all thinking people that if the drains are to be flushed water must be taken to a high level and poured down. It becomes necessary to point out to the authorities" that water does not flow upwards, It is also necessary to point out that the present "method" of turning a hose into the bottom of a drain can only have the effect of driving the sewer rats to a higher level and thus spread- ing the plague.
It is known that rats are the chief distribu- tors of plague. Why not make an honest attempt to exterminate rats. Surely someone is responsible for the inaction which is dealing out death, misery, and suffering in our midst. Can any of your readers say who is P-Yours,
etc.,
PROTEST.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
SUPREME COURT.
}
Monday, 17th June.
IN SUMMARy JurisdictION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR A. G. WISE (PUISNE JUDGE).
TROUBLE ABOUT A WATCH.
watchmakers and jewellers, 74, Queen's Road, Lock Hing Nam sued J. Ullmann & Co., for the return of 8100 on the price of a watch sold to the plaintiff by the defendants.
plaintiff, and Mr. E. J. Grist, s licitor, for the Mr. J. 8. Harston, solicitor, appeared for the
defendant.
Mr. Harston explained the facts of the case, which were as follows. On or about September, 1900, the plaintiff bought from the defendant & Chinese gold watch, and was so ple:sed with it that he determined to buy another from them. He ordered the second watch, and said he wanted it made with a repeater movement. On the 4th of May this year the plaintiff called at the defendant's shop, and saw the manager,
who told him that the watch was in proper working order. The plaintiff asked " Does the case weigh three ounces in gold ?" The defendant's manager replied "Yes, it does, and if it were possible I shou'd weigh it; but the movement of the watch is so com- plicated that I would advise you not to have it weighed, as the movement might thereby be impaired." The plaintiff said Well, should like to have the case weighed," and the defendant's manager answered you have it weighed I won't have the watch warranted for three years" (referring presumably to the firm's custom of guarantee- ing watches for three years). The manager added-"If the watch case does not weigh three ounces in gold, I will retu n $100 out of the sum of $300 you are going to pay for the watch." The plaintiff asked-"Will you add that to your bill ?" and the manager said
44
If
Yes," thereupon writing the agreement on the bill. This, Mr. Harston submitted, con- stituted an undertaking on the part of the defendant to refund the sum of $100 if the watch-case did not weigh three ounces. The plaintiff read the bill through, and found added certain figures in brackets- **89.45. g**,
He asked for an explanation of these figures, and the manager replied-
'It's all right. If you read you will see that I undertakejto return $100 if the watch-case does not weigh three ounces in gold.' The plaintiff found this to be so, and paid the money $300 for the watch, which he took away with him. A day or two later he had the watch-case weighed at Messrs. C. J. Gaupp and Co.'s, and discovered that it did not weigh three ounces-- further, that it was not even the weight of 89.45 giammes. He consulted Mr. Ewens, solicitor, certain correspondence between the parties ensued, and the case was finally taken into Court.
The plaintiff, Lock Hing Nam, was called and gave evidence. Mr. Grist afterwards cross- examined.
The watch was taken to pieces in Court by one of the defendant firm's Chinese workmen and the case weighed by a European from Messrs. Gaupp. Weighed with steel which Mr. Grist held formed part of the case, weighed 90 grammes. Without the steel, which Mr. Harston contended was not part of the ca e, it weighed 88.1/10 grammes.
it
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS,'
19th June. SIR,-Isee that our sewers are being "flushed" with water from hoses. Now, all the flow of water from a hose will, in my opinion, be quite insufficient to have any appreciable flushing effect on sewers of such size as those in Queen's Road. I consider that if the same quantity of water were used periodically for thoroughly His Lordship, after hearing arguments, scouring and cleaning the foot-paths and gut-entered judgment for the plaintiff, with costs. ters, the effect would be immensely better- especially those foot-paths which are protected from rain, where sputa and little heaps of refuse, etc., gradually dry up and become floating dust.- Yours, etc.,
SCIENCE.
Tuesday, 18th June.
Criminal JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR JOHN Carbing. TON, KT., C.M.G. (CHIEF JUSTICE)
(June 22, 1901.
attempted larceny; (4) Lo Yew Hai; (5) Pang Lun, (u) selling counterfeit coins; (b) uttering counterfeit coins, (c) having three or more counterfeit coins in his possession, (d) uttering counterfeit coins; (6) Tai Tsing, giving a bribe to a public servant with a view to influence his conduct.
2
Hon. H. E. Pollock, K.C. (Acting Attorney. General), addressing his Lordship, said he should like to mention certain cases on the
after case 1, which would finish that day. Cases cal-ndar. Case 6 was defended by Mr. Robin- son, and he would ask his Lordship to take it and 5 were defended by Mr. Francis; case 2 might be taken immediately after case 6, and 5 immediately after case 2. Case 3 Mr. Pollock asked his Lordship to take after all the other cases; it would be defended by Mr. Sharp. With regard to case 4, that would be sent back to the magistrate to be re-heard.
case
His Lordship agreed to this arrangement of the cases.
TRIAD SOCIETY CASE,
member of an unlawful society, to wit., the Chan Ching Un was charged with being a Triad Society. He pleaded not guilty.
*
The following jury were empanelled: Messrs. Guilio Badalo, Joaquim dos Passoo Noronha, Cesario Maria Barradas, Christoph Wilhelm Jean Hagelberg, Beltrao Lucas de Carvalho, Viviato Bonrifacio de Souza, and Martin Meyer.
Mr. Pollock said the defendant was arrested
by Chinese P. S. 254 on 14th May, who on the following day went with the defendant to his house-a matshed near Mong Kok. The ser geant searched the house, and found amongst other things a book wrapped up in a handker chief with various other books. These books would be proved by a witness for the prose cution, who had made a study of Triad Society doctrines, to be writings of the Triad Society. The Chinese sergeant would prove that he found the books inside the defendant's box. and would also tell that the defendant said the box and all the books were his. A minute afterwards the defendant changed his story and said the book was given to him by a friend. The sergeant said he would like to see the friend, and the defendant then said he had picked up the book from the ground. When taken to the police station and charged, the defendant said he was not a member of the Triad Society, that the book was not his and that he had so many books he did not know the book was mixed up with the others. The defendant had thus given three inconsistent accounts as to how he came by the book, and the jury would have to consider the case from all sides very carefully.
Evidence was then led. The greater part of it was pablished during the magisterial enquiry. The Chinese police sergeant gave evidence relative to the finding of the book in the defen- dant's house. He was followed by a Chinese expert in Triad matters. It transpired, how- ever, that the "expert" was really not an expert --that he had had very little experience of Triad literature.
The evidence for the prosecution having thus brooken down, the defendent was discharged
ALLEGED BRIBERY OF A POLICE SERGEANT.
Tam Tsing was charged with giving a bribe to a public servant, with a view to influence his con- dect. He pleaded not guilty, and was defended by Mr. E. Robinson, barrister-at-law (instructed by Mr. J. F. Reece).
The jury was made up of the following gentle- men:-Messrs. J. Benjamin, J. 8. Ezekiel, S. L. Jenkins, W. F. Gardner, B. G. Nerrall, W. Hardwick, W. A. Sims.
Mr. Pollock addressing the jury, mid that Sergeant Watt, who had been a member of the detective staff since 5th October last, was the complainant. Sergeant Watt was specially detailed for duty under the Arms” Ordi- Inance, his sole work being to attend to matters under that Ordinance. Bergeant Wait would tell the jury that he know the defendant, and Judgment in the case instituted in the Kobe
that he was connected with the Yau Hang Chiho Saibansho against Mr. J. (arey Hall, British Consul, by Mr. Ito Shigematsu, in which
There were six cases on the day's calendar- arms shops, 322, Queen Road Central, · Defen- the latter claimed payment of extra freight and | (1) Chan Ching Un, being a member of an dant appeared to have something to do with damages alleged to have arisen out of a contract unlawful society; (2) Peroy Thomas Crisp, the management of that shop, Since Bergeant for the supply of carts for the British troops (a) obtaining a bribe with a view to influence | Watt started his duties under the Arms Ordin- in North China, was given on the 5th inst. bis conduct as a public servant, and (b) socept- ¦ ance, the master of the Yau Hang had been The claim of the plaintiff was dismissed with ing a bribe with à view to influence his conduct convicted no less than 34 times for breaches as a public servant; (3) Tam Shek Yeung, of the Arms Ordinance. In osok of these cases costs.
|
THE LIST.
!