502
informing him that a certain Lim San Tee had sold to him a lottery ticket which had won the third prize and which the latter refused to pay. In his letter to the Shion he went on to say that he had acquainted the British Consul with the facts of the case and he therefore petitioned the Shien to enforce the payment of the $5,000. This Chineso official took for granted the statement, which I am assured is an utter falsehood, and incarcerated Lim San Teo pend. | ing further enquiries. The latter's brother, who is a merchant in Hongkong, on hearing of the arrest, came up to effect his release
CONSULAR INTERVENTION. This merchant on his arrival from Hong- kong made every investigation into the affair, forwarded to the British Consul an epitome of the case, und further informed him that the whole is the outcome of some trouble' existing between two different clans, to one of which his captive brother belonged. He therefore appealed to the Consul to prevail upon the Shien to set his brother free. But it was all without avail. At the request of H. M. Consul the Shien held a sort of a cross-examina- tion, and although he could not adduce any proof as to who sold and who bought the ticket in question, he still keeps Lim San Tee in prison and now demands $1,000, not as a fine por as compensation for the suspected fraud; but as a mere squeeze, which the Shien considers as a matter of course perquisite. Lim San Tee and his brother, although well-to-do, both stren- nously refuse to comply with the Shien's demand and intond bringing the matter before the Taotai or eventually before the Viceroy at Canton. Disregarding the fact of the exposure of the fictitious lottery, this incident offers a valuable lesson to those who clamour for the abolishment of the extraterritorial rights which the foreigners enjoy in China.
LOCAL FESTIVITIES.
The first dance this season was given by the members of the Customs Club, in their Hall, on Saturday the 14th inst., at which most of the foreign residents attended. Dancing com- menced at 9 p.m. and was continued, with a short interval, until about 2 o'clock the following morning, when the company, after spending a most enjoyable time, broke up and departed. The bachelor fraternity, as is usual on such occasions, did not leave before 4 a.m.
The members of the Kialat Club are also giving a Ball, on the premises of their Club, on Friday the 20th inst., which promises to be a great success.
SANDAKAN NOTES.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Sandakan, 10th December. DULL TIMES,
Business continues exceedingly dull here, and there are no encouraging signs for the near future. There may be something better to report after Chinese New Year, but it is hard to see just now where the improvement is to come from. It is not pleasant to have such a dall report to make, but it will do no good to fence with facts,
ECCENTRIC GOVERNMENT WAYS.
THE HONGKONG WEEKÅY PRESS AND
|
|
but the principle involved gives them the power to do so.
ANOTHER SCHEME.
"
[December 21, 1901. notification was enforced a gun was fired into a Chinaman's house, destroying his "Joss picture, for the value of which he has success. The Government have another scheme in fully claimed against the Government! One progress which promises further to interfere word in conolasion: whilst we are free to with and hinder trade. They are now building admit that we have many things to learn from a godown at the back of the wharf, on the Singapore, we think we will be borne out in completion of which all goods for tranship-saying-if this letter is a criterion-that faol ment will have to be bonded inside the Customs and common courtesy are not in the list. gates, no private bonded warehouses outside being allowed, as has litherto been the case. How the Chinese are then to sort birds' nests and camphor is not explained, but presumably the Government will insist upon duties being paid when the goods are taken to the Chinese shops, and will grant rebate when the goods are exported. This spells great inconvenience to traders, for it will mean that capital will bo tied up so long as such goods remain in this territory, no unimportant consideration in a struggling country such as this.
DOGS.
Recently a Government Notification appeared in the Gazette to the effect that between the 1st and 15th days of December all dogs fonnd straying in Sandakan would be shot, regard less of licenses. The exact wording ran as follows;-
L
RUSSIAN NOTES.
[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
Vladivostock. 30th November.
THE BUS8IAN EXPEDITION TO TIBET.
The Imperial Russian Geographical Society has received through the Russian Ambassador at Poking. M. Lessar, the following telegram, sunt by Lieut. P. K. Kozloff, of the Russian Army, who is in charge of the Expedition which was organised by the Geographical Society in - On 1899, for explorations in Central Asia:- June 13th the expedition safely returned to Tzaidam, where it found in excellent condition the stores it had left at that place last year in charge of 3 Russian soldiers. From the wintering place (in the vicinity of Tehamd, in Eastern Tibet) the expedition succeeded in reaching the Rus ssian Leake (at the head of the Yellow River). On August 1st, we expect to start out in the direction of Kiachta, hoping to arrive there Thus the rumours that early in December."
Under Sec 11 of Proclamation No. IV of 1901 it is hereby notified that all dogs fonud straying in the streets, roads, or public thorough. fares of Sandakan, or beyond the enclosures of the houses of the owners thereof, will be destroyed if so found during the period from 1st to 15th have for time circulated, that the above expedi. December, 1901. This notice applies to alltion perished, were absolutely groundless. dogs irrespective of the question of license."
Against this sweeping notice the public had the temerity to appeal, addressing a memorial to the Governor-signed by all the non-official European residents here, and presented by the Unofficial Member of the Governor's Council, Mr. W. G. Darby. The reply received was as follows:-
Government House, North Borneo, 30th November, 1901.
MY DEAR DARBY,-I have received the memorial about dogs. With the usual modera. tion peculiar to Sandakan my order is termed arbitrary and inhumane.' It is remarkable that exactly the same law has been in force in Singapore for 30 years. With their larger ex- perience the people of Singapore are large minded and know that Government is obliged to legislate upon many matters for the good of the greatest number. I intend to enforce this dog order four times every year for is not so harsh an 15 days at a time and order as the chain and muzzle order that was enforced in England for at least a year without remission. The dog pest in Sandakan is intolerable and if I am successful in teaching Europeans and natives to exercise some control over their animals for two months in a year and to learn a little more of their duty towards their neighbours I shall be quite content to be considered arbitrary and inhumave.
If the signatories to the memorial don't know the meaning of the word "stray" let me enlighten them. No dog walking with and under the control of the owner will come under my order. In other words dogs are not to wander at large (which is the dictionary mean- ing of to stray) from the 1st to 15th Dec.
In your covering note you refer to the police. All I have to say on that point is that I have entire confidence in Capt. Harrington carrying out the order with discretion.
Yours very truly,
In spite of this, however, the Government continue in their peculiar ways. When the new Customs Tariff came into force, exporters of cocoanuts protested against amongst numerous other duties-the duty of 15 cents per hundred on cocoanuts, arguing that these were transit
E. W. BIRCH. goods, and should certainly not be taxed if
With all due respect to the Governor, we are duly bonded, in the ordinary way. This was at last admitted, and shippers went to the inclined to doubt that "the same law has been Is it, we expense of bonding the nuts. Now the Go in force in Singapore for 3) years." vernment have gone back on this, and demand ask, the rule in Singapore to put arms into the duty on all nuts exported, explaining that hands of a couple of men and tell them to shoot bonding meant that the natives bringing the all dogs on sight, "irrespective of the question of license," so long as the dogs are not with, nuts from Cagayan would be allowed to bond, if said natives also exported the nuts to Hong- and under the coutrol of, their owners? Are the kong, the bonding being cancelled if the nuts dogs there shot in the public streets with the were sold or traded in any way in this territory.attendant disgusting sights ? This is a new principle, and, if carried further, will mean that practically all bonded goods will carry duty, for, of course, most articles now bonded here are sold by the importers, the very small minority being goods sent here merely for tianshipment to other ports, where the merchants only act as forwarding agents, We do not say the Government will do this
Does not a
license protect a dog from being shot dead, Of what use outside its owner's gate even? is it then to purchase a license at all? But these questions, even if all apart from these things are done in Singapore, must it As to the follow that the law is a just one? "carrying ont the order with discretion," we have had one example; on the first day the
RAILROAD IN BOKHABA.
The building by th Ameer of Bokhars of a railway line connecting the capital of his country, Old Boklara, with a station of the Russian Central Asiatic Railway, will be com- pleted before the close of the current year, when it is to be opened for general traffic But, as the Bokhara government did no provide its railway line with rolling-stock the exploitation of the line will be carried on by the Russian Central Asiatic Railway, which will recompense itself from the proceeds it will receive for carrying passengers and that the freight on the Bokhara line; so Bokhara government will receive but the net profits remaining from the proceeds after the Central Railway will have deducted its cost of running trains on the line in question,
WEIHAIWEI.
Weihaiwei, 2nd Decemb.r. GENERAL DORWARD'S NEW COMMAND. It was with very general regret the community here learned last Wednesday that our popular Commissioner had received orders by cablegram to proceed to take command of the British garrison at Shanghai. It does not fall to the lot of every Governor to give satisfaction to all under his rule, but one would have to go far and search diligently, I dare say, to find a for- eigner in this colony who does not express the most unqualified regret at the order that de- prives us of our Administrator. However, we are glad that Sir Arthur Dorward's new duties do not take him far from us, and that our loss proves to be Shanghai's gain.
War Office expenditure here is being reduced to a minimum, and since-for the present at any rate-the harbour is to remain unfortified, it is not at all unlikely that other changes will follow the substitution of a civilian for a soldier as Commissioner. There seems to be no reason why the company of Royal Engineers under Major Cowan and Major Lee, who, now that the work on the fortifications has ceased, do little more than supervise road-construction, should not also go to Shanghai to build more suitable accommodation for the troops recently stationed there. It is also rumoured that the 1st Chinese Regiment--or a part of it may go to swell General Dorward's command. In this case the depot and recruiting station of the Regiment would still be here, and perhaps a company, or two may remain to police the Territory.
A SUDDEN DEATH.
Last night a sad fatality occurred at Liu- kangtao. A sapper engaged in superintending the lengthening of the jetty at Mahto had gone to the Island for the day, but was preventel from returning by the bad weather." He was given a room for the night. It appears that