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December 30, 1901.]
season, and that each of such three races were also open to Shanghai subscription ponies; fur- ther that in two of such three races the weight for inch scale was to be only 3 lbs. per inch (fractions of an inch presumably counting in favour of the pony), remaining event being a handicap.
Subsequent enqui ies made of two of your number confirmed what I had heard.
I would ask you, gentlemen, before publish ing the programme, to ask yourselves if you are not, according to the programme as at present framel. treating owners of Hongkong subscription ponies of last season with a great want of consideration, and whether this want of consideration is not likely to prove very detrimental to racing in the future in Hong- kong by holding out to owners no inducement to keep over for the next year's race meeting ponies which have shown fair form. Surely owners of last year's subscription ponies who have kept them for many months at considerable expense are entitled to be able to enter their ponies in more than one race per diem, and not to have to always meet the pick | of the Shanghai subscription griffins, which, I believe, originally numbered from 70 to 80, 41 of which were entered and whose height ranges up to 15 hands.
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Again, as to the conditions of weight for such races you propose an allowance of only 3 lbs. per inch. Why so? You are aware of the weight for inch scale in force in India and the Malay Peninsula, viz., 3 lbs. for each quarter of an inch, and you are also aware of the un- animous decision arrived at by the owners of this year's subscription ponies (to which, I presume, you attach some weight) viz., that to bring waler ponies of different heights together, the scale should be 2lbs. for each quarter of an inch and not 3lbs. per inch. That decision as regards the weight for inches to bring waler ponies of different heights together must, I submit, surely apply with equal force to all waler ponies, whether imported this year or last year or any year, until it has been found to be an incorrect scale, and that another should be adopted, when it will. I submit, be a question to ba discussed by you with the owners of pouies.
If you, gentlemen, many of whom were pre- sent at the meeting of subscribers at which "the decision I have alluded to was arrived at, in- tended that the 2lbs. per quarter inch scale should not apply to last year's ponies, why could you not then have so informed the meeting and dispelled the general impression that the 2lbs. per quarter inch scale was intended to be applied and would be applied to next race meeting generally, instead of making no men- tion of the matter until now?
I have enquired of several of the members who were present at such meeting of subscribers, and one and all say that they most certainly understood that the scale according to the decision then arrived at would be applied throughout next meeting to all waler pony races. Surely it must be appareat to you that a penalty of only 3lbs. per inch must give an undue advantage to animals ranging from 14.3 to perhaps 153 over ponies of 14.2 and under. So far as the scale itself goes, it is unknown outside Hongkong. Under such a scale, a horse of 15 hands would allow a pony of 14 hands 12lbs. only say the 14-hands pony carried 10.7 the 15 hands horse would carry 11.5, quite insufficient, I submit, to bring them together, assuming both were fair specimens of their
class.
I ask you, before you adhere to the programme you have drawn up, to give the owners of ponies an opportunity of meeting you and discussing the question. In order to meet the question for the next meeting I venture to make the following suggestion :-
That of the seven races to be reserved on each of the two first days of the meeting for waler ponies, five be reserved exclusively for Hong- kong waler ponies of this season.
Of the remaining two, one to be reserved for Hongkong waler ponies of this and last season at the 2 lbs. per quarter inch scale, ponies of this season receiving an allowance of say 5 lbs., winners at the meeting to carry a penalty.
That the other race should be open to Hong- kong and Shanghai subscription ponies of any season, ponies of this season receiving an all. owance of 5 lbs., and if you are determined
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
to try an experiment in the weight for inch scale at 3lbs. per inch, you can do so in this
race.
Owners of Hongkong subscription ponies of last season can, if my suggestions are adopted, select one or other of such two races in which to run their ponies or run them in both, whilst have no owners of Shanghai griffins an canse to grumble, since in Shanghai the
scale was
4lbs, per weight for inch inch: also, such a programme could not be reasonably objected to by any owner of a sub- scription pony of this season, as, if my recollec. tion serves me right, nothing was said as to six races per
diem being reserved exclusively for such subscription ponies. Five were, I think, mentioned, and the probable number of runners in order to procure good fields will scarcely warrant more than five races being so exclusively reserved, to which would be added the option of entering in two other races with an allowance.
On the third day, one race can, as on the two previous days, be confined to Hongkong sub- scription ponies of this and last season and the handicap be open to Shanghai and Hongkong subscription ponies (of any season), the handi cap to be published in the weighing room after the second day's racing and to appear in the evening papers. I am, gentlemen, yours faithfully,
(Sd.) GODFREY C. C. MASTER.
THE PRIVATE COOLIES COMMISSION.
TO THE EDITOR OE THE
**
DAILY PRESS.
6, Des Voeux Road, Hongkong, 24th December. SIR-I shall feel obliged if you will publish the enclosed correspondence in your columns for the information of numerous enquirers who have asked me what is to be the outcome of the Commission appointed to enquire into and report on the question of the existing difficulty of procuring and retaining reliable chair and jinricksha coolies for private chairs and jinrickshas.-Yours, etc.,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX.
[Enclosures.]
6, Des Vænx Road, Hongkong, 13th December. 1901. SIR, In connection with the Commission to enquire into the question of private chair and jinricksha coolies/ on which I had the honour to sit, I beg respectfully to ask whether any action is contemplated in the direction of carry- ing out the recommendations contained in the report.
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I am moved to make this enquiry in conse. quenc of repeated and anxious enquiries that have been addressed to me as to when it is intended to give effect to the Commission's suggestions. The present time is also regarded as most opportune for making trial of the legislation suggested, inasmuch as any temporary strike by the coolies would cause comparatively small inconvenience during the cool weather,
Opinion seems still more unanimous in favour of registration, so far as I can gather, since the Report of the Commission was published, influenced no doubt to some extent hy the result of the enquiry, and partly by the evils complained of having become further accen- tuated. An influential resident, who had been paying his chair coolies $10 per month, told me the other day that he had been compelled to dismiss them because they were so troublesome, and that he intendled, though living on a h b level, to do without coolies during the cool weather. Another resident informed me that although he pail good wages and nsed the coolies sparingly, they had left him suddenly because they had too much work, said work consisting of carrying the chair on an average thrice a day!
Some relief from the present unsatisfactory state of things is anxiously looked for by the majority of the residents and generally con- sidered most desirable, and I trust His Excel- lency the Governor will see his way to sanction the introduction of registration, which I feel confident would go far to provide a remedy.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servant, (Sd). R. CHATTERTON WILCOX. Hon. J. H. Stewart Lockhart,
Colonial Secretary, Hongkong.
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Colonial Secretary's Office, 19th December, 1901. SIR,-In reply to your letter of the 13th instant, I am directed to inform you that the Government is giving its careful consideration to the Report of the Commission appointed by His Excellency the Governor to enquire into matters concerning private chair coolies.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your obedient servant,
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Colonial Secretary.
R. C. Wilcox, Esų.
RATS AND PLAGUE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY ́PRESS." Hongkong, 20th December. Sir,-Will you kindly permit me to say a few words with regard to rats and plague through the medium of your paper. It is the general belief that rate have a certain connec- tion with plague, and consequently in order to check plague it is the intention of the Sanitary. Board to exterminate rats. But I say it is not so; what we ought to do is to clean the drains and sewers, which is the only means to check it The mere extermination of rats cannot do any good, We must know that rats live under the ground, where they inhale the bad air and die. Now, if the air there is strong enough to kill the rats it is of course not healthy to the inmates round about. Perhaps it is not known that while cleaning the drains and sewers during the night a very offensive smell springs up (especially in Queen's Road), which is harmful to public health. During the plague season it may be recollected that plague subsided consider- ably after a heavy fall of rain. I therefore beg to say that the only thing that could prevent plague is the constant washing of the drains, etc., and in order to do this I would suggest that engines should be constructed at various parts of the colony to suck up sea water for the pur- pose. Thanking you for the insertion of this.— Yours, etc.,
TO THE EDITOR OF THE
A RESIDENT.
DAILY PRESS." Hongkong, 23rd December. SIR,-It must have been with no small sense of satisfaction that the majority of your readers noted on Saturday last that you did not hold yourself responsible for the opinion expressed by your correspondent "A Resident."
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When he rushes into print and dictatorially declares that there is no connection between rats and plague, one is very forcibly reminded that fools rush in where angels fear to tread. If
"A Resident's allowed to stand uncorrected, letter might mislead some of your readers with a slighter knowledge of medical matters than A Resident" appears to possess-presuming that such a thing were possible.
Now, Sir, will as you to persuade your didactic correspondent to dissect a rat that has recently died during the height of a plague season-let him remove the spleen, cut it in half and smear on a glass slide some of the serous fluid to be obtained from it; having done this let him request a medical friend to stain the speci- men suitably and examine it microscopically and there will be found an almost pure culture of plague bacilli. This proceeding would pro- bably serve two purposes:
(1) A Resident" unless he took suitable pre- cautions would probably disprove in his own person his assertion.
(2.) There would probably be a timely and to such misleading statements from him in the future.-Yours, etc.,
ONE WHO HAS CARRIED OUT
THE ABOVE EXPERIMENT."
The story circulated in Japan about the proposed Russo-Chinese warship deal is that on The occasion of M. Romanoff's recent visit to Vladivostock, he was strongly urged by the Governor of that place to complete the purchase, and he consented to use his influence on his return to St. Petersburg, The cost of the ships would be deducted from the amount of the Chiness indemnity, or rather indemnity bonds would be handed over to the syndicate that undertook the building of the vessels and have not yet been paid for them.