March 24, 1902.]
pearl ear-rings. She had always some excuse to offer when the complainant asked for the money, and latterly the valuables were found in pawnshop. In the case of the two other counts of the indictment the circumstances were some. what similar; in one instance she got possession of jewellery to the value of $600 by saying that she could sell it for a good price, and in the other she obtained a diamond ring and other jewellery by pretending that she wanted a loan of them for a marriage. In both these cases, it was alleged, she appropriated the jewellery to her own use.
Evidence was afterwards taken, and the Court adjourned
Thursday, 20th March,
IN CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR A. G. WISE (ACTING CHIEF JUSTICE.)
JEWELRY THEFTS.
The case was resumed in which Chan Chi, a
Chinese woman, was charged on three counts with the theft of valuable jewelry, Mr. Morgan Phillips, barrister-at-law. conducting the prosecution, and Mr. M. W. Slade, barrister at-law, appearing for the defendant,
The jury was as follows:-Messrs. J. Mc. Laughlin, F. Gomez, T. F. da Silva Alonço, B. Walpole, J. E. Lee, R. Becker, and . H. Rogge.
The jury found the prisoner guilty on all three counts.
His Lordship deferred sentence until the third charge against the woman should have been disposed of.
The new charge was to the effect that on 4th January she stole a pair of diamond ear-rings on the 10th twelve diamonds, and on the 13th eight pearls-all from the same person.
A plea of not guilty was tendered. The following jury was empanelled:-Messrs N. Inuzuka, W. Nagel, F. J. Ruepprecht, J. H. Jewitt, A. M. V. Schonemann, T. Christie
and F. Lemm.
Mr. Morgan Phillips, in his opening state ment, said that the complainant was a widow residing in Bridges Street. She entrusted the jewelry to the defendant for sale, but never got any money for it, and, after the defendant's arrest in connection with the previous charges, she recovered the valuables in a pawnshop.
Evidence having been adduced,
The jury returned a verdict of not guilty. His Lordship then sentenced the prisoner to four and a half years' hard larbour for the thefts of which she had been found guilty under the previous indictment.
HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
The following is the report of the General Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, for the year ending 31st December, 1901, presented to the members at the annual meeting, held this afternoon at 3 p.m.:- During the past year a number of in- portant questions have come up for con- sideration, and satisfactory progress has been made or settlement effected in many cases. The commercial event of the year, however, was the signature of the Protocol between China and the Treaty Powers on the 7th September, 1901, by which it was decided to place the Import Tariff on an effective basis of 5 per cent.
TARIFT REVISION.
A mass of correspondence has passed on this question, the Committee being most anxious that the negotiations on the subject should not be closed until an opportunity had been afforded to the Chamber of express- ing its views thereon. The signature of the Protocol on the 7th September with the information that a new temporary Tariff was to come into force two months later gave cause for apprehension lest the revision should be too suddenly completed. The announcement of the appointment of Sir James“. Lyle Mackay, as Special Commis- sioner to negotiate the details of the new
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Tariff was, therefore, hailed with satisfac- tion, and soon after his arrival in Hongkong in November, a Memorandum was presented to the Commissioner and verbal representa tions made, which have since been supple- mented by letter, all of which have received from him most careful, prompt, and courteous attention, and the Committee hope that the best results will follow from the Commis- sioner's labours.
PREFERENTIAL DUTIES,
223
until the expiration of ten days from date of departure from Hongkong, the ship in the meantime being granted pratique. Unfortunately, however, owing to the severi- ty of the epidemic last year, the Straits authorities became so alarmed, that they prohibited immigration altogether for a time.
THE PROPOSED RE-SURVEY OF EASTERN SEAS"
Further communications on this subject* have passed between the Admiralty, the Among the few stipulations which could Foreign Office, and the London Chamber of in any sense constitute a set-off against the Commerce, the gist of which has been for- great concession made to China in the warded by the latter body to this Chamber. practical doubling of the Import Tariff, was The Lords of the Admiralty, while not deny one to the effect that the Chinese Native ing that many undiscovered rocks may exist Customs should in future be collected at
in harbours and along the coast of China, do Treaty Ports by the Imperial Maritime Cus- not hold it to be the duty of British survey- toms. This would, it was hoped, bring to a ing vessels to examine foreign coasts so superintendent) of Native Customs at Canton danger a matter of absolute certainty, but termination the practice by the Hoppo (or minutely as to render the detection of every charging lower duties on junk-borne cargo state that at the present time one of His to the detriment of steamers running on the Majesty's surveying vessels is employed on rivers in the Two Kwang. The order for the the China Station in charting those areas transfer of these establishments to the Im- which require immediate attention, and they perial Maritime Customs was duly given, but consider the action taken by the Chamber in met with no response at Canton, where pre-offering rewards for the discovery of pinnacle ferential duties in favour of native craft still rocks the surest way of obtaining knowledge continued. This fact was brought to the of those dangers. The Chamber, in reply, notice of the Committee, who laid it before expressed satisfaction at the assurances His Britannic Majesty's Minister at Peking, that a surveying vessel was now employed by whom the question was vigorously taken in these seas and that the action taken in up, and definite instructions were sent to
offering rewards for information tending to Canton to compel the Hoppo to make the the discovery of hidden dangers had met the transfer. This was done on the 19th Febru- approval of the Lords Commissioners of the ary, and there is every reason to hope that
Admiralty. the preferential duties levied will soon cease to exist.
THE REGULATION OF BAILING CRAFT IN HONGKONG HARBOUR.
Consequent upon the number of accidents occurring in the harbour and at the en- trances thereto owing to junks and other native craft crossing the bows of steamers entering or leaving port, representations were made to the local Government on the subject, suggesting that, to prevent such disasters, the responsibility of keeping out of the way of in-coming or out-going vessels should be thrown on the small native craft. The Government thereupon asked for par- ticulars of such disasters, which were sup- plied, and fresh emphasis laid on the ne- cessity for some steps being taken to control the native craft, but after two month's con- sideration the Chamber was informed that the Governor was not prepared to make any change in the existing regulations.
THE SANITATION OF THE COLONY.
In June last, during the severe epidemic of bubonic plague then raging in the Colony, your Committee conceived it to be their duty, in view of the enormous loss entailed by the suspension of Chinese emigration, the imposi- tion of quarantine at neighbouring ports, the reduction of imports and exports, and the diversion and restriction of trade generally, to address the Government on the subject, to point out how, in their opinion, the Govern- ment had made itself largely responsible for the sad state of things then prevailing, and to suggest that the execution of the sanitary the Sanitary authorities should be promptly carried out without fear of expense, or if any measures which had been recommended by
of such measures doubt as to the practicability or expediency should be referred at once to a higher au- were entertained they
thority for decision. The representations of the Committee were hardly received by the Government in the spirit they were intended, Some further correspondence has passed the subject having only reluctantly been on this subject, and the attention of the taken up by them, and from a sense of their Government drawn to the comprehensive duty as guardians of the commercial interests means adopted by the Burma authorities direct public attention to the question, of the port. The letter served, however, to to give the widest possible publicity to quar-resulting in a petition being addressed by the antine intimations, which seem to be more effective than those taken either in Hongkong or Singapore.
THE PUBLICATION OF QUARANTINE NOTICES
DISINFECTION AND FUMIGATION OF CHINESE
EMIGRANTS AND THEIR LUGGAGE.
ratepayers to the Secretary of State for the Colonies praying that a Commission of sanitary experts should be sent to enquire into the whole question of the sanitation of the Government to more vigorous action in the Colony, while it at the same time roused the matter. Consequent on the stir thus raised, two sanitary experts were deputed by the Colonial Office to proceed to Hongkong and investigate the sanitary condition of the Colony. One of these gentlemen, Dr. Simp- son, has now been some time in Honkong di- ligently making inquiries and collecting in- formation, and Mr. Osbert Chadwick, the well-known sanitary engineer, has since
arrived.
MEDICAL INSPECTION OF PASSENGERS,
In February last the Chamber, moved thereto by representations from the shipping firms, addressed a letter to the Government calling attention to the establishment in this port of a Fumigating and Disinfecting Bureau, under European supervision, to comply with the requirements of the Unitel States Government in regard to emigrants, and suggesting that in view of the enormous loss sustained by the shipping, interest by the prolonged suspension of emigration, the Government of the Straits Settlements be communicated with to ascertain whether the precautions taken by the use of the above The serious inconvenience and possible antine in case of an outbreak of plague here. Hongkong through the Health Officer of the Bureau would remove the necessity for quar-heavy loss to which vessels were liable in To this a reply was received to the effect Port not being able to give his whole time to that a copy of the Chamber's letter was this work in consequence by being allowed despatched to the Colonial Secretary at private practice, was made conspicuously ap Singapore enquiring whether his Government parent in April last, when the mail steamers would consent to the proposal made by the Coromandel and Ballaarat were detained for Chamber. The answer to this was, in due hours before the Health Officer arrived on course, submitted to the Chamber, it being board, and the former vessel nearly failed to to the effect that immigrants would, if the make her time at Shanghai through the delay. Hongkong under Government supervision, the Chamber, and strong representations measures suggested were carried out in The matter was brought to the attention of be allowed to disembark at the Quar were made to the Government, urging the antine Station, Singapore, there to remain necessity not only for the Health Officer to