MAY 24, 1902]
measures
not in this Colony the opportunity of form- ing such camps as were started in Bombay; nor, as the poorest class has n difficulty in availing itself of them, would they seem to promise much relief for Hongkong. The local authorities are very willing, we may be sure, to learn what can be learnt from Bombay's experience of the plague, but the difference of conditions puts serious obstacles in the way. The Indian city has given a fair trial to a policy which has of abandoned the compulsory eviction plague contacts and coercive generally, and thereby has saved the rate payers nearly 25 per cent. of the cost of plague operations, while restoring the con- fidence of the people. Furthermore it is claimed that among the beneficial effects of the abolition of compulsion is an appreciable diminution in the desire and in the attempts to conceal plague cases, the rock on which all measures of prevention and protection have hitherto been wrecked -a remark which applies very strongly indeed to Hongkong also. The question for us to solve is to what extent we can profit by the history of Bombay's treatment of the plague, allowing for the differences of circumstances and environment. We have this year seen the adoption of more rational measures of precaution and with the help of the better class Chinese have endeavoured to explain matters more fully to the poorer natives. The result of this remains to become manifest. Thus early it is not possible to form an opinion, but
-
in the meantime the collation of other com- munities' experiences is as valuable as ever.
"
PRESS CORRESPONDENTS IN
THE FAR EAST,
66
(Daily Press, 23rd May.) A controversy which has occupied some space recently in the English newspapers in Kobe calls attention once more to the question of the responsibility of Press cor- respondents in the Far East telegraphing to the home journals about the affairs of this part of the world. The Kobe papers maintain that the Tokyo correspondent of the London Times (who is, as is well known, editor of the Japan Mail) has seriously misrepresented the attitude of the foreign residents in Kobe and elsewhere in the matter of the house-tax. It appears that in a telegram of the 1st March the Tokyo correspondent said:
If the foreign resi dents quietly paid under protest, as recom- "mended by their representatives, the "Japanese Government might possibly agree to subsequent arbitration, but there is little hope of such a result in face of the defiant "attitude of the foreign residents and their "public refusal to comply with the require- ments of the law." As a matter of fact, the correct statement is that "foreigners, under the advice of the diplomatic representatives, refused payment," etc., as in fact the same correspondent telegraphed to the Times on the 24th March. On the strength of this and other statements telegraphed to the Times from Tokyo, as for instance that "the Washington Government, recognising justice of Japan's claim, refuses to be come a party to the arbitration," the Kobe Chronicle says that it is most unfortunate that the Times should allow its columns to be used for the dissemination of such mis- leading
We cannot here go further into the question of the Tokyo correspondent's representation or misrepre- sentation of the foreign residents' attitude, but the point which is raised by the con- troversy is one of no little interest and importance to us in the Far East. It is
the
-.40
rews,'
THE DEVELOPMENT OF KOWLOON.
(Daily Press, 20th May.)
CHINA OVERLAND TRADË REPORT. obvious that the Press correspondents attached to leading newspapers at home have it in their power to do either much good or much harm by the manner in which
At a period when the Colony of Hongkong they regard their responsibilities. A most unenviable notoriety has been gained by is losing, for a time at least, its spokesman Shanghai in the past for its share in the in the popular interests in the Legislative spread of tales which bave no claim to Council, it is more than ever urgent that authenticity. So much is this so that the all concerned in the Colony's welfare should "bunder " is a household word in the East exert themselves to insist on attention being and its meaning is not unknown in London paid to important public matters which are in danger of being neglected. One of the and America. The blame for this rests, as
most urgent of these is the manner in which › will easily be understood, with a few men only, yet their colleagues have suffered with the portion of the Colony situated on the them. But Shanghai is not the only sin-mainland is to be developed. In Victoria itself we have seen the manifold evils which ner; Hongkong too has its bunders, and so have other ports in the Far East. There spring from simply, so to speak, throwing are two totally distinct classes of misrepre- a town together. Insanitary rookeries, ill. sentation, one of which is venial compared constructed streets, the lack of any European with the other. There is the report which reservation, defiance of the building laws, has a small substratum of fact, which has and many other causes have made the city on this island what it is, and it is only by become exaggerated in its passage until it is barely recognisable; this, telegraphed expensive, if not desperate remedies that without sufficient sifting of the evidence, is amelioration can now be brought about. calculated to mislead home opinion gravely. But this is not so yet in Kowloon, and we Compared, however, with such prodigious have there a splendid field in which to show efforts of the imagination as the "Peking that we bave profited by the lessons of the massacre," it sinks into insignificance in its past. But what do we see? A ride through power for evil. It may be claimed that portions of our suburb on the mainland will such a concoction, when finally disproved, demonstrate that already blocks are being run up in the old style, with the buildings that carries with it its own cure, in that those who were deceived experience a revulsion of too high and the streets too narrow,
Chinese houses are spreading over many of feeling. This is hardly true. The embit- terment of mind induced by stories of the best sites, and in fact that Kowloon threatens in time to develop into a second atrocities lasts beyond the period of belief in them, and it is not easy to convince the Victoria. It is true that a public park is more ignorant that what they have once promised, and an European reservation The talked about. But more than this is wanted. given full credence to is baseless. credence afforded to the intentional lies It is absolutely essential that some super- about the British army in South Africa is vision, such as was not exercised over the sufficient evidence of this; and, to be fair, growth of Victoria, shall be exercised by the we must admit that the exaggeration of Government over the laying out and build- As we have said, a bad certain undoubted acts of treachery anding of Kowloon. murder perpetrated by the worst section of the Boers stirred up in Britain a sentiment against the Boers as a whole which was not justifiable. In the case of South Africa, the evil is gradually finding remedy in the minds of all but the dishonest or hopelessly ignorant. Before this comes to pass, however, much harm has been done. This is a great argument for an intelli- gout Press censorship over Unhappily the Press censorship is seldom intelligent. And war alone makes such control of correspondents possible, and then only in districts under military rule. The only check on the correspondent in time of prace, or unfettered by extraneous super vision, is his own sense of responsibility and faculty of discrimination of the news which To read the Far Eastern reaches him.
the
war news.
ia
news which appears in the home papers oft n a revelation--not infrequently, a revelation which makes one wonder how the home readers can make head or tail of what they are told about affairs out here. It is to be feared that it is not only ignor- ance of geography which causes our friends at home to fear at times for our security in this Colony.
We are in a position, says the P. and T. Times, to make an authoritative statement regarding a much disputed, point concerning the British private indemnity claims, viz., their value under the vagary of the "exchange." The British claims have been converted into sterling at the rate of seven taels or ten dollars to the sovereign. They will be paid either in England in gold, or in China at the rate of exchange on the day of payment. Fall in silver does not affect them. It will futher be noted that there is to be no appellate court, from the decision of the appamissioner of Claims; that decision is final. Our readers all probably know that an official registry is open at the Consulate-General for the transfer of such claims, or the assignment thereof in whole or part.
1
1
start has been made, and old abuses are again being tolerated. But it is not too The public has late to mend matters now. a right to demand that the authorities shall
interest themselves in this matter and show a provision for the future which their pre- decessors, to their shame, did not exhibit in watching over the growth of Hongkong Those now in power have seen to the full the evils which arise from the old methods,
and they have no longer even the excuse of ignorance, which tho-e before them had, to justify them in neglecting to take steps which now are abundantly proved neces-
sary.
We are to see a considerable increase
in the staff of the Public Works Depart ment.
Much of the work which awaits the increased staff had unavoidably to be left undone before owing to an absurd insuffi- ciency of men. Now that we are promised a better manned Department, let us at least see some of its energy directed to controlling the future development of the city on the This op- mainland, which there is still an opportunity of directing into the right way. portunity will not remain open indefinite- ly, and it is therefore essential that attention shall be paid to the question at once.
Dengue fever is still very prevalent in Ran- goon and amongst the shipping classes aflost. A mongst this community the preventive officers have come in for their share of the disease, since no less than fourteen officers at one time were unable to attend to their duties. East Rangoon has also provided a large number of victims. In one new residential quarter nearly every second family has been down with the disease, which was always contracted when least expected and under inexplicable circum- stances. The malady is very contagious, a fact The last that has been proved by tenants catching the fever from servants and vice-versa epidemic of dengue fever broke out in India and spread to Burma in 1877.
J