¿
June 30, 1902.]
|
481
of the sewer and storm-water channel flushing system from the ordinary water- supply. Certain reservoirs require prac- tical reconstruction before they can be covered in accordance with the advice in the memorandum. Efforts are already con centrated in plague-prevention while sani tary improvements are being gradually effected. A system of weekly, bulletins from consuls in South China, medical missionaries, and the Maritine Customs was suggested, and such bulletins have been asked for. The medical inspection of vessels arriving in Hongkong from the Chinese coast, and the systematic destruc-possible to go about the Harbour for hours certain official circles to the opposition to
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT brought by one of the Chinese sailors who Hongkong. It is undoubtedly a fact that swam off in a panic and on landing reported all Chinese who are not British subjects the matter at No. 7 Police Station. The are as much foreigners here as a Russian Marine Court expressed its astonishment at or any other subject of a Continental the 'want of resource show and find it | European nation. A certain amount of "difficult to imagine not being able in | confusion naturally arises from the use of Hongkong to engage the services of almost the term "native" as synonymous with * Chinese a convenient but misleading any number of steam-launches at almost
usage. However, the really important any hour." But the Court does not allude [directly to the matter of the Water Police, point in connection with the recent meeting whereas we are of the opinion (which we of certain wealthy Chinese to discuss the find supported by experienced captains Public Health, etc.. Bills is not an error of our description, but the possibility that too acquainted with this Harbour) that
It is much importance may be attached in Water Police are sailly deficient.
.
we
There the new Bills. Those who met at the Commercial Union's premises Chinese on the 19th inst. will not, we think, object to the statement that they represent the Chinese Landlord class, nor yet can they take exception to the criticism that they do not represent the Chinese com- . munity in Hongkong as a whole, Whatever dislike, therefore, to the Bills is expressed by them or by non-Chinese landlords must be considered in the light of the fact that their personal and pecuniary interest is affected by the new proposals. The question then Do the best interests of naturally arises: the landlord class necessarily conflict with measures airing at the improvement of the public health? We should be loth In any case, it cannot be denied to think so. that the lives and welfare of the community are paramount in importance. It is im- possible for the Government to uphold a which fosters overcrowding and system
liseuse.
without seeing a police Jauneli. tion of rats ou steamers and junks, as we have secn, have not yet leen arranged for, is a large and ever increasing shipping| owing to the opposition-to the proposals, business in Hongkong Harbour, anl The emigration question has so far been certainly think that there should be more dealt with that everything is in train for constant police supervision than there is at The Fairway channels require registration and the notice publishel, but present. no licenses have yet been applied for; more attention than they get from the certain points involve the bye-laws which police, and a clear passage - should be are still under consideration. The dumping provided for the Star Ferry service. not be allowed of dead bod.es is "not yet stopped"; Native junks should this is unfortunately only too familiar to anchor so as to impede the passage of a fact. The Executive Council decided steamers, and cargo-boats should not be that the inhabitants of the streets should permitted to moor three hundred feet out not be made responsible or fined. Instead side the Praya wall. The traffic in this a reward of $10 was to be offered for each Harbour requires regn'ating just the same We authentic living cas: of plague reported by | as our street-traffic, or rather mote sv. a Chinese. We are not told what effect have seen vessels in collision for an hour, this has had. Several thousands of hand-in broad daylight and in the centre of the bills have been distributed, as recommended, Harbour. We have seen a vessel on but the conference of Chinese doctors has fire for half of an hour before the been deemed of little use. The advice with arrival of the police. All this is not as it regard to rats has been carried out for the should be and the sooner it is reinedied the most part, as can be seen from the answer to better, for all concerned. One step the the first memorandum. The isolation question right direction, we consider, would be the has been dealt with to this extent, that the transfer of the duty of policing the Harbour Government has rented for people displaced from the Captain Superintendent of: Police The Captain from plague infected houses several large to the Harbour Master, : blocks, of new buildings, which are daily Superintendent has quite as much work as be can deal with on land and cannot attend visited and inspected. These people are not kept prisoners but allowed to go to efficiently to the Water Police department. work, and shop-keepers have been given It may be said that the Harbour Master, ground-floors for the continuance of their too, is a busy man, to whose duties we business. With reference to the appoint should not add. But with a better organise ment of a special plague staff, no arrange- Water Police force the extra work would ments have yet been made, and all that has not be serious, and we should have the been done is to relieve the Medical Officer sensible arrangement, which we can see at of Health of a good deal of clerical work to Singapore, of the Harbour control being! which he formerly attended. However, the under one heal, not as how in Hongkong THE UNITED STATES ANI) THE
PHILIPPINES. remarks on the recommendation in the partly rested in the Harbour Master and first memorandum must be borne iu mind. partly in the Captain Superintendent of Finally, the larger sanitary questions an Police But, whether this be done or not, the matters of house-construction and the it is plain that the Water Police require sale of land will be dealt with by the new reorganisation. We have had exergetic for some years, fordo Bill and are consequently not discussed in chiefs of the Police the paper before us. It will be seen that and yet this one branch of the force seems though certain measures have been adopted | entirely inadequate for the discharge of its Sueb a state of affairs is not in accordance with Professor SIMPSON's duties. recommendations and a few rejected in creditable to the third largest shipping deference to influential opposition, the bulk port in the world. of the work still remains to be do: e. HONGKONG HARBOUR CONTROL.
(Daily Press, 23rd June.) A consideration of the finding of the Marine Court of Enquiry on the sinking of the steamship Pakshan in the Harbour on the night of the 2nd instant inevitably brings us to the conclusion that the errors of omission and commission of all concerned were great indeed. It seems hardly credible that such a vessel an iron steamer of 1,235 tons register-could, in the crowded Harbour of Hongkong, be slowly but surely subsiding to the bottom from 7 p.m. until midnight without some outside assistance being called for. Yet, to quote the finding of the Court, "no signals were made to attract attention and no application made to the ships close by for assistance." The first intimation which the shore police received of what was happening to the Palehan was
THE " FOREIGN COMMUNITY."
It is open for the property- to prove that injustice is being owners done them by forcing upon them alterations in their properties which they had no reasonable grounds for expecting to have to make. It must be remembered that the question of compensation is not neglected By all means in the proposed measures. therefore let the matter be threshed out, as Mr. LAU CHU PAK asked on the 19th instant, and public opinion be taken; but do not let us attach undue weight to the expressions of those who by their positions are able to make themselve, best beard.
(Daily Press, 21st June.)
There is no reason to believe that the President and people of the United States are other than sincere in their desire to clear out of the Philippines," as soon as the The States have well islanders are in a condition to establish self-government." and nobly carried out their promise of restoring autonomy to Cuba, although the temptation to retain it was strong, stronger inleed than usually actuates sovereign states which have by chance got bold of a slice of promising territory. Tue people of (Daily Press, 24th June.) The letter which appchred in our corres- the States have been scandalised recently pondence column yesterday under the by certain measures which their comman- beading of The Foreign Community." dants have apparently found it necessary to was by no means an uncalled for protest, take and which in the light we possess for it is certainly an error of judgement for seem to have savoured of a return, to We are not going any resident in this Colony, whatever he pristine barbarity.
foreign his race, to speak of the
as either to apologise for or to condemn these we know absolutely opposed to the Chinese community in measures, because Hongkong. This being a British colony, nothing of them, except the apparently certainly the last to be described as exagg ruited reports
foreigners" are any British subjects. The assiduously put forward by a section of the subdivisions of the population as given in American press; and we know that the British," popular demand for brevity, provided that certain official documents are
Foreign," and "Chinese," and though that brevity be highly spiced with trans- British and Foreign is a conjunction cendental language, has led to the growth used, for instance, in the monthly death of a volcanic type of writing, which it would returns, this is merely on account of the be folly on the part of a plain Englishman vast numerical preponderance of the Chinese to attempt to understand. The fact, how- compared with the other residents of ever, remains that, with the best intentions,
11
46
15
which have been