September 22, 1902.]
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
BLAKE PIER AND THE CLOCK TOWER.
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secm justified, in spite of the first alarmist | to erect at the head of the wharf. The news about the state of Szechuen. China Governor, like several of his predecessors, is the home of such rumours and it is as has also recognised the uselessness of the pre- sent Clock Tower, and that on its present site difficult as in the present case as usual to
it is an obstruction to traffic. It was most discover the true condition of affairs.
certainly his intention when he left for England that the new Clock Tower should be built without delay in order to provide protection from sun and rain to passengers using the Blake Pier, and that the old tower should be removed to admit of a freer circulation of air in Queen's Road and to abolish a serious obstruction to traffic be- tween that thoroughfareand Pedder's Street, We trust that His Excellency will lose no time in ascertaining the causes of the delay in prosecuting this work, and putting them aside unless of a most serious and insur- mountable description. It is possible that the Department is overworked-indeed we feel pretty confident that this is the fact; but admitting this to be case, it is absolutely np excuse for the failure to get on with If the Public necessary public works. Works Department is undermanned—and there can be little doubt that it is 80-- additional engineers and architects should be engaged on three or five year terms to carry out these special works, such as the Law Courts, l'ost Office, and Clock Tower. There would be no difficulty in finding the men, and there need be none about the cost. Engineers are not by any means scarce in Great Britain, and the loss sustained by allowing large sites to lie idle will soon far exceed the amount of their salaries. The waste of public money by this cause involved in the clearing of a large site for the Government Central School (now known as Queen's College) and keep- ing it idle for some ten years before the erection of the building was a scandal that should never again be repeated. When a building is once decided upon the site should be prepared and the erected with the same business-like decision
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section of opinion in Singapore. What the effect of such arguments will be is plain enough. France, during M. DOUMER's rule in ludo-China and during the present deputy-governorship, has been pressing haidly on Siam, and a strong party has been advocating the practical incorporation of the "French sphere of influence" with French Indo-China. It is easy to see what encouragement in their schemes of agression (Daily Press, 18th September.) these French Colonial forwards" will It is now nearly nine months since a vote receive from the advocacy in Singapore of a was taken in the Legislative Council for similar act of robbery on the South-Western the erection of the new Clock Tower at the frontier of Siam. If unfortunately both head of Blake Pier and tenders invited for advocates of the land-grabbing policy were the erection of the edifice. This was before Governor left for to gain their ends, Siau would he left His Excellency the with Menam Valley alone, a mere shadow England, and no doubt he expected to see of a country and as a buffer-state perfectly the work well on its way toward completion valueless. Sound opinion both in Britain on his return to the Colouy. Sir HENRY and in France recognises that the true BLAKE may not improbably want to know interests of both countries will best be why nothing has been done during this long served by the maintenance of Siam in period, after all the preliminaries for getting undiminished extent and strength between it started bad been successfully accom- the colonial possessions of the two in South-plished. It is, we know, characteristic of eastern Asia. Those who constantly urge Governments to take no note of time, even that Britain should take over the Siamese by its flight: there is always a to-morrow, Malay States, which she does not want, and festina leute is a safe motto. When, however, all the difficulties in the way of a are doing their country a great disservice.
work or improvement have been cleared THE "BOXERS" IN SZECHUEN away it is natural to expect that some progress will be made, even though that (Daily Press, 20th September.)
progress be very slow. Our Public Works The news from Chengtu, capital of Department, however, scarcely seems Ezechuen, which we published yesterday move at all, so tortoise-like is its progress. seems to be of an encouraging nature. The new Law Courts, the piling for the Chengtu, alarmed by the entry into the foundations of which was commenced nearly town of a number of armed "Boxers," was
two years ago, do not even yet show a stone a few days ago thrown into a great panic, above ground, the piling being still incom- all the shops being closed and the streets plete. It matters nothing that the existing being patrolled by troops. Now, however, buildings in which the Supreme Court is confidence appears to have been restored, lodged “are miserably inadequate for the the native officials have regained control, purpo-e, and some of the offices far from and the shops have reopened. It is plain sanitary the Public Works Department therefore that the Boxer incursion was of cannot be made to quicken its suail's no very serious character. This is what we
pace, and it will be matter for serious should be inclined to expect from rews wonderment if the Law Courts are com- arriving from other sources. The Shanghai pleted and ready for occupation before the native paper Sin Wen Pao last week an end of the first decade of this century. The nounced that in the Kingtang district of site for the new Post Office has been ac Chengtu prefecture the Boxers had been quired, and a handsome price agreed for it, dispersed and only a few roaming bands left. but it may Le doubted whether the plans In other parts the rebels had been scattered, for the building have been prepared or even though not exterminated and therefore still thought of. Yet it cannot be said that this watched by troops posted at various import-building is not wanted, or even that there tant points in the region where they were strongest. One Boxer leader, by name FANG, had already been executed on the Eastern parade-ground at Chengtu. According to the in Wen Pao, TANG was previously a corrupt member of the local gentry; in time he became a military officer, but was cashiered somehow and became a loafer. He told the Boxers this time that their failures were due to lack of a competent leader, upon which they elected him to the post. Then he led his followers and fought the Government's troops at Hsinlung, was defeated and escaped, but was captured eventually by Judge CHEN, General TING aud WONG Taotai. His head was 00 exhibition at Chengtu, latest advices state. The Viceroy is acting energetically and has dismissed one general whose conduct of the campaign against Boxer bands has been unsatisfactory. It does not look therefore as if the rebels were making any headway and though they penetrated into the pro- vincial capital the consequences seem slight. It is easy to understand that the Chengtu shop-keepers were alarmed at the sight of the desperadoes, but the native merchant is naturally timorous and the ill fame of the Boxers is wide-spread in China. It is to be hoped that the Szechuen Viceroy will be backed up strongly by the Imperial autho-it rities if the forces under his command are inadequate-a supposition which does not
the
is no hurry for it. Many years ago the necessity for better accomodation was insisted upon by the Press and public, and successive Postmasters-General have appealed pathetically to the Govern- ment for proper accommodation, so that the work of the office might be carried on efficiently. The Chamber of Commerce has also taken up the question on more than one occasion and forcibly represented the seandalous manner in which this important | D. partment has been boused. From time to time, urged thereto by these representa tions, the Government has adopted make- shift expedients to remedy matters peuding the provision of a new Post Office, and has declared its provision a first and early necessity. Will the Public Works Depart- nient. Le permitted to postpone the erection of this urgently needed building to the Greek Kalends?
Why, we venture to ask, docs the Govern- ment Tolerate this trifling, permit these intolerable delays in the construction of the public works when once they are decided upon? Sir HENKY BLAKE, when opening the Blake Pier to public traffic, expressed bis sense of the necessity for some sort of shelter for passengers using that, the chief lauding place in the Colony, and we believe
was His Excellency's suggestion that provision should be made for this in the basement of the Clock Tower it was intended
structure
and promptitude shown by a private in. vestor in property. His Excellency the Governor will, we trust, signalise the closing years of his administration by a vigorous endeavour to provide the Colony with the important Public Works above referred to, and will be able to point to them in an advanced stage of erection when the time comes for him to bid farewell to Hongkong. We cannot doubt that Sir HENRY BLAKE takes a lively interest in the erection of these much needed buildings, but there is always a tendency to laissez faire among the officials unless they are stirred into activity either by the Heal of the Executive or by indignant and aroused public opinion.
CHINESE EMPLOYERS AND THE STRIKE.
(Daily Press, 13th September.) The existence of n strike among the Chinese mechanics in this Colony is a matter of common intelligence. European employers of labour are well aware of the difficulties caused thereby and have not They are indeed been slow to complain. not perhaps cognisant, however, of the fact that the native labour-employers have been even more hardly hit by the prevailing conditions of the labour market than the Europeans.
That this is the case we learn from certain Chinese of unimpeachable character, and we have therefore no reason to discredit the statement. What is still more important, our Chinese informants tell us that it is not the action of the guilds alone or even principally which has pro- duced the present state of affairs. They insist, with the fullest appearance of
i