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of China ben Confucianists; indeel it is proverbially as in ispensable quality of the Emperor. The Mongol dynasty inaugurate l by KUBLAI KHAN was no sooner seated on the throne before Confucian'sın became its rule. The present dynasty has followed in its steps. Among all the educated the Confucian rule has prevailed, and the foun lations of Chinese political and social life are the precepts of this remarkable syst un. The honour paid to the philoso- pher's memory, which is what is meant by CONFUCIUS-Worship ' 18 the expressin but the most outward sign of this. miscall this "idolatry "and thus make it impossible for a Chinese convert at once to be a Christian and to be, from the Chinese point of view, a good citizen, cau in no way be considered wisdom. We trust that Dr. MARTIN's words will not be allowed to pass
unlie ded
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BUILDING COLLAPSES IN HONGKONG.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
[January 17, 1903. principal recommendations and conclusions of the Committes are summarised as follows :--
1. In view of the probability of cable-cutting, a variety of alternative routes should be provided
We have received for publication copies of wherever it is essential to secure telegr.phic the following correspondence :-
IMPERIAL CABLE COMMUNICATIONS.
Botolph House, Eastchenp, London, E.Ç, 28th May, 1972. DEAR SIR-At the Fourth Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire, held iu London in June, 1990, the following resolution on Imperial Telegraphic Communication was carried unanimously :-
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that Congress desires to call special atten. tion to the necessity of completing the All- British Pacific Cable, not only on commercial grounds, bat in the interests of the Haper al security.
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That this Congress recommends that sup- port should b, given to the action which the Imperial Telegraph Committee of the House of Commous is ta ing with the view of placing the important mitter of electrical communică tion between the United Kingdom. Iudi', and the British Colonies and Dependencies on footing commensurate with the present condi- tions of Inter-Imperial and Colonial relations.
"That copies of this resolution be addressed to the Prime Minister, the First Lord of tho Treasury, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secr tary of State for India, the Secretary. of state for the Colonies, the Postmaster General and the Governors of the self-governing Colonies, arging that every r asonabl⋅ op portunity may be given in Parliament for discussion of th position of the Tolegraph Companies ia relation to the Government, with
serious
a riow to an immediate and satisfactory solution being found for th very grievances under which the commercial ant industrial community of the Empire have been labouring for a long time past.
"That in view of the great object to be attained, this Congress is strongly of the opinion that it would be a wise policy to make fall provision for ultimate State ownership in any arraugements hereafter made to lay cables, by private co upanies, between British possessious in any part of the globs.
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That this Congress recommends that the e pecially principle of State ownership be providol for i fincible propose to ba land by a privit company bitreen South Africa and Australia.
Daily Press, 14th January.) With the conclusion yesterday of the enquiry into the fatal building collapse in Tung Loi Lane, the series of collapse enquiries came to an end. The net result of four months of magisterial investigation, legal eloquence, and public attention, as shown by the jury, is that no one has been found responsible for the deaths of thirty Chinese, caused by the falling of the various buildings. There were in all five cases, beginning with the Kowloon City Rad case, involving the death of ten men; here the magisterial enquiry failed to locate any blame. Next came the First Street collapse, where one man was killed; the contractor was committed for trial, but discharged at the Criminal Sessions. Third was the Second Street affair, where the victims numbered four; two contractors were com. mitted for trial, but also discharge when the case had come to the Supreme Court. Fourth was the Praya East collapse, killing thirteen; the architects and contractor were committed for trial, but the Attor.aey- General, ncing in the capacity of a grand jury, throw out the bill. Lastly there was the Tung Loi Lane case, which ended yesterday; two men were killed, but the jury could not assign the blam. We do not propose to go into the details of these cases nor to say that the ultimate verdict in each enquiry was not the one pointed out by the facts. There were great difficulties involved in the ta k of getting to the bottom of all five cases, and those concerul had
Wth referencs to the first paragraph of the laborious tasks with which to cops. But
above resolution, you are doubil ss fully e›gni- it cannot be held otherwise thau deplor-sint of the good progress that is being made able that the conditions of this Colony with the Pacific Cable, which has oachal Fiji, make it possible for a series of building and is expected to by com lets l' by ab at the
enl of the present year. collapses to occur, leading to the death of thirty human beings, without any censure attaching t anyo le concerned. It is not long ago since, after a certain number of collapses, public opinion was demanding enquiries into the circumstances. Now we have had the enquiries, and after all no one Yet is bette or the worse for them. perhaps it is not quite true to say that The Colony is the better off inasmuch as there is now proved what was b·fore very strongly felt, that the whole system of building supervision in Hongkong in the past has been wrong and that it is practically no better now. There is no call for "bang ing" anyone; we must hang the syst·m.
astoms are
The Negi Sembilan estimates for this year show an estimated revenue of $1,751.26k as against $1,669,353 for 1902. responsible for more than a million dollars and license for $420,035. The contemplat.d expenditure is $1,813,132.
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"That this Congress urges upon His Majesty's Government the importanes of instituting a searching investigation by the Departmental ommittee, prom sad by the Governmeat, into both the shortcomings and the merits of a private system of cables, aul cons quently in o the desirability or otherwise of adopting such course or policy in the future as would lead to te ultimat exp: pria ion of private cables and th es ablishmst of State-owned cables throughout the Empir, aul to raport thereon at thearliest op artunity; such a report to be accessible to the public.”
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communication in time of war.
2. Appreciable but not paramount valne should be attached to the provision of “All- British" routes. Every important Colony or Naval base should be connected with this coun try by one cable teaching only British territory or on the territory of some friendly neutra), After this thero should be as many alternative cables as possible following commercial routes.
3. We recommend the construction of:-(a A cable connecting either Rdriguez and Ceylon, Cocos-Keeling and Ceylon or Cocos- Keeling and Singapore. (b) A land line con- necting the Straits Soltlements and Barma. (c) An "all-British cable to St. Lucia, to be commenced as soon as the state of cable onter- prise in the West Indios permits..
4. While land-liu s are cheaper to construct and maintain than sub-marine cables, it is in cortaia cases es antial ou strategic grounds that the former should not be permitted to drive the latter out of the field of competitio.
5. We are aware of no power of controlling eble companies possessed by the States besides the following :-(a) The power to make stipula- tons when granting a subsidy of guarantee. (b) The power to employ public funds in com. peting or encourag ng competi ion with private enterprise. (c) The power to g ant or withhold general facilities. (d) The power to grant or withhold Government messages, and unrouted telegrams (e) The power to grant or withhold lauding rights.
6 The possible advantage of giving guarau- ters of minimum revenus in place of subsidios should be considered.
7. No direct pecuniary return should be demanded for landing rights. The concessions should, howev r, by regarded as a check on any marked unreasonableness.
8. The normal policy of this country and its dependencies should be to encourage free trade in cables." Exceptions should only be made to this rule on the ground of national, not of* private, interests.
9. We recommend that the cables (Landing Rights) Committee should be strengthened, and consideration of al questions that its functions should be enlarged so as to include the irlating to cables, that it should be entitled The Cables Committoe,' and that it should
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report direct to the Treasury, the Board of Drade bain relieved of its presont respousiti- 'lities with regard to oibles,
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10. We are strongly opposed to the gn:ral
say 11. We are not prepared to 摄
purchase of cables by the State. the existing rates are exc ssive, with the exs p- tion of those to the Gold Coast and Nigeria. We recommend that an attempt should be made to reduce these in connection with the renewal of the Eastern Telegraph Companies' landing rights at Porthearno in 1903.
As his a'r ady toon reportel to you, the resolution was forwarded to the Minister and Colonial Governors montioned in the third paragraph therein, au duly acknowledged. The ecratary of State for India promise! that the suggesti us should recivo consideration, so far as I dia was cɔnc rned, on rec ipt of tho recomm aditions of the inter-Dapartmental Committee ou Cable Communications which ¦ had been appoiutel bị thi Garamont and was then sitting; while th: Lord › Commissioners of His Vaj sty's Treasury stated that this Cham- bos latter hid bon referred to that Committee. I now writs to call your attention to the fict that the lute Daparta ntal Cmmittee has issu d its report, which is signed by Lord Bilfour of Burleigh (Chairman); Lord London- | dorry (Postm ister-General); Mr. Habury (President of the Board of Agriculture); Lord Hardwicks (Under Secretary of State for Indi); Lord Ons'ow (Under Secretary o State for the Colonies); Sir John C. Ardagh (Director of Rear-Admiral Military Intelligence); and Cnstance(Director of Naval Intelligeac ). The
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12. We would welcome the introdaction of 'deferred rates in any caso where (a) · the time required for postal communication is con- siderable, but (b) the cables are not fully occupied with ordinary messiges, but (c) are sufficiently occupied to admit of a real distinction be, wien ordinary and deferred messages.
as
It will thus be seen that the Committ o has pronounced emphatically against the general purchase of cables by the State; indeed. it is urged that the normal policy of this conntry and its depender cies should be to encourage "free trade in cables," exception to this rula only to ba made on the ground of na ional, not of privatə, interests. In view of this pronounce. mont, it appears that, in the future in the past, privato enterprise will be left to further develop the cable systems of the Empire on commercial liaes, but aided by the State under certain circumstang's (such as for strategic reasons), preferably by means of guarantees of minimum revenue in place of sul silios, with sufficient State control necessary in the public interest and to correct any marked unreasonableness on the part of the companies. With regard to the question of an all-British cable the Committee point out the valus of such a cable in time of war, on the assumption that cables will not le cut by belligerents, but it is thought that our strat-gio *