June 20, 1903.]
Icrine, going a good pace, but 100 yards from the top Irvine aga took second place, and, Fenwick falling exhausted, lud at the German Consul's hous orel also stopped. an the race was now been Irvine and Lashlan, the former of whom, though chased at ti nes by Lachlan, manage to keep away and win, exhausted, by about 6 yards.
Lachlan came up the straight at a fiue pace, and was the less done of the two, Result:- F. Douglas-Irvine
1 H. Lachlan...
2
非良司
18 mld: 53 2-5th sec.
19 mid. 1t 1-5th sec. The race was a good one in all respects and the winner fully deserged his success. Lachlau made a very fiue effort, rauning a waiting re, and possibly might have reverse the decision if there had been another half mile to go.
Fenwick also ran a good race but misjudged the distance and did not realise the effect of the big hill; he and Gorell should do very well another year.
There was a large crowd of spectators includ ing many ladies, so that the race on all accounts, may be called a great success and worthy of annual repetition.
CHINESE AMOK AT SINGAPORE.
The Straits Times of the 6th iust. gives the following description of a remarkable incident of which we have already been informed telegraphically:-
A case of what is believed to have been amok occurred in an opium-shop at Beach Road yes'erday afternoon. In this instance, however, a Chinaman committed the deed. In the anuals of crime in Singapore there is not a single recrl of amok committed by Chinese. It appears that the amokjer, a Chinaman named Tuah Tong Hee, was a lodger in the opium shop in question at 143, Beach Road. About 415 p.m. yesterday Tung Hee returned to the opium-shop and told the keeper that he was going to leave the place in paid twenty six cents for his lodging only. The keeper told him that he could go whenever he liked. Toug Hee then had a few words with one of the other lodgers about leaving and suddenly picked up a hitchat which was lying near and struck his fellow lodger over the neck and back, seriously wounding him. The opium shop keeper went to the assistance of the other man and he was struck over the head, receiving a scalp wound which bled profusely. The amok-er then made a dash for the door and met another Chinaman just coming in whom he also hit over the heal with the axe. The assailant then rushed back into the room and again attacked the first man with whom he ha dispute. The occupants of the house shouted for the police and the infaristed Chinaman, with the blood-stained axe in his hand, rushed outside where he almost ran into the arms of a Malay police constable who had heard the noise and came up to see what he could do. Before rushing out the man had seized a long knife and on seeing the policemen he stopped suddenly and plunged the knife into his own abdomen inflicting a nasty wound. He fell down almost immediately and was seized by the constable,
the
who wrenched the life out of his hands.
The amok-er became uqconscious almost immediately. The three other woanded men and the amok-runner were brought to Rochore Police Station from where they were sent on to the General Hospital. The amok runner never recovered consciousness and died at 7 o'clock last night. It was therefore impossible for the police to take his statement which doubtless would have thrown light on the
› ca59.
The first injured man is in a very critical condition. An inquest was commenced this morning on the body of the amok-er, and was adjourned sine die. Last night Inspector Hait of Rochore Police Station visited the scene of the amok. The place is reported to have looked like a shambles.
A telegram from Berlin announces that Herr Kalleu, German Consul at Canton, has been transferred to Saigon.
The Russian General Stan "Military and Scientific Expedition" to explore Mongolia, will be entrusted to the command of M. Grum Grjimaila, who is well known in connection with Chinese exploration,
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE URAGA DOCK COMPANY'S DIFFICULTIES.
PLAGUE IN HONGKONG.
445
The L. & C. Express of the 22nd ult. writes:--
Japanese papers raport some strange proce d- ings at Uraga in connection with the U.S. We regret to note that the plague retur08 gunboats contract, says the pan Gazette. from Hongkong iudicate that there has agaia The Philippine Insular Government is said to this year beon a serious recru lescence of this have refused to take delivery of the three boats terrible scourge. The figures for the last now on the stocks and to have demanded a cash month have shown an increase in the numbe· of iud muity for failure to comply with specifica. deaths each week, there being no less than 117 tions; Mr. Tsukahara, President of the Dock cases of plague and 99 deaths for the week end- Company, is said to have resigned his positioning 16th inst. Considering the serious effect on account of these things and to have been
which these frequen ly recurring outbreaks of followed in this regard by the yard master; plague have on the general welfare of the colony, half the workmen are reported to have been
it seems almost astounding that the inhabitants dismissed and the works are said to be
themselves have not long ago been moved to
and dismissal of
practically at a standstill. The resignations explainable from hat Japanese standpoint which me would be perhaps
aplauds suicido in the face of disgrace rather than to face the music which Western ideas re, ard
the manlier course, But the
25
difficulty of the question lies in the allegation that the two gunboats delivered were found defective by the Philippine Government. How is it possible that defective boals could possibly have been delivered to that Government, when they had first to pass a specia' U. S. Inspector at Uraga? This point-that there was such an Inspector has been made very clear, and it would apparently be impossible for defective work to have passed him unnoticed. Japanese papes naturally note this point, and openly al- lege that bribery and corruption were employed by the Dock Company to secure the connivance of the U.S. Iuspec'or in foisting poor work on the Philippine Government, Details of this aleged coruption are eren given, but there are circumstances that seem to make the story almost incredible.
Such U.S. Inspectors are usually specially selected for the work, and the appoint ment is deemed highly honourable and responsible and carries a good salary. Que
of
the defects admitted to have been found in the first two gnuboats COU- sisted of their large additional draught, the boats being specially required to be of shallow draught for coast work. Now it seems almost incredible that any Inspector would deliberately certify to the draught being according to specifications when he know that a practical test in Philippine waters in a few weeks' time would expose the fact that the draught was a foot more than called for and that there- fore his certificate was dishonest, Yet that is
if rumour from Manila is to be believel, this just what thes charges of bribery mean. And,
matter of excessive draught was not the only defect found in the bats, and Governer Taft reported to have been stirred to special action in the matter. Another naval in- spector came to Japan and is said to have reported condemuingly as to the three boats being built at Uraga. Then a special agent visited the dockyard and, after investigat ing the matter, left to report the result of his enquiry to headquarters. What the result is is not yet specifically known, but it will undoubtedly find its way to the American Government and probably be ome publicly known. As there is prospect, there fore, that the reputation of Japan in this conuection may suffer abroad, it seems in the highest degree desirable that it should be clearly known that the Japanese Government has nothing to do with any actions of the Uraga Duck Company in the premises. This is the first foreign commission entrusted to a Japaness yard and it would be disastrous if any official sti,mi were attached to what ought to be regarded as a private contract.
With regard to the late Mr. Nils Möller, whose death is announced elsewhere, the N.-C. Daily News says:-A man of strong passions, a vigorous mind, and goat commonsense mized with obstinacy, he built up a fine shipping business here, and he seemed still a hale and strong man when the family troubles, which probably hastened his end, brought him back to Shanghai recently. He spoke occasion- ally at Ratepayers' Meeting here, always forcibly and gener ly to the poin. He has left nine children, the majority of whom are in Shanghai, some of then carrying on the business founded by their father.
such determined action as would have forced possible to stamp out the disease. For years the authorities to do all that was humanly
past the weak spots in the sanitary system of the colony have been known, and yet the local authorities time after time have hesitat d to The sanitary
take the necessary measures. officials have, it is true, done their best, but they have too often been undermanned and overworked As the result of the investiga- tious made last year by Professor Simpson and Mr. Chadwick a number of reforms have been ius ituted and the sauitary staff increased, but evidently much remains to be accomplished. The extent of the outbreak this year shows that all the precautions hitherto taken have been unavailing, and it must be obvious to the
Government most opt mistic
official that mere tinkering measures are not of the slightest avail. It
can scarcely be said that there is any wut of light on the subject of the plague. It has been fully shown that there can be no doubt of the connection of the plague with sanitation.
The
Probably some of our readers may have perused the interesting little pamphlet on tropical sanitation, with special reference to Hongkong, by Mr. R C. Alford, published a few years back, in which the subject of the sanitationf the colony is dealt with, water points out that the system of sewage disposal adopted, although superior to that of using the storm canrels for the water-carriage of the sewage, does not appear to be in all respects satisfactory under the conditions obtaining in Hongkong. Besides the difficul- ties attending the water-carriage of sewage in a town so situated, the successful con- nection of some of the house drains in the native quarter involving the possi le introduc tion of water-closets, previously unknown, con- stitutes, says the writer, a serious obstacle. It is open to question, he adds, whether the simple hand- arriage system, notwithstanding the admitted defects of the method. would not have been preferable as the loss of two evils. Apart from the difficulty of tidal block, which might be minimised, the author favours the view that there นาย no engineering difficulties to prevent the ultimate success of water-carriage in Hongkong. What is chiefly desirable is a more definite separation of the localities inhabited by natives from those following the customs and habits of clean- liness usual amongst Anglo-Saxon races, there does not seem to be much hope that the usages of European houses wil extend to the Chinese, so that all could be sewered alike on Western principles, there is a great deal to be said in favour of Mr. Alford's plan that a definite district or section of the town, extending right across from sea to bill, be laid out, in which European habits, the use of water-closets, large areas for light and air, and a rigorous sanitary house-to-house visitation be insisted upon, on the lines of the strictest European municipal customs, and that only those content to observe and able to appreciate such advantages be permitted to live therein.
As
An honorary degree of the University of Cambridge has been offered to, and accepted by Sir Ernest Satow, G.C.M.G., British Minister at Peking.
A strike of ricksha-men has taken place at Osaka, owing to the establishment of a river steamer-service. Attempts have been made ly the strikers to wreck the steamers. The police interfered and arrested 200.