1
September 26, 1903.)
the proposed Seoul Wiju railway connection.) A judicious backing up of Japanese enter- prise in Corea seems the best policy which Great Britain can adopt.
THE CURRENCY QUESTION.
!
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. HONGKONG NAVAL DOCKYARD.
(Daily Press, 25th September.) Mr. ROBERT SHEWAN's letter to the Times, which we publish in another column to-day, will doubtless be read with interest in Hongkong. As the London and China Ez- (Daily Prs, 22nd September.)
press of the 28th August says in an editorial The vagaries of exchange have naturally note upon the letter, it is a pity that it did been attracting pusiderable attention of
not reach London in time for the series. of ite, and there have been some rather questions asked by Mr. SHEWAN to be put puzzling features in connection with the to the First Lord of the Admiralty before move nents of the dollar and of the price
the prorogation of Parliament. Mr. of bar silver per punce. A steady rise in
SHEWAN wrote on the 17th July (while still both from early in June, when the dollar in Hongkong), and presumably the letter had fallen to less than 1. 8d., telegraphic it is not published in the Times until the reached London on the 17th August, though transfer, and bar silver almost down to 24 per oz., culmuated at the beginning 27th of the month. Mr. SHEWAN deals of this month, when on the 3rd September very frankly with a question which is of the dollar stood at 1101, telegraphie great importance to the Colony, and the transfer, and bar silver at 2613 per oz.
case as he presents it is very strong. In Since then there has been a decline until partikular, his ninth question, if it should the dollar is 19 aud har silver is 261 be answere i in the affirmative, is an argu per oz. It may be of interest to subjoinment of most telling force. He asks whether a table showing the figures given in our
it is not a fact that the value of the present columns every Monday morning, from the site and work is estimated by expert judges beginning of July down to the present date, to be sufficient to defray the whole cost of of the rate of exchange of the dollar, removal as well as the cost of the new site. telegraphic transfer, and of the price of bir
If the reply should be "Yes, then it may silver per oz. The figures are as follows:-
be well aske!, further, why the Admiralty in their letter of the 9th March to the Colonial Office, demanded such enormous
from Hongkong in return
for an abandonment of the present site and Mr. SHEWAN promised a second letter, etaining ก proposal for a
sť
91, T.T, Bar der.
4th July 18 11th July 18
2416 24
250
*
$1. T.T. Bar silver.
It was
15th Aug. 1.9 25 22nd Aug. 1.94 251 18th July 1.84 225 29th Aug. 1 103 267% 25th July 1.84 25 5th Sept. 1.1 2016 1st Aug. 1.9 250 12th Sept. 1.10 267 8th Aug. 1.9
19th Sept. 1.9 26% In the Manila (ablenews there appears a telegram dated Washington, 12th September, to the ensuing effect: "The Treasury officials bere are beginning to fear a strong "rise in the price of bullion silver. "said to-day at the Treasury that the drain on the country's supply of silver made by "the coinage of the new Philippine currency, "was certain to cause the white metal to "soar in the near future. The price of silver has been more than firm for some months, "and there has been much talk of a corner.' This talk of a corner has been going on for a long time now; nor is the statement about the drain on the silver supply caused by the new Philippine coinage much more recent. But the Manila Government has also had another difficulty to face, namely, that the Chinese have been taking as much gold as possible out of the Islands. As a counter- poise to this, Governor TAFT having, made representations to Mr. Roor of the necessity of pushing the Conant dollar to the front and putting a stop to the exportation of gold from the Philippines, Mr. Root has instructed General WADE to forbid the shipment of gold to Chinese ports ia pay- ment of Army debts incurred there, and, further, the Acting Chief Quartermaster of the Division at Manila has instructed his quartermasters to refrain from recognising the Mexican coine in any official manner. The position, complex enough already, is continually being further complicated by unforeseen events arising, and the result in so sensitive a fiel as the money market is a constant state of uncertainty, which acts prejudicially to trade and enterprise of nearly every kind in the Far East, particularly in silver-using places. It is unnecessary now to re-state what a bad effect it has in Hongkong, which is of course the question which chiefly concerns us. There is, however, a tendency while silver is rising, as it has been for some months past, for the advocates of a gold currency to preseir case less thoroughly. This is a great mistake, for a temporary rise in the price of silver affects the situation very little and certainly fails to inspire confidence in the security of investments or to encourage trade.
terins
works.
far
more commodious, economical, and suitable naval establishment than that We at present occupied in Hongkong. ehall await this with no little eagerness. In the meanwhile, although Mr. SHEWAN'S first communication to the Times was un- fortunately too late to be made use of in the way he hoped, yet the ventilation of the subject in the columns of the leading paper of London and the world cannot lave entirely failed to have an effect. The lapse of time makes a change of site gradually more unlikely but that it is not yet impossible is shown by the very letter of the Admiralty on the 9th March last.
HONGKONG SANITARY
BOARD.
A meeting of the Sauitary Board was held on Thursday afternoon in the inrd Room. Hon. Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer (President), presided, and there were also present. Hon. W. Chatham, Director of Public Works (Vice-President); Mr. C. Mcl. Messer, General; Colonel W. E. Webb, R.A.M.C, Mr. Acting Registrar. Fung Wa Chun, Mr. Lau Chu Pak, Mr. A. Rumjahu, Hon. H. E. Pollock, K.C; Mr. E. A. Hewett; Dr. Pearse, Acting Medical Officer of Health; Dr. Barnett. Assistant Medical Officer of Health; aud
Mr. G. A Woodcock (Secretary).
PUBLIC CONVENIENCES.
Correspondence was laid on the table relative to the proposed sites recommended for public latrines and urinals.
Mr. Hesett attached a minute to the effect that in order to make the correspondence clear the Board should be supplied with plans of the existing latrines and urinals and the sites of those proposed.
been attached
The PRESIDENT said that the plans had now There had been a complaiut against a latrine proposed to be erected near the Harbour Master's Office. The Director of Public Works said he knew of no alternativa site; it was a question wh ther the Board would recommend that the original site be agreed to.
Mr. HEWETT s id it was a mate of the greatest importance that a sufficient numb r of and he instanced cases of indecency occurring on thes public convenienc s should be provided, the public streets as a direct result of the insufficiency of such conveniences.
227
The PRESIDENT moved that the papers be re-circulated for the information of members.
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK seconde, and the motion was agreed to.
MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH FOR KOWLOOŃ.
**
The PRESIDENT pursuant to notice moved "That the Board, under the provisions of Section 30 of the Public Health and Build- to institute summary proceedings before a ings Ordinance, 1908, depute Dr. Macfarlane Magistrate against any person contravening any of the Bye-laws duly made under Section 16 of the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance, 1903," and That the Board, under the provisions of Section 256 of the Pablic Health and Buildings Ordinance, 1993, depute Dr. Micfarlane to institute summary proceed- ings before a Magistrate for the recovery of Ordinance or any Bye-laws made therenader." auy penalty imposed by Part II. of the said
Dr. Macfarlane, he said, was the second Assistant Medical Officer of Health, who had within the last two days arrived in the Colony, and it was proposed that he should take over the duties of the Medical (fficer of Health for Kowloon, and the Government had approved of that It was a rapidly growing suburb of the town, sngg-stion. He would supervise the work of the plague inspectors and also the sanitary in- spectors, and generally perform the duties of
Medical Officer of Health in that distriot.
Mr. HEWETT asked if he would also attend to those Government servants who were entitled to medical attendance and who lived in Kowloon ?
been considered.
The PRESIDENT said that matter had not yet
Mr. HEWETT remarked that it was a matter which had been before the hamber of Com- merce, of which he was chairman. They attached considerable importance to it and as it might necessitate discussion later on he trusted the Government would bear it in mind that it was possible that this officer might have to meet this requirement, which was a great one.
The motion was agreed to.
A SCAVENGING LANE.
There was laid on the table an application for exemption from the provision of a soaveng- ing lane at the back of 41 and 43. Wing Lok
Street.
Mr. Lau Chu Pak minated:-"These houses are too shallow to provide for a scavenging lane. The Board should recommend Government to pay full compensation and resume them."
The D.P.W:-"The proposed lane would form one of the outl ́s from a lane running at the back of the houses fronting on Kwong Yuen Streets E. and W. respectively. Such a lane would be of undoubted benefit. I would suggest that a modification of the open space be recommended, subject to part of it being left to
form the lane."
The VICE-PRESILENT moved that a modifica
tion of five feet in the open space requirements for a laue not less than four feet at the back of be allowed on condition that provision was made
these premises, without compensation.
The PRESIDENT seconded, and the motion- was agreed to.
LANE AT FIRST AND SECOND &TREETS,
Correspondence was submitted relative to a proposed scavenging lane for four new houses
between First and Second Streets,
་
+
Mr. A. Rumjahn minuted :--" Unless the lane is accessible to scavenging coolies, it is only money given away."
Mr. Lau Chu Pak :—“ What is the good of lane which is inaccessible? It will only form repository for rubbish."
The VICE-PRESIDENT explained that it was not a practicable thing to construct a soaveng-* ing lane there and moved that the Government ba informed accordingly.
Mr. RUMJAHN seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
The PRESIDENT said that in his covering minute the Colonial Secretary asked for an opinion from the Board as to what should be done in similar cases. He did not think the Board ould give a general answer.
Hon. Mr. POLLOCK No; every case will have to be dovided on its merits.
PROVISION OF OPEN SPACES.- The SECRETARY laid on the table correspon- dence relative to the provision of open spaces