:
January 30, 1904.1
conditions.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
HONGKONG JOTTINGS.
81
river in the hope of getting a launch to take them down to Canton; and they were lucky enough to reach there just in time to get on board the last Hongkong steamer to pass the barriers. Could not the railway people adopt Hongkong time ?
University and School dinners increase in Lumber annually in Hongkong. The Oxford and Cambridge Dinner, now a yearly affair, comes off next Wednesday; the attendance will probably be not far short of 40. There is an hear of other old boy Old Bedfordian Dinner, too, this week, and I dinners in the near future. Another kind of dinner was held on Saturday last, those present being civil engineers and architects of Hongkong to the number of 40 odd, with Mr. Danby in the chair.
I read that between three and four inches of. snow fell at Shanghai last Sunday between 3.30 and 830 a.m., but it soon thawed in the streets and was converted into mud. We have had the mud fairly recently, but not the snow. Now we are almost inclined to forget it may be cold again before our spring begins.
(Daily Press, 25th January.) Another week of alternating war and peace rumours has passed over Hongkong, without actual state of affairs in the North, we are succeeding in convulsing it. As regards the
stories about telegrams received by as wise as we were, and even a fresh crop of bank managers on Saturday did not bear fruit in the production of authentic news.
One sees many curiosities in the way of addresses out here. Japan nor Russia wants us (I do not refer to
Hongkong Shanghai," Hongkong particularly by
Shanghai, Hongkong," and even as ") to know too
Hongkong,' much about what is going on, this is not Ceylon," are common enough. But I think that the latest I have seen is better still. It is "Victoriatown, Hongkong, Indie!" And yet it got here all the same.
1.
As neither
us.
Those who try to derive information from the surprising, annoying as it may be to movements of the dollar have seen it sink steadily from 1/101 on Monday to 19) on Saturday, and hence have been predicting peace; but, after all, there are other oiroumstances which affect the price of the dollar beside
In the absence of certain intelligence, however, one is compelled to try to extract some from all available sources to keep up the excitement. Now, if we were fond of "banders," we should have a grand opportunity.
war
rumours.
**
for the hiring and regulation of domestie of changing incompetent servants they have servants are so patent and are so clearly set been content to incur a heavier, outlay and forth in the petition that it is almost un- put up with the limitations of hotel life. necessary to refer to them, much less to dwell The Cantonese, under the best circum- upon the inconveniences, the wrongs, and stances, make indifferent servants, but the annoyances which nearly every hotse- uncontrolled and unregulated they become holder has to endure at the hands of incom- utterly careless of the interests of their petent, careless, insolent, or dishonest employers and render eye service of the servants. It will be reme.abered that the most barefaced type. It is high time that Late Governor, Sir HENRY BLAKE, to whose something was done to place this important potice the difficulty of obtaining reliable question on a new footing, so that the con- private chair and jinricksha-coolies had been ditions of existence-always trying in the forcibly brought home, appointed a Com-Orient-should be rendered more bearable mission (comprised of Messrs. T. ŠERCOMBE to female heads of European households, SMITH, F. J. BADELEY, and R. C. WILCOX) to enquire into and take evidence on the subject. That Commission reported very strongly in favour of the registration of all coolies, with photographs to be attached to the registration-certificates, and attached a draft Ordinance to their recommendations for the purpose of carrying them into effect. Unfortunately His Excellency Sir HENRY BLAKE, while admitting the evils of the existing want of system, was not in favour of registration, being doubtful whether the coolies would be willing to comply with its It is quite likely that the coolies would not have been favourably disposed to registration; ignorant persons are seldom willing to concur in regulations which may give them a little trouble, even if they are likely to prove to their ultimate advantage. But the good of the com- munity should also be set above the inclina- tions or wishes of a class. The British and foreign community pay for the music and it is their right to call the tune. It may be said, of course, that the servants will strike against registration, but this is not likely when they find that it will cost them nothing and that it will give them a status which at present they do not possess. Under the existing want of system there is nothing to prevent a rogue or criminal from obtaining
either by theft or purchase the testi monials of a servant who has given up that employment or died at his home in the interior, and entering the household of a British resident, with the ulterior object of robbing it, and thus bringing discredit on the servant class. That such things are done we have every reason to believe, and they doubtless account for many of, the frequent robberies by domestics or persons in collusion with them. It could not fail to be a source of satisfaction to the servants of the Colony to know that they possessed in their registered certificate a guarantee for their steadiness and good character. We believe it is urged in some quarters that, seeing there is even now a scarcity of servants of any kind, registration would accentuate that difficulty, and lead to a demand for higher wages. Even now, it is argued, it is not easy to secure native ser- vants who can speak English, or that jargon called "pidjin English," and that this must become more marked if the bad and untrust worthy boys or coolies are weeded from the ranks. In any change proposed, no matter what, some risk must be taken, and it is possible that wages for really efficient and obliging servants would advance in a degree, but we feel sure that the vast majority of employers would gladly pay a little more than they have been giving to get hold of willing and decently behaved domestics. As for the supply, that would soon be brought up to demand. Even under former and haphazard conditions, there has never been any serious difficulty in procuring labour. On the other side, there have been several cases of residents giving up housekeeping and arrived, there with some ten minutes in train at Fatshan it three o'clock in the afternoon altogether, owing to the badness of servants, hand, as they thought, only to see the last and going to the hotels to live. Rather carriage disappearing down the line. There than put up with the never-ceasing trouble was nothing for it but to strike out for the
The beggars of Hongkong appear to be multiplying. On several days last week I counted five of these nuisances in Wyndham Buildings. One was a miserable old hag who Street alone, between Powell's and Glenealy had lost an arm, and was careful to thrust the maimed stump. under the noses of passers-by. I did not observe their sympathy taking any practical form, however, as repulsive sights are scarcely sa incentive to it Another of these creatures was a decrepit old man who demanded cumsha for chow-chow from everybody in sight, and, on not receiving the cumsha as dently abusive languages if an angry expectora mostly happened, stood and used what was evi. tion and a snarl can indite it. A third smaller and dirtier blind (apparently) boy group was a small and very dirty girl leading a This imp followed and pestered me to the foot of the Magistracy Hill, and only desisted then on my calling the attention of a Sikh constible to the nuisabo. Is there no room for these pestilential vagrants in the House of L'eten- why not?
If so, why are they not there? If not,
tion P
Hongkong keeps its luxuries near its business centre. If one wishes to discover the worst-
lighted and the worst-smelling streets in the city, one has not far to go. The part of Chater is certainly the worst-lighted-it is diffoult for Road between Queen's and Prince's Buildings
a stranger at night even to make out that there are trees in; he middle of it unless he runs
against them-and the strip of road between Prince's Buildings and the new Watson pre- mises is as certainly the worst-smelling. The latter nuisance will no doubt be remedied when Messrs. Watson's block is completed. At present it is disgraceful at times.
It behoves Hongkong people who visit the Fatshan railway to remember the fact that the departure of trains is governed by time which is 15 minutes ahead of our Clock Tower. A party who went up recently found this out by sad experience. They intended to catch the return
The approach of the China New Year is marked by more circumstances bearing Chinese characteristics than the more frequency of fires that has been so noticeable within the past few days. As the end of their financial year ap proaches, the polica-stations have frequent visits from Chinese who tell most alarming stories about having been set upon in their dwellings and robbed of their jewelry and valuable effects. Mostly these yarns are pure inventions. One woman recently related a story of this kind and when the police set about making enquiries they found the whole of the stolen" property secreted in the house. She afterwards coufessed that she hid it herself with a viw to getting out of the payment of a debt which she had incurred and of which the goods were security. A young
accountant of a commercial business came along with a similar plaint the other day, but in his case the missing property was a large sum of money. His idea was to get the reported theft bruited abroad. so that when he had to square his account at the New Year he could thus account for a
shortage for which he was responsibl. This youth also confessed his duplicity when pressed, And these are only to cases out of many of a like kind.
I notice some pretty picture-postcards with views of the Bowrington Cana), Hongkong, The view makes the place look beautiful indeed; so much so that visitors to the Colony would certainly not go away without seeing it. The Bowrington Canal itself is now in a shook- ing condition, being practically useless. The trouble is that it has not been dre iged for ages. so that really a great part of it is not a canal at all, but a sand-bank. Launches and other small craft would find the canal were it kept in good order, very useful.
Our late Governor and Lady Blake appear to have had a lot of entertaining to do since they arrived in Ceylon, H.R.H. Princess Louise was their guest when the last mail left Colombo and in their company at Kandy snapshotted a herd of 27 elephants. Lady Curzon was also expected to stop as their guest for a few days on her way to Europe tais month. On the 4th inst. Sir Henry Blake held his first levée and Lady Blake her first reception at Kandy, the scene being a very striking one.
BANYAN.
A despatch dated Cloutta, January 9th, saya : The Foreign Office here has received an intimation that Colonel Younghusband has resumed his forward movement from Chumbi Valley to meet the Chinese Amban, who is reported tohave left Lhassa.
T
J