434
HONGKONG JOTTINGS.
(Daily Press, 6th June,)
The question of the water supply is becoming painfully pressing in Hongkong again this year. Already we are long past the time when we should have got through a good long refreshing spell of the rainy season. Instead of that, we are just now having weather which we generally expect to get after the rains are well over, whereas we have had practically no rainfall at all yet and the possibility of a water famine seems far from remote. Already the Chinese are buying water on the Praya from boats which bring it over from the streams in the neighbour. hood of Laichikok and Chinwan. The Water Return of the Colony for the 1st of June shows that there were only 71,500,000 gallons of water in the storage reservoirs as compared with 264,360,000 gallons on the same date last year.
I am glad to note that Dr. Atkinson, the Principal Civil Medical Officer, in his annual report, presses upon the attention of the Govern-
ment the need of a new Government Civil Hospital. He reminds the Government that as Superintendent of the Hospital he referred to the question in his reports for the years 1892 and 1893 and later, and he now again suggests that a site should be reserved for a new hospital. To arrange the present hospital in accordance with the best modern practice a good many improvements are necessary; but among the most pressing requirements are increased accom- modation for private patients and the addition of an operating theatre. The present buildings are old and cost a considerable sum of money every year in repairs; and another argument which may be cited in favour of their condemnation is that the growing insalubrity of the surroundings renders the site a very undesirable one for a hospital. But the Principal Civil Medical Offi- cer has lived long in the Colony and has learnt to be modest in his requests. He knows the history of other public buildings now in course of erection, and, guided by that, he merely asks for the reservation of a site. The "entirely new hospital," badly as it may be needed, is according to all precedent, not likely to be gazed upon by the present generation. But could not the Government create a new pre- cedent if it tried ?
We have had during the week an interesting instance of the force of Precedent, in the able and exhaustive judgment rendered by the Chief Justice on the question which has arisen anent the will of the late Mr. Granville Sharp in relation to the endowment of the hos- pital which the deceased directed to be built in memory of his wife. The estate left by Mr. Sharp has doubled in value since the will was proved, the result being that the "residue,' which was bequeathed for the erection and maintenance of a hospital, has increased by something like a million dollars. The Chief
11
Justice held that the whole of this sum must be devoted to the purposes of the hospital, and Sir William Goodman's ruling on the point seems absolutely sound, according to legal prece- dent To the ordinary layman, however, the most satisfactory solution of a question of this sort would appear to be that the total amount of the increment in the value of the estate should be divided pro rata arong all the beneficiaries under the will, including the hospital; that is if it can safely be assumed that the amounts of the not very munificent legacies left to relatives and friends were deter- mined by a consideration of the sum which would thereafter be left for the erection and maintenance of the hospital, which was evidently his uppermost consideration. What an extra- ordinary hospital this will be! A hospital which will never need to appeal to the charitable public for funds must surely be unique. The chief difficulty of the treasurer will be to know what to do with the money, for there is no telling to what extent the estate will increase in value as the Colony continues to develop.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Government that upon the opening of the
·
[June 13, 1904.
system 500 rickshas will be withdrawn from the WAR TELEGRAMS.
streets, leaving about 1,000 plying for hire. counted on by the ricksha-pullers, many of This impending reduction is already being
whom are endeavouring to sell off their coolies. Now is the time for anyone wanting vehicles or obtain employment as private-ricksha
a ricksha to obtain one cheap.
A visit to the new dock at Quarry Bay shows that Messrs. Butterfield & Swire are making great progress in its construction. It is estimated, roughly, that the whole equipment of the dockyard will be completed in about three years. In the dry dock itself there is enough solid granite yet to require blasting operations of a year's duration, but the walls of the basin have been more than half built, and work on the cofferdam is being pushed on rapidly. The dock when completed will accommodate the largest ship in the world.
In a Northern port paper a writer discusses the relative physical capabilities of the different men-of-war's men who periodically visit the towns on the China coast. A more interesting thing to discuss would be, perhaps, the personal demeanour of the Navy men of various nationalities. From my own observation in Hongkong, I should say that the French are the best-behaved, the British the best-tempered, the Germans the most exclusive and obtrusive, and the Russians the most boorish, while the Americans are the most jovial and good-naturedly uproarious.
non-
I am credibly informed that Hongkong will shortly possess an attraction in the shape of the ever-popular water-chute. The proposed location is to be in the near vicinity of the Hotel Metropole. The promotors of this idea hope to have the chute in full swing ere the hot weather has left us. I am not yet in a position to disclose the names of the promotors, but further details will appear in due course.
taken in the V.R.C.'s scheme for establishing a At the present time a deal of interest is being swimming bath on this side of the harbour. A correspondent writes suggesting that a scheme of this kind ought to be under- taken by the Colony.
"powers that be of the One serious objection I have to offer to such an institution being in the hands of a private body," he writes, "is that access to the bath would be prohibited to the general public except they pay an entrance-fee of $30 and become members of the club. It is high time that Hongkong possessed a public swimming bath, project should prove remunerative financially, open to all on payment of a reasonable fee. The
and would undoubtedly be a real boon." is an idea that may be worth discussing, but personally I do not agree that it is a duty of the Government to provide a swimming bath.
This
BANYAN.
[FROM OUR OWn corresponDENTS]
LONDON, 2nd June. The Tsar's Council of War favours Viceroy Alexieff's advice that an effort be made to relieve Port Arthur.
General Kuropatkin wants his force to be increased to 400,000 men.
The Russians
Russians have completed
eleven fortresses and are laying mines at Liaoyang
General Stalkenberg with a force of 14,000 men is marching in the direction of Wafangtien.
Large forces of Hunhuses are pre- paring to cut the railway north of Mukden,
LONDON, June 3.
Recent events in the arena of the. war have created a very pessimistic feeling in Russia. Upwards of 1,360 arrests have been made in Russia for political offences.
LONDON, June 7. General Kuropatkin, Commander- in-Chief of the Russian army, has been instructed to proceed South quickly.
General Kuropatkin and his staff
and Tachicho. are reported to be between Haiching
Admiral Dubasoff says that a deter- mined sortie by the fleet at Port Arthur is probable.
LONDON, 8th June. General Kuropatkin, apparently, has returned to Liaoyang.
THE SULTAN AND RUSSIA'S
BLACK SEA FLEET.
LONDON, 10th June. It is firmly reported that the Sultan has given his consent to the passage of Russia's Black Sea fleet through the Dardanelles.
The
KOBE, 10th June. Japanese have occupied
Simang?
The Russians fled, burning the Chinese houses as the Japanese ap- proached.
Messrs. Baudinel & Co., of Newchwang, in a market report dated May 25th which came to hand yesterday state-Pilotage is made com- ANOTHER JAPANESE SUCCESS. pulsory and is increased to six taels per foot, and all night work is prohibited. On the other hand the Russians have permitted the use, while vessels are entering or leaving the river, of two removeable marks to lessen the difficulties of navigation. Great quantities of beans have come down river during the last six weeks, but unsold stocks are now reduced to about 13,000 piculs in harbour, and 30,000 piculs en route. Prices are high. The next big fleet of beanboats may be expected to arrive about 20th June, until which date there is unlikely to be any fall in prices. About a month ago high | Saimatze. rates would have been gladly paid for southern ports, but tonnage was unobtainable now freights have declined in sympathy with southern markets. The Norwegian str. Standard was settled at 50 cents to Shanghai on 26,000 piculs, and the British str. Dovedale at 60 cents to Swatow on 40,000 piculs. Arrivals to date are 52, against 256 in 1903. Vessels in Port.— Pechili, Wosang, Waishing, Kashing, Kalgan ̧ Dovedale, Bourbon, Pronto. Vessels Expected
I hear that in about three weeks' time certain sections of the new Electric Tramways will be in running order, and that a general opening may be looked for by the 1st of August. It appears that it is a stipulation in the agreement-Carl Menzell, Newchwang, Victoria, Chefoo' between the Tramway Company and the Kampot.
LONDON, 10th June. The Japanese have reoccupied
[JAPANESE OFFICIAL DESPATCHES.]
JAPANESE CASUALTIES AT NANSHAN.
TOKYO, June 4th, 9.25 a.m. Our total casualties in the battle of Kin- chow and Nanshan on the 26th of May, were 4,204; whereof 749 were killed, includ- ing 33 officers; and 3,455 wounded, including
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