October 22, 1904.]
The Swanley reached Singapore safely and went into dock. It was expected that the steamer Ascot would be sent to take the coolies 1 from the Natunas to Durban.
STRAITS CURRENCY QUESTION. FIRST STEP OWARDS FIXITY OF EXCHANGE. At the last meeting of the Straits Legislative Council, beld on the th inst.. the Governor, Sir John Ande sou, addressed the members on the subject of the Estimates for 1905. After referring to the falling-off in the revenue from the Spirit and Opium Farms-the result of the abatement allowed the Farmers consequent on their representations that either they must be granted a reduction in their rents or they would be obliged to give up business - he proceeded to deal with the various departmental votes. The estimated revenue of the Straits Settlements for 1905 is put at $11,513,415, which is $415,327 under the original estimate for 1904, although it exceeds the revised estimates for this year by 8805,365. A loss of $900,000 is shown under the bead of the Singapore and Penang Opium Farms.
The estimated ex- penditure amounts to $11,126.638, which is slightly under the expenditure estimat d for this year.
and
With regard to the currency question, His Excellency remarked The reminting of British and Mexican Dollars into Straits has been carried on continuously during the year. Thirty-three million one Laudred twenty-eight thousand eight hundred and seventy-four dollars have already been re- ceived from the Mint. and there are about $2200,000 to come, which will com- plete the re-minting operations. From the first of September last the British and Mexican Dollar ceased to be legal tender, so that, for the first time in the history of the Colony, we have
a currency of our own. The probibition of the export of Straits Dollars was withdrawn on the fifth of the same month, and these coins are now free to go wherever they are required by the trade of the Colouy. The first important step has accordingly been taken towards fixity of exchange. It is impossible now to foretell the date at which a fixed ratio with gold can be future history of the value of si ver can only be conjectured, and with the disturbing influences which now affect commerce and exchange, especially in the Far East, it would be unwise to be in any burry to come to a decision on which the financial position of the Colony and of the Federated Malay States must greatly depend."
determined or what that ratio will be. The
In concluding, Sir John Anderson said that the fact of the Colony being in aposition, despite the temporary depressior, t‣ spend out of revenue a sum of $1,600,000 on railways alone, was proof of its financial strength, and he a ided that if he had to ask the Council during the coming year to authorize the Government to reise a loan for further large works required by their rapidly increasing trade and population, he had no 'doubt that the result would prove that their credit was inferior to that of no other part of His Majesty's Dominions.
A NEW BARRISTER.
In the Supreme Court on 18th inst. Hon. E. H. Sharp, K.C.. Attorney-General, made a motion that Mr. H. G. Calthrop be admitted to the Hongkong Bar to practise as a barrister-at-law His Lordship, he said, had the essential papers before him, and from these it would be seen that Mr. Calthrop had been admitted a student at the Inner Temple in 1888, and had been called to the Bar from there 13 years ago. Since that time Mr. Calthrop had practised for ten years in London and for about two years on the Gold Coast of West Africa. As his Lordship would see, Mr. Calthrop had had a longer experience than most gentlemen who were called to the Bar in Hongkong. He had great pleasure in moving the admission of Mr. Calthrop, and he was sure his Lordship would find all the papers in order.
His Lordship, Sir Henry S. Berkeley, Chief Justice, said he had read the papers and he had much pleasure in acceding to the motion of the Attorney-General that Mr. Caltrop be called to the Bar of Hongkong.
CHİNA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
EXTENSION OF THE SHANGHAI SETTLEMENT.
Viceroy Li Hsing-jui has wired Taotai Pan, the Director General of the Shanghai-Nanking Railway, that the Shanghai-Nanking Railway is to join with the Shanghai Station (of the Woosung-Shanghai Railway) and the land along the railway is contiguous with the American Settlement, and in case of scheme
any of further extension of the settlement the land
along the railway would be much interfered with by foreigners. Therefore the Viceroy, in consultation with Governor Tuan Fang of Kiangsu, had already wired on the matter to the Waiwupa and now a reply has been tele- graphically made by the said Board. Accord- ing to instructions received the extension of the settlement shall be voluntarily made by China before any demand for such by Foreign Powers has been made and the land along the railway line shall be opened for foreign trade.
The matter has been investigated by Lu Hai- huan and Wu Ting-fang and the same sugges. tious had already been made by them to open a Such open. settlement under Chinese control. ing of a settlement is entrusted to the Viceroy at Nanking. The Director General of the Shanghai-Nanking Railway is requested to cousul on the matter with the local gentry regarding in what manner and to what extent such a settlement can be opened, etc.— Universal Garette.
SHANGHAI-WOOSUNG RAILWAY.
T
At
D.
these
With the simplest formality possible, the control of the Shanghai-Woosung Railway was on October 9th taken over from the Chinese Imperial Railway Administration and vested in the Board of Commissioners of the Shanghai- Nanking Railway. A special train left Shang- following members of the Board: hai at 9.10 a.m. for Woosung, carrying the Chu Pao-fay and Shêu Tun-ho. Mr.
Taotais Landale (of Messrs. Jardine. Matheson & Co.), Mr. J. D. Smart (of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank), and Mr. A. H. Collinson (Engineer-in-Chief).
Woosung gentlemen were met by Mr. Chun Oi-ting, the manager under the old administration, and by him the formal delivery of the railway was made. We learn that with the exception of Mr. Chan Oi-ting and one other. high Chinese official, who have both received fresh appoint. whole staff of the line, and for the present at all events the change of management will be mora real than apparent. In this connection it may be mentioned that it is hoped that H.E. Sheng Kung-pao will be sufficiently recovered from his indisposition to cut the first sod of the new rail. way very shortly.-N.-C. Daily News,
ments, the Commissioners have taken over the
PROPERTY SALES.
On the 17th inst. Mr. George P. Lammert, acting under orders of the mortgages (Mr. F. P. d'Almada e Castro, solicitor for the vendor). sold by public auction the leasehold property known as No. 5. Bonham Strand. The pro- perty was knocked down Mr. A. Razaak for $43,100. The premises are held for the residue of the term of 999 years, granted by an Indenture of Crown Lease dated August, 1874, subject to an annual Crown Rent of $18.00, being a proportion of the rent, and to the covenants and Conditions contained in the lease.
The Public Works Department offered for sale one lot of Crown Land, adjoining Inland lot No. 1,699 on lease for a term of 75 years, commencing on the 4th February, 1901, with the option of renewal at a Crown rent to be hereafter fixed for a further period of 75 years. The land in question is registered as Lot No. 1,726, situated in Peak Road, containing in all 2,400 square feet, and subject to an annual Crown rent of $16. The upset price was $600, and the property was acquired by the Hum- phreys Estate and Finance Company, Limited, in the absence of competition, for $620.
307
A VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS OF
HONGKONG.
The Bangkok Times of the 5th inst, contains a contribution headed "
the Sidelights on made by a visitor to Hongkong. We take from Chinaman," being the result of observations it the following paragraph-At the summit of the peak new buildings are in course of erection, and to those buildings quantities of material must be taken daily. Far up the mountain- side are things like ants moving slowly up the track. Should you rise early enough in the morning you would be able to see the long procession start, the procession of which those ants far up form part. Until you become accustomed to the sight the track to the summit is naught but a long sinuous ladder of pain. Each toiler for the daily ascent starts at the bottom with two loads. Let us say the loads are made up of bricks. One load consists of two portions, twenty bricks in each. The↑ coolie bends, hitches twenty bricks on at either end of the pole, balances the pole carefully, and then starts off at a jog-trot on his six-hours' task. After ascending thirty yards he comes back for the other portion of the load, and carries it to the first.
up
In this manner he will take his eighty bricks to the summit. He will do this in the blazing heat of the day, when it a'most too hot for a white man to stand erect.
up
up
Old men of seventy to boys of fourteen and old women and young girls labour on this ladder of pain. There are men who will laugh when you suggest that the work savours of slavery, but these men don't happen to carry bricks the mountain side of Hongkong-they ride in the cable car. Still it must be admitted that long procession seems contented with its lot, the reason given being that it enables the coolie to sweat a few cents out of the contractor to enable him to do his little gamble in the evening. When you have seen the work done, and studied the methods of conveying material to the heights of Hongkong you realise for the first time that the building of the pyramids was a simple affair after all, and you also arrive at the conclusion that Chinamen must have had the contract.
EUROPEAN CONSTABLE STABBED.
There was quite a scene in Wyndham Street recently. It appears that while Con- table Ryan was walking in the direction of Lower Albert Road an Indian rushed at him, and, almost before he was aware of his presence,
made a slash at him with a sword. The blow
fortunately did not strike him fairly on the head, but instead caught the base of his helmet at the back. Even after striking the helmet, however, there was still sufficient force left to send the blade of the sword into the flesh at the back of the constable's neck and fell him to the ground. The assailant made off along Lower Albert Road, but an Indian police sergeant gave chase, and succeeded in capturing him before he had gone very far. Constable Ryan was sent to the Government Givil Hospital to have the wound attended to; it was not very serious. The Indian on being examined by a medical man was pronounced by be of sound mind. The man was subsequently charged at the Magistracy with inflicting grievous bodily harm on the Constable. The
case was remanded.
:
The Chinese-owned s.s. Hong Moh, running between Amoy and the Straits, arrived from Singapore on the 17th inst. On her last voyage from Amoy to Singapore Capt. Dawson had an inkling that there was illicit opium on board, and promptly instituted a search. As a result 100 tins of the drug, valued at about $2,500, concealed in various parts of the vessel, came to light. At Singapore he informed the authorities. Searchers were sent on board, and another 46 tins were discovered. The ship was there- upon seized, and only released on her owners putting up bail in the sum of $150,000. Con- sidering Capt. Dawson's action in the matter it seems certain that the bail will in due course be returned The Hong sloh on arriving here. had about 3,000 tons of cargo on board and 1,395 Chinese passengers. Her local agents are the Jop Tek Seng Hong.