April 3, 1905.]
which live fish are cast by devotees, again for the purpose of life. In one corner of this garden is a crematory, where the remains of the monks are burned, and large tombs where the ashes are deposited. Amongst the idols in the
temple are those of the founder, and former abbots. Some of the latter, however, have simply their names on a tablet, and a tablet in
the refectory is to all the monks who have departed this life belonging to that temple. The full establishment of monks is a hundred but there are probably not more than about sixty in the monastery at present.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
CORRESPONDENCE.
A SARCASTIC CHINEE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS."
Hongkong, 30th March.
who has studied
SIR,-As a Chinaman
foreign science &c. may I address a few lines to your honourable paper to protest against the prejudices my contemptible countrymen have against the idea of Russian rule. As one of our sages rays" Changes should if possible not be made but, if they are unavoidable, then the HONGKONG RIFLE ASSOCIATION. least change should be the one accepted." "On
WOUND UP.
this principle, Russia is by far the least of the. Foreign (literally "Devil") nations to rule in A meeting of the Hongkong Rifle Associa-China. She is like our country in every tion was held at Volunteer Headquarters on respect. She is ruled by an autocrat, she March 30. Mr. A. (hapman presided and nine freely uses force against the people, she is other members, including Mr. M. 8. Northcote fairly proficient in lying, and above all (the Ho orary Secretary), were present.
knows how to temper the sternness of The CHAIRMAN-It seems to me that the official rule by reasonable concessions to affairs of the Rifle Association have now reach- all who are able to pay for them. ed that stage when it must be wound up. I do not In military tactics-the point in which for see how we can carry on. The range will son eigners excel-she is precisely like ourselves. be entirely done away with. At present it is Inferior nations succeed by overthrowing their only up to six hundred yards, and that is on enemies. Russia, like China, succeeds by retreat. the road. Interest in the kifle Association basing before them. She is above the vulgar flagged. The Volunteer Reserve Association has done much to "back up" shooting. It does not seem to have many good shots, but has done a great deal of good. It was thought that we might amalgamate with this, but this would be almost impossible because many members of the Hongkong Rifle Association are members of the Volunteer Corps, and thus would not be eligible to membership. And we should not do anything to draw men away from the ranks of the Volunteers.
After adopting the report and accounts it was decided to wind up the Association.
The CHAIRMAN prior to this said he was very sorry that such was necessary. The Hongkong Rifle Association had been a very useful institution in its time, but circumstances were against it.
Mr. NORTHCOTE said there would not be much of the balance in hand (8364.68) left
when all their liabilities were settled.
It was decided to devote what was left to a trophy for the new Volunteer Rifle Association.
In reply to a member the Chairman said that the winding up of the Association would not affect Interport shooting. It was Colony against Colony, and one of the new Associations would no doubt see to that. He thought that good shots, non Volunteers, might be allowed to become honorary members, Britishers of course, of the Volunteer Rifle Association, or they could join the Volunteer Reserve.
Mr. M. S. Northcote was appointed to do the winding up.
arenas.
In conclusion the CHAIRMAN said he was very sorry that it was their last meeting but he hoped the members would meet in other The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to Mr. Northcote, who had kept the Association alive for some years. But for his exertions it would have been wound up long ago. Mr. NORTHCOTE said he hoped, as honorary secretary of the new Volunteer Rifle Association, he would do as much or more for them as before.
SEIZURE OF COUNTERFEIT COIN
Inspector Collett on March 24th charged two Chinaman before Mr. J. H. Kemp (Police Magistrate) with unlawful possession of counter feit coin. Police agents, while working up the case, purchased or secured on credit $52 (face value) in counterfeit coin from one of the defen- dants. This man was then arrested, and gave information which led up to the arrest of a man from No. 241, Des Vœux Road Central, an
emigrant boarding house. At this house was discovered $62.60 in counterfeit Chinese money, $52.40 in bad Hongkong five-cent pieces, a bad Straits dollar and a bad Hongkong dollar. The first defendant was sentenced to six months' hard labour. The second defendant was sentenced to six months' hard labour and six
bours' stocks for unlawful possession of the bad Hongkong money, and a fine of $939 for the bad Chinese money, or, in default, a further term of six months' imprisonment.
1
success of mere force and, as we Chinese have always done, finds her strength in her weakness as one of our Classics recommends. Of course
to us.
there are some points at which she is inferior (Every foreign nation is.) I hardly think that her secret societies quite come up to ours. Still the Gna-i-lis (Nihilists ?) aro fairly powerful, though of course inferior to our Triads and Boxers; but they would probably 800u learn a few things from our Houais. So that on the whole, if Russia took China in hand we should not be unduly changed-and probably could go on much as before, but with no little extra strength from foreign appliances. Why then should we not welcome Russia ? methods (fatze) are much the same as ours. Recently she posted inflammatory placards about Warsaw and managed to get the British Vice Consul there assaulted. This latter ought no doubt to have been done by some little boy in the mob, and not by the soldiers; and the Vice Consul should have been killed
Her
accidentally; but still she evidently knows the right way to go to work, and would soon improve in this country and manage things quite on the old lines. Your obedt. servant.
TSUNG LI.
CHINESE POLICEMEN.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS."
SIE-I should very much like to know if there is a law that empowers the Chinese Police to show at any time his "colour" by freely using his hands and feet on men and women of his own nationality. If not, then how is it that nearly everyday Chinese Policemen are s'en assaulting the natives often without any or very slight reason!
This morning such a ase happened on ove of the Yaumati Ferry Launches while along- aide the wharf at Yaumati. A Chinese women was standing near the wheel when a native policeman came along and without any reason or warning struck her on the head with his umbrella saying "Go and take a seat over there (pointing to the stern of the launch). The woman turned back to see why she had been hit. The policeman in an absurd way asked what she was gazing at, and if she wanted to be taken to the Station. The woman said "take me if you like.” The policeman called one of his comrades and told him to take the woman to the Station, which the man did.
Now one would like to know what has hap- pened to the woman and what she was charged with.
This is only one instance, among many, of the impudence of the Chinese lukong.
Is there no way to prevent this overbearing manner of the Chinese policemen towards the Chinese people ?
Thanking you for the insertion of this letter, and apologising for taking up so much space of your
valuable paper.
Yours ato.
S.E.W.
|
KOWLOON WANTS A CLUB.
223
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILT PRE88;”
Hongkong, March 31, 1905. Sir:-In view of the increasing popularity of Kowloon for European residence, I am at a loss to understand why there has not yet been a club established therein for social and other purposes among the numerous Kowloonites. I hope some of your readers on the peninsula will take the matter up, and call for a meeting to give the subject a formal discussion.
I am, yours do. A WOULD-BE KOWLOONITE.
VICTORIA GAO L.
The report of the Superintendent of Victoria Gaol and the branch prison (Belilios Reforma- tory) for 1904 is printed in the Hongkong Government Gazette. Here are extracts:--
The number of prisoners committed to prison under sentence from the Ordinary Courts was 7,305, besides 95 soldiers and sailors sentenced by Courts Martial. There were 64 prisoners admitted for debt, making a total of 7,464. There was thus an increase of 191 in 1904 on the total number for the previous year. The number of prisoners convicted from the New Territories was 80. The percentage of convicts to the estimated population was '067 as against 075 for the previous year. The number of prisoners admitted to prison for offences not of a criminal nature was 3,278, including 1,186 persons convicted under the Opium Ordinance. Seventeen deaths occurred during the year, and one birth.
There were no executions,
Fifty juveniles were admitted during the year, 34 of whom were sentenced to be detained 48 hours and to be whipped, the remainder were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment.
There were 798 punishments for breach of prison discipline during the year, as compared with 1,903 for the preceding year. There were three cases in which corporal punishment was awarded, two of which were (with the birch rod) sentenced by the Assistant Superintendent alone, and one with the cat-o'-nine-tails by the same officer in conjunction with a Justice of the Peace.
The percentage of prisoners admitted to prison with previous convictions recorded against them to the total number of admission, was 12.26, as compared with 15.92 for the year 1903.
The following table shows the daily average number of prisoners undergoing imprisonment during the past ten years with the percentage to the estimated population of the Colony of Hongkong :
Estimated Daily average Percen
Year.
population of Hongkong.
number of
prisoners.
tage.
1895
248,498
472
.189
1896
239,419
514
.214
1897
248,710
462
.185
1898
254,400
511
.200
1899
259,312
432
.166
1900
262,678
486
.185
1901
300,660
499
.165
1902
311,824
576
,184
1903
325,631
653
.200
726
.201
1904 361,206
Owing to the overcrowded state of the Victoria Gaol it was again necessary, on account of the inadequate cell accommodation, to locate As many as three hundred prisoners in the corridors. The store rooms over the Hospital had also to be used as association wards during the greater part of the year. For 241 days during the year the daily population of the Victoria Gaol varied between 600 and 834 prisoners, and on 96 days of that period the The daily average of numbers were over 700. prisoners in the Branch Prison was 74 during the year under review.
The average cost per prisoner was $104.77, compared with $108.92 for 1903. The principal item towards reducing this cost was the pri soners' earnings amounting to $33,507,79, the sum in 1903 having been corresponding $31,488,61. The amount of $33,507.79, was made up from the various industries and was the diffe- rence between the value of articles manufactured or work done ($53,449,84) and the expenditure of
}