July 29, 1905.j
THE TRADE OF FOOCHOW.
The Foochon Echo says: 1901 seems to have boen one of those. years which report writers most dislike, a normal year. Trade conditions were not affected by the war or other disturbing influences; the character of the junk trade was practically identical with that of previous years; the public health has been good, and the rice crops especially the autumn crop, excellent. I'lague, we learn with satisfaction, has not yet penetrated more than ninety miles above Foochów, except that a very few cases appeared during the ver near Kuching. While on this point, we would note that if plague has not made more progress, this result is not to be counted to the credit of
Foochow, whose total, and we had almost written criminal, neglect of quarantine precautions acts as a direct invitation to plague.
The gross valua of the trade of Foochow amounted to Uk. Tls. 20,990,000, au încreas› of a million taels over the previous year. The Customs Revenne amounted in all to Hk. Tls. 966,000, a decrease of Hk. Tls. 69,000 from that of 1903, and, with one exception, the lowest in the past ten years.
S
usual. about
R
third
cu-
The valus of foreign imports shows an increase of about 7 per cent, the import of opium farming, of the whole. Exports and re-exports show a still larger increase; of these, of course, black
most tea is the
important, stituting almost the whole of the re-exports. The re-export consists of teas brought from other Chinese ports (chiefly Santu) by steamers to be sold here and sent abroad like other Foochow teas. Exports and re-exports of tea together show a decrease of 18,000 piculs. From the native dealer's point of view, the season is
stated to have bee satisfactory, but the foreign merchants found it most disappointing. We do not remember hearing of a season since the vaguely dated “old times," when the merchants were not disappointed. Perhaps they have reason to be, but the tea-trade continues and their annual chorus of disappointment begins to
rewind outsiders of the cry of Wolf!"
even
No doubt, however, the merchants know more about it, than outsiders, reviewers; and the Commissioner in noticing the want of other products to take the place which tea is gradually vacating, sets his finger on the real fons et origo mali. He writes," my experience of three years residence here points with constantly increasing emphasis to another influence retarding development-I mean the quality of the population themselves. I find them to be very lazy, inert, content with few comforts, and lacking the spirit of and ambition. While of a mild and hospitable disposition, they are supine under oppression. whether it be the oppression of their bullying neigbours of Kiangsi or of the ruler who taxes bat does not see justice done. Ignorance aud opium have had too much to do with producing this discouraging feebleness of character." At the same time it must be remembered that many of the largest native merchants here are not Fahkienese at all, but i umigrants from Niogpo or Cunton.
energy
We feel curious to know whence comes the quotation describing opium as a "healthful source of sustentation and enjoyment." There is an unfamiliar sound about the phrase. The Chinese seem to find Persian opium most healthful and sustaining, as the import of it has gone up with a rush in recent years, while that of Indian opium has remained fairly stationary. The values of the import for 1994 was : Malwa. Hk. Tls. 730: Patna, Hk. Tls. 655: Benares, Hk. Tls. 641; Persian, Hk. Tls. 53s.
Of education, perhaps the most important of these so far as the ultimate welfare of China is concerned. the Commissioner wiites hopefully. 'There is, beyond doubt," says he. "a progres. sive movement steadily growing and which soks for western knowledge; nor do the officials here oppose this spirit.”
more
The output of the Mint in silver and copper money during 194 is given at Kuping Taels 2,054,202.02, of which Tls. 870,965 are copper 19-cash pieces. The total value of coins struck in 190 is
thin three times that of 1903, which seems to indicate that a comfortable profit is made by the mints. When, we wonder, will the uniform pational coinage" of the Mackay treaty come into being?
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
·
The last sentence of the report is so weighty | apiece, the cat was relieved of its arduous and So true, that we cannot refrain from duties, whilst a private soldier undertook the quoting: Until all sorts of efforts to develop | billet of official commander of the rat-catching camphor, timber, silk industry, mining, and the apparatus. The latter attended to his instructions like are freely and boldly encouraged in Fulkien to the letter with the result that, at the end of (of course, under regulations recognizing the his first quarter in office, the destruction to just authority and rights of the Government) stores was worse than had ever been known and wo must continuo sadly to write up as the the official report of rate captured returned expression of the present commercial condition | their numbers as Nil! An enquiry into the of this province the words No progress.'' reason for this failure elicited the fact that no The Government is making efforts to improve blame was attachable to the soldier or the traps the silk industry, but for the rest, in our opinion. under his command but that, seeing there was no progress is likely to be the word for some no regulation authorising the expenditure of a time to come, as at preseut, so far from being farthing for providing "bait" for the traps, the boldly and freely encouraged, they are restricted traps had never been "baited " and the rats had and afflicted with regulations so occupied in quite naturally preferred spending their time in recognizing the just rights of the Government eating the more digestible military stores to as to fail to consider the interests of commerce. spoiling their teeth in experiments upon steel.
traps!
THE
ABOLITION OF THE CAT.
1
WRITTEN FOR THE DAILY PRESS BY *WAVING PLCOME." |
The employment of white mice in submarines by the Admiralty and the bearing them on the ship's books for ra ions had its parallel some years back in one single instance in the earol- meut of a cat for military services but whereas the Admiralty recoguise the utility of this class of mouse in its own particular line of seamanship, the War Office failed to appreciate the special services of and necessity for the cal in question; and whereas the Admiralty understand that, if you employ a four-footed creature in auy capicity, that creature will want feeding and its food paying for, the War Office never grasped this somewhat well-known notion and. as a consequence, lust a considerable sum of
public money besides the services of a specialist absolutely invaluable for the duties for which it was engage. The case of the military cat was as follows:-
rats.
38m9
A certain military sture, some years ago, in England, suffered from a terrible scourge of rats who did much damage to the reserve clothing and equipment kept in readiness to issue to the soldiers on mobilization. The case was reported to the authorities who ordered that such necessary steps should be taken locally as seemed most economical and, at the time, most effective in putting a stop to this The local military wastage of public stores.
the permission, without having obtained which no military action seems possible, felt justified in getting a cat, at no expense to the public, and letting him loose in the store- house as a species of counter-irritant to the The sub-letting of the duties of rat- catching was duly reported to the War Office was officially and the new public servant "put in orders
from the date at which his duties originally commenced. For rations ons pennyworth of milk was bought per diem, the cat being expected to obtain his solid subsistence by foraging in the government store. At the end of his first quarter's duty. there was marked improvement in the condition of the Government goods. rats were money in Hongkong, and the cat himself was The bill in fine condition and working order. for milk came to 78. d. for the quarter and was forwarded for adjustment and approval. Now, it is a funny thing, but perfectly true, that unless the regulations contain some allusion by name to anything in use by the army that particular thing is disallowed-illegal. so to speak. The highly trained Loudon officials searched high and low for any precedent or regulation which implied that a cat required feeding There was noue: The only cat
officially" recognised was and this was abolished and obsolete! No rations had ever been drawn for it either the bill for the Rat catcher's
A
as scarce as
"cat o' nine tails'
Therefore food was
· Disallowed" and marked "Excessive"! Io addition a board was ordered to assemble and ascertain why, seeing the expense incurred by the cat, rat traps had not been employed, whilst, if employed, how many the members of the board considered sufficient to replace the official cat. The board, having gravely considered the matter, reported that in their opinion thirty-two traps would meet the case but that a soldier would bare to be struck off duty to attend to the setting and general supervision of the traps. Thereupon thirty-two traps were supplied to the store-keeper at a cost of some shillings
The result of this economic move, expressed as a simple equation, works out as follows:-
(1) One cat (expressed in sterling)=78. 6d. per quarter or (2) one cat-78. 6d. per quarter== saving of many pounds' worth of stores.
This equation, being too simple for & professional financier, was transformed as follows:
(1) One cat-78. 6d. por quarter (?) expenses of two enquiries + one able-bodied man+thirty- two expensive steel rat traps the loss of many pounds of public property; and it was only after prolonged study that it was discovered that it is a fallacy to attempt to express an expert in any particular line in terms of a collection of symbols which have no connection in individual and spontaneous action with that line at all! Even the cat must have laughed at so clumsy an attempt at saving money by trying to save a few pints of milk in one direction whilst expending pounds in another during the "saving process::
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BAD WEATHER ANCHORAGE,
With reference to the Shipmaster's petition regarding Junk Bay being used as an anchorage, are asked to publish the following correspondence :-
Chamber of Commerce,
10th July, 1905. SIR,-As a result of the prosecution of Capt. Olsen, of the Norwegian Steamer Oscar II., for anchoring in Junk Bay, my committee have received letters from several masters of steamers trading in and out of Hongkong, pointing out the great hardships that will ensue if Junk Bay be closed as a temporary anchorage. I beg to enclose copies of these letters. It has been pointed out that Junk Bay has been used for a great unmber of years as a safe anchoraga for vessels making the port of Hongkong and arriving after dark. If vessels have to remain at sea all night, standing off and 65, rather than accept the hazard attendant upon entering the port after dark or during bad weather, the risk incurred is increased very considerably, as the dangers of a voyage are generally greatest when a vessel is in the vicinity of land. The extra consumption of coal would be considerable whilst a steamer was craising about outside, and most of it would be saved if the were lying at anchor with banked steamer fires. In foggy and bad weather it would be a great hardship if vessels were compelled to remain at sea outside because Junk Bay was closed as an anchorage and refuge.
My committee would most respectfully urge the Government to consider whether it would not be possible to adopt such measures as would allow the probibition to vessels to anchoring in Junk Bay to be removed.
I have, etc..
(Sd.) J. E. BINGHAM.
Secretary.
Hoo. F. H. May, C.M.G..
Colonial Secretary.
Colonial Secretary's Office,
18th July, 1905. SIR-Iam directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter with enclosures of the 10th inst. on the subject of vessels anchoring in Junk Bay. and to inform you that this Government bas for some time past had under consideration the desirability of declaring this Bay a port of the Colony.