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August 21, 1905.}
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. proclamation warning the people not to be all on account of intimidation of dealers by the deceived by them.
boycott committee.
REDUCTION OF POSTAL FEES.
Commencing from the 1st instant postal rales for letters sent from Canton to the follow- ing places and vice versa have been reduced to five cash per 31 mace in weight, viz:-Fong Cheun, Honam, Fali, Fat Shan, Wongpo, Chun Chum, Tailong, Kamchuk, Kankong Loongkong, Loong Shan, Kongmoon and Shanwoi.
81 PERVISION OF STEAMERS AND STEAM LAUNCHES.
new
in
The Waiwapu discovered that owners of steamships have frequently overloaded their vessels with cargo aud carried passengers
thus jeopardizing excess of their capacity, human life and property. 1 hear that regulations hard beeu made to limit the number of passengers and the quantity of cargo to be carried by resse's A according to their carrying capacity, &c. copy of these new regulations has been received by the Viceroy, who will shortly enforce the rules.
COUNTERFEITING TRADE MARKS.
י
In consequence of the Yee Wo Company, a Chinese firm up-country, having counterfeited the trade mark of a match box label, the Japanese Consul-General at Hongkong has communicated this matter to the Viceroy. His Excellency has given orders to the Nam Hoi to have the owners of the Yee Wo Company arrested and punished. I hear that counterfeits of trade mark labels of all des-
criptions are common up coun'ry and European firms do not seem to take any trouble to put a stop to such dishonest practices.
Canton, 15th August.
THE LATE TIT SAI'S AFFAIRS. In my correspondence of the 7th instant, in an article headed "A Deid Defaulter," which appeared in your issue of the 9th instant, I mentioned that the late Chau Sai's family is "under vigilant surveillance practically under arrest.' I have since nade further inquiries in this matter and take the opportunity to give the exact
racters which appeared in one of the local p
ers here (... ↑ **', which I tr nslated “under, vigilant surveillance" or practically und r arrest. The literal translation of those charac- ters is watch and control family." I am quite prepared to withdraw my version of the translation of the characters if anybody ⚫bjects to it, as I do not profess to be an expert translator. The deficit discover. d was originally 900,000 taels, but the deceased paid up 600,000 taels shortly before he died. Viceroy Stum, I believe, gave orders to the officer in charge of the Native Customs to hold Tit Sai's family responsible for the balance, 300,000 taels. This reference by our correspondent is in answer to a suggestion that the of the news of the "surveillance
à ceased official's family was true.
not
INSTALLATION OF MARCONI'S TELEGRAPHY.
The Chinese military authorities bave entered into a contract with a celain German firm for the installation of Marconi's improved method of wireless telegraphy between this City and Samshini, Several Germans have already arved here and they will probably start the installation work in a few days. It is said that the apparatus will not be able to transmit messages more than 75 miles dis ́ant. The apparatus for receiving messages in Canton will be installed on the Customs signal tower at Ho Nam. It appears that the same firm has supplied several installations to military stations up north which have turned out to be very satisfactory.
AMERICAN BOYCOTT.
PROVISIONS REFUSED.
The American gunb at Callao arrived here on the 13th instant and. from inquiries made, I hear that when she was in Wuchow all Chinese dealers refused to supply provisions to her, and they had to obtain necessaries in an indirect way. This tends to prove that the boycott is getting worse and spreading more rapidly every day.
CANTON, 16th August.
CANTON WATER WORKS.
Ng Po Kwong, a merchant here, has the water works of Canton City and to supply petitioned Viceroy Shum for a concession to build
water to the citizens of Ho Pak anl Ho Nam. It was stated in the petition that he is prepared to float a company with a capital of 85,000,000 He offers an annual royalty of $15,000 to the Government if the concession is granted to him.
His Excellency has directed the Sin Hau Kok to communicate the contents of Ng's petition to the Prefect, the Nam Hoi and the Poon Yü magistrates, so that they may jointly consider the various aspects of the affair and report as to whether it would hamper or incon venience the place if the concession were to be granted to merchants. Som think this gigantic project should be taken up by the Government, as there may be considerable trouble and obstacles which may embroil the general public, and could only be overcome by the Government baing responsible. I remember some years ago one of the leading British firms in Hongkong applied to Viceroy To Mofor the same concession, but the matter was dropped because the Chinese Government refused to add a clause in the agreement to assist the company in collecting debts from its consumers.
TERRIBLE RESULT OF A BAD SCHEME.
So Wai Ting, owner of an orchard in Sze Keiu village, near Canton, who discovered that his fellow villagers had been in the habit of stealing fruit from his trees, made up his mind to put a stop to the pilfering and to punish the thieres most severely if they were to repeat their dishonest practic s. In order to do so he | injected a.. lution of arsenic into some of the ripe fruits in his orchard, so that people who stole and ate them might be poisoned.
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had handed the title deeds of his property to the Wang Fang Company to keep for Choun safe custody, and that Lau Wai had hypothecated the ittle deeds to the Hong. kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation of his own accord and without first having obtained Lau Hok Shun's permission. The Nam Hoi's decres says that as the contents of Lau Hok Bhun's petition are quite inconsistent with what is said in H.B.M. Consul-General's letter, be could not decide the matter until all the parties, viz., Lau Wai Cheun, Wai Long Shan, and Lan Hok Shun, appeared before him to give evidence and produce all the documents that were signed and passed before them.
TAX TO REPLACE FANTAN REVENUE.
I hear that Viceroy Shum intends to impose duties on all kinds of merchandise. The name
of this new tax is (A) Yan Fa duty. or flower seal duty." It is said that many officials have frequently recommended the enforcement of the Yan Fa tax, but an Imperial Edict was issued last year ordering the suppression of all oppressive revenues, in consequence of which order the subject of the Yan Fa" tax had to be dropped. Lately an Expectant Prefect here has compiled a set of regulations and conditions of the "flower seil
64
tax
which is said to have been very artfully- drawn up. As His Excellency the Viceroy is anxious to suppress all gambling in the Kwangtung Province, a copy of the regulations has been sent to him for his approval, and there can be no doubt that he will take this
opportunity to enforce the new tax as a sub- stitute for gambling revenues, I was informed that yesterday Viceroy Shum gave orders to the Nam Hoi and Poon Yü Magistrates to take immediate steps to investigate and study the pros and cons of the regulations and to report their opinions on the matter, so that he may be able to enforce them at an early date.
I do not know whether this new tax will affect foreign goods or not, but if it does, I am afraid the Viceroy will have a great deal of up-hill work to go through before he can successfully enforce it.
IMPORTANT OFFICIAL POSITION ABOLISHED,
On the 16th instant, the Provincial Treasurer of Kwangtung Province forwarded a despatch to the Commissioners of the Grain Tax, the contents of which were roughly as follows:~~~~
A few days ago while his eldest son was
"I have received a despatch from the Board returning to the villige from a neighbouring
of Civil Office in Peking, requesting me to fair, he felt very thirsty as he was walking inform you that the Government has abolished through his father's orchard. He plucked several
the Grain Tax Office of the Kwangtung Pro- $ wongpa from a tree near him and ate them.vince, and directing me to take over and When he got home be felt a terrible cramp in perform the duties of collecting the grain tax
of the province." the stomach. His father asked him what was the matter with him.
He replied he had eaten several wongpa in the orchard, which he believed had caused the stomachache. Old So knew what it was at once and immediately sent for a doctor to administer some antidote to his unfortunate son, but the medicine did not do any good and the poor fellow died the same evening.
<<
HONGKONG DEBTOR ARRESTED.
REMOVAL OF YAMEN PAPERS,
Ia
Yesterday all official documents and papers relating to cases, &c., of the Governor's famen were removed to the Viceroy's Yamen, future all public functions and transactions which hitherto have been performed by the Governor will be attended to by the Viceroy.
HONAM THEATRE.
Lau Hing Suen, a native of the Poon Yü
Perhaps you are not aware that there is only District who has been carrying on an extensive
one theatre building in the whole great City of Barring "Sing Song houses and banking business in Hongkong, nuder the style Canton, of Wai Wo" has been arrested and imprisoned fower-boats, there are no other amusements for
It seems that he failed in
the millions of people here but the Theatre. in the Nam Hoi.
His debts amounted to
Unfortunately, about two years ago Ng Lan business last year. something like $400.000. Since Liu's imprison-Fong, one of the geutry of Honam, petitioned the ment the Nam Hoi Magistrate has received a despatch from the Viceroy which states that the prisoner owes a debt of over $19,9.0 to the International Banking Corporation and requests the Nam Hoi to seize all I au's property in the country and dispose of same to pay up the Bank's claim.
**
TRANSLATION FROM THE "LING HOI,”
Last month H.B.M. Consul General bere wrote to the Nam Hoi stating that Lan Hok Shun had pledged certain title deeds of his Lan I hear that the American Consul-General | property with the Wang Fung Co Lpany. here has received official instructions from his | Wai Cheun took the same title deeds from the minister to notify the Viceroy that his Govern Wang Fang Company and hypothecat-d them with the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation to secure the payment of certain drafts. The H. K. & S Banking Corporati n has a lien on the property, and requested the Nam Hoi to issue a proclamation to the above effect."
ment will hold the Chinese Government respon sible for all losses suffered by the American merchants through the hostile movements and measures taken by the Chinese to boycott American merchandise. It is said that the Standard Oil Company here have notified their Consul General that their losses for last week a lone amounted to over $25,000, and this was
I hear that a few days ago Lau Huk Shun's attorney here sent a petition to the Nam Hoi in which it states:-That Lau Hok Shun
Viceroy to suppress the evening performances. The reasons stated in the petition were that evening performances were dangerous
to
the neighbourhood; that the theatre being open throughout the night for admis- sion, robbers and thieves would seize the advantage and make use of the place; and that also many disputes and quarrels were settled in the theatre at night. Whereupon Viceroy Shum ordered the prohibition of evening per- formanc:8. The day performances did not bring in sufficient to meet the expenses for running the theatre, and eventually the owner closed the place altogether. He afterwards made repeated attempts to have the p ohibition removed but was unsuccessful. Tong Sui Yu-n his lately Hoated a concern called the Ming Shing Com- pany to work the theatre. He has petitioned the Sin Hau Kok for permission to hold per- formances both day and night, and has offered the Government a very temptingssum as annual royalty. It is said that the matter was referred