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August 21, 1905.)
ON A CHINESE CARGO BOAT.
AMUSING REMINISCENCES OF MR.
ALLEYNE IRELAND.
The Ban Watt Soon steamed into sight early une morning, and by noon. I was alongside in a small native boat with my servant and my baggage. The sea was perfectly smooth and the unshapely, evil-smelling hull of the Ban Watt Soon rose from the ocean like some resurrected scrap heap-a mass of rust, dirt and uncategoried jotsam of coast travel.
The cargo of the Ban Watt Soon had been picked up at a dozen small ports on the eastern shore of the Malay peninsula. Of what there was stored below decks I cannot speak, for the hatches were mercifully battened down but the deck cargo included pigs, dried fish, eggs (of which a sufficient number were broken to stir
every note in the gamut of olfactory perception). fruit in every stage of decay, and more than 5,000 fowls.
This commerce of hens between the small
native states of Kelantan and Tringganu and the great port of Singapore is entirely in the hands of Chinamon, and the national character of the trade carries with it the most appalling consequences for the on-celestial passenger on the "hen" boats.
To a Chinaman
economy is writ large across the page of life. For the true native of the Flowery Kingdom economy is the mother of invention, the soul of wit, nature's first law, the ten commandments, the thirty-nine articles. the law and the prophets. And so John, stris. ing for economy, but innocent of all scientific knowledge thereof according to our standards. solves the problem of the transportation of heus something after this fashion:
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The steamship company will not carry un- crated hens; the birds must be packed in crates and the freight is charged per crate and not per bird. These conditions are examined by the Chinaman through the lens of Chinese economy and a principle is evolved. As the charge is per crate, and not per bird. the closer the birds hen are packed the less the freight works out per (as any actuary or mathematician can tell you). The application of this principle gives very definite results. A crate which might reason ably hold twenty birds is crowded with 100. and eighty of these die before they reach market. To the superficial Caucasian obser- ver the facts might suggest the classical an- swer to the famous riddle. Why in an army mule namely, "The more the fewer."
But it is not so in fact, for the thing works out like this. To the Chinamau buying food no food 1 is bad, the standard being price, not quality. A fine healthy bird, newly taken from a career of domination in the yard, costs so much; a livid corpse, with here and there a bedraggled feather attesting an ancient, nay, almost a legendary past, costs so much, and between the extremes you may find every degree in the fool value of a dead fowl as carefully graded apothecary's scals, and buyers all along the line. So John packs his crate full of birds. lights a handful of imitation paper money by way of burnt efferings to the gods, and hopes for the best. The best usually works out on stock taking at Singapore at about twenty live birds in 100, fifty more or less dead, and thirty so fatally across the line that no application of red pepper to the eyes or boiling water to the feet can evoke a cackle.
as a
The Ban Watt Soon had a brave burden of fowl crates. They were piled high on
the decks; they filled the life boats; they nestled against the smokestack; they hung over the sides; they clung to the stern: no place in all that ship, visible from the bridge, but yielded up day and night a farm yard chorus, growing feeble and feeble as the ranks of the living went down to swell the ranks of the dead.
Thus we fared to Singapore in the Ban Waff Soon. I have a hazy recollection that the food was unspeakably bad, that there was a drunken photographer on board who would fight me because I preferred Rodinal to pyro: that every creeping and crawling thing which bites and stings the human frame in the tropic Light held high revelry at which we were the hosts.
It may have been so! I cannot tell. For me the Ban Waft Soon was a ship of hens, and nothing more. The impression is deep, and shows no signs of weakening. To this day
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
chicken a la Maryland is as impossible for me to imagine for the purposes of food as a red-haired oyster would be to the laurel-crowned Alfred for the subject of a lyric.
THE CHANGSHA INJUSTICE.
The Peking Times says: -We understand that Sir Ernest Satow has done his best on Mr. Bennertz's behalf, as our experience of Sir Ernest would lead นะ to expect, but the nufortunate merchant. has lately sent an appeal to Shanghai to say that it is no use and that he is a ruined man. There is an adverse destiny, which overrules justice and rights represented by a body of extremely young and extremely ignorant subordinates in Downing Street, and the Mart as in authority are careful and troublel about many things and thereby miss the real raison d'etre of their existence, the protection Mr. and fartherance of British interests. Beunertz has hung op
to his position first. of course. in defpuce of his invested capital there, but also because he has entertained pathetic faith in the omnipotence of British prestige and the hope that by patienen of faith he might secure for his countrymen, as for himself, the recognition of his lawful rights and theirs. As a solitary case of a British merchant the attitude of the home authorities;
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might be condoned, but Mr. Bennertz stands for principle. New ports and trading centres are being opened continually now, and in the natural course of events foreign interests in these new fields will be work-d up by enter. prising units of the empire. Nov fields are opened up by British merchants singly, not in regi-, ments, and the British trad in each port was originally started by "one" British merchant. If. therefore, the fate of such oneisto be treated in this cavalier fashion, and if British documents are to be ignored and trampled on by Chinese officials with impunity, British enterprise will naturally think twice before it incurs such risks as are: here instanced, and the result will be that the new fields will be exploited by those whose Governments frown and thump the table when such things are done. It is satisfactory, no doubt, to be big enough to ignore these things, and to be able to afford the loss of a little trad here and there; but we are rapidly approaching the time, if we have not already reached it, when to us here in China every mickle will count, and if we mistake not. British merchants in all the treaty ports will feel as much interest in Mr. Bennertz's c and as much sympathy for him as theire
reres in Shanghai.
ALLEGED BIG THEFT AT SHANGHAI
ARREST AT HONGKONG,
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THE LIKIN QUESTION.
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The Tientsin Times Notification wa male a few days ago that all likin had been officially abolished in provinces, and in accordance with news from the south the likin stations were closed towards the end of June, and there was very general rejoicing therest. As we have always firmly maintained would be the case. however, the offices were reopened a few days later for the purpose of collecting the general tax which is the substituted source of provincial revenue, and ch'efly distinguished from the old likin by he-N.-C. Daily "being 100 per cent, heavier.
News has, we notice, a correspondence which bears out our remarks:-
Yes, the likin offices have been abolished, but the horses were not toru down and the
personnel not dismissed, except possibly for an
hour or two. The doors which were shut have been opened again. The old regime has taken up operations again nader the new name indicated, both at the likin stations and the surtax office.
with this one difference, that the old wolf has returned in sheep's clothing with his teeth sharpened.
The proclamation issued stated that no goods, either of import or export, will be exempted. Goods will be taxed at the old rates with the exception that, whereas 1.100 cash was formerly accepted as payment for one tael of duty levied, now 2,000 cash must be paid."
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Shortly after the signing of the Mackay treaty we drew the attention of the China League to the way in which China was bound abolish likin." and that if the 15 per cent. to duty came into operation it would not be as an offset against inlaud taxation but as an addition to a much heavier drain on foreign trade than ever likiu represented. and as time goes on we are the more convinced these apprehensions will prove well founded.
THE TALK OF REFORM IN CHINA.
It is reported from Peking that Viceroy Yuan Shih-kai in one of his recent memorials to the Throne on the question of effecting real reforms in the country, quoted the reform movement in Japan, in which the latter engaged from the West the services of three or four
experts to advise their Government. "When," remarked the Viceroy, we have learned all there is to know from these experts we can dismiss them.“ With regard to the question of establishing a parliament, it is stated that in addition to strong representations on the sub- ject to the Throne from Viceroys Yuan Shih- k'ai, Chang Chih-tung. Chou Fu and Tsen Chun-hsueu, similar memorials have been received by their Majesties from Sir Cheng- Chinese Minister at Sergeant Earner of the Water Police boarded tung Liang-cheng. the ss. Kinking on her arrival in port on the Washington, ani Sun Pao-ch'i and Hu Wei-te. August 14th from Shanghai and arrested Wing Chinese Ministers to the French Republic and Russia, respectively. It is further reported Hok, who was immediately charged before Mr. F. A. Hazeland at the Police Court with unlaw that Yang Ch`u, Chinese Minister in Tokyo, fully having in his possession 8158.) in silver. has also sent up a memorial on the same ques- eight gold bangles, six gold hairpresses, tention, but that being a comparatively new man gold hairpins, eight gold finger rings, one pair he merely sent it to the Waiwupu to consider, Jadestone bangles. eleven pairs of ear-rings. asking whether it would be right to address the two sets gold tooth picks, one gold watch and Throne on the subject or not. chain. one box of pearls, one ring. one box Jadestone drops, one receipt for $50, two boxes stones, two watch keys and one silver clip of a total value of $2,053.4. property stated to bave been stolen at Shanghai.
Defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge and the case was remanded for a week.
ALLEGED MURDER IN YUNAN.
ACCUSED RE-ARRESTED AT HONGKONG.
Inspector Hanson boarded the s.s. Kinshun on her arrival here on the 11th August and arrested W. Siwa, a German Pole, who, while employed as a ganger on the Yunau railway, is! alleged to have shot and murdered a Chinamau | employed in his gang in June last. Accused was brought here from Canton for safe custody until he could be transmitted to Germany for
trial.
He was placed before Mr. F. A. Haze. land at the Police Court yesterday, and on His Worship satisfying himself as to the identity of the man, he committed him to gaol pending further orders from H.E. the Governor.
INTERPORT SHOOTING MATCH.
HONGKONG SECOND.
The first competition for the Wingard Challenge Shield, presented by a member of the Shanghai Gun Club, took place on Satar. day, each club shooting on its own ground. The teams consisted of five members who shot at birds each, eighteen yards rise, and in Hongkong (as elsewhere when available) the Mr. W. R. McD. Parr magau trap was used, acted as referee. The result of the match was
as follows:--
Sportman's Gun Club. Shanghai...184 Hongkong Gun Club
Foochow Gun Club
Shanghai Gun Club
..175
163
.162
The individual scores by the members of the Hongkong team were :—
Mr. A. C. Macmillan Mr. H. W. Looker
.38
..37
Mr. L. Plummer
Capt. E. C. L. Fitzwilliams
..33
Mr. H. J. Stabb...
...32