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are no doubt bright ornaments of their own circles; but in her Foreign Office and else where, China has need of men such as Japan has in Baron KOMURA and Baron SONE. To get such, her educational system | must be reformed in some such way as Japan's was. We hope this historical decree may prove to be a step thutward.
́CLERKS' WAGES.
(Daily Press, 21st September)." The letter of a "griffin" to our Shanghai contemporary, which we reproduced a day or two ago, opened up a subject of interest to both employers and employed. We
[September 23, 1905.
concealment, has practically invited the worst construction to be placed on the disaster; and her enemies have not un- naturally taken ample advantage of the situntion to spread abroad the most alarm- ing reports. According to the only account that has yet appeared, the ship took fire about a quarter past one on the morning of the 11th. About twenty-five minutes after this the magazine blew up, and in another fifty minutes, owing to hole having been made below the water line, the ship went down, with the result that between killed, wounded and mis-ing there was a loss of 599 .men. Admiral ToGo was not on board, having apparently
Zissatis-
have received communications relating to terrible embarrassments, and combine to for to Tokyo, where, owing to the sent
the subject; but unfortunately, these are from employees, who merely support the complaints of the Shanghai griffin, without giving figures applicable to Hongkong. One branches off into a complaint that Hongkong employees who are not military men or government officials are practically denied hospital privileges when they are sick. Our idea was that taipans would read with interest any details really show ing the conditions awaiting the young men they import from England, or other Euro- pean countries; and that information might be forthcoming that would help to suppress the foolish "pagoda tree" fables that have cansed so much disappointment to past generations of griffins; and that will doubtless go on causing discontent among young men who come out with great expec- tations, and a deficient sense of proportion. Facts and figures from either side will not be suppressed by us; but they must be real facts and figures, illustrating the real conditions; and not mere réchauffage of the Shanghai griffin's arguments. That young man dwelt upon the financial worries experienced by a clerk who abandons £120 a year in England to come out to Chinn for a salary ranging from $2,200 to $2,600 a year. Accepting those figures, we would say at once that he would have done better to remain at home, for he could hardly hope to better his position, knowing what we do of the facilities at home and the temptations out here. But having come, we cannot agree that his position is so barl as this Shanghai corres pondent represents. To begin with, he ought to have gained mental assets by the travel and its novel experiences; and there should be no immediate necessity for his plunging into debt with the compradore, for sufficient occupation for the leisure of his first few months should be cheaply found in looking about and inspecting his new environment. While these numerous gratis shows retain their interest, as they should, being much more interesting than the enter tainments brought by the second-rate theatrical companies who tour the East, he need not think of the $12 per month ex- enditure which he has set down for carriage hire, theatre, concerts, &c." Let that come by and by, when the Orient has nothing new to show him; and when he will have discovered means of economy which will provide that surplus and more. He will, for instance, have discovered that iu paying $95 a month for board, lodging, and attendance, he has been paying more than he need have done. A clerk with England would find suitable
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
an infliction to deal at present with all the details of the accounts submitted by this Shanghai griffin, to show that he cannot keep out of debt with $188 a month. The entrance fee for the club is hardly a suf- ficent excuse for becoming involved with the money lender. He should, if he has not managed to save £10 from his previous £120 per annum, postpone his entrance to the club until he has saved the necessary $100. He need not thus be debarred from social communion with his fellows. If these figures have any interest at all, it is because they apply to more than this one young man. Why not, therefore, seek out companions in like position, who share his
relieve the tedium of existence less expen-faction of the people át the unsatis sively? This would-be economist, who factory conclusion of peace, serious riots finds the conditions out here so intolerable, were taking place. Such is the tale put discovers that
drinks"
are much dearer. forward by the authorities; it is difficult to They were "only threepence at home. make it hold water. Certain Russian By dint of self denial (he calls it wonderful sympathisers, disgusted at the ignominious self-control to do with four whiskies and defeat of the Russians, and unwilling to sodus a day) he reduces his drink bill to nttribute it to its true cause, the utter want its minimum of 821 a month. If he got of any feeling of patriotism and the com his sodas by the dozen and kept his own plete absence of discipline, have been bottle of whisky at his boarding house seeking on every occasion to vilify the (since he drinks only at meals) it would not Japanese, and attribute to them the defects be so much. But even then, he forgets of the others; and, taking advantage of the that on his own admission, with only four mystery which the uuwise silence of the threepenny drinks a day, he had to Japanese Government has created, have spend 30%. n month, so that $21 is spread about a theory of their own. Aç-- not such a startling leap into extravagance cording to them the Japanese crew, for him. The "dice-shaking" of the taking advantage of the absence of Admiral Eastern bar is no worse than the customary Togo, and excited by the rumours that treating" of the London bar; and the had reached them of the dissatisfaction young man who cannot afford it should not of the population of the Capital at what go where he is likely to be coerced into such seemed to them the impotent conclu- easy ways of making money fly. The trouble sion of the war, rose in open mutiny, and with most of these cases is that the elemen- some of their number gaining access to the tary lesson is still to learn, that you cannot magazine, exploded it, with the result that ent your cake an have it. The taipan or not only themselves and the ship, bat prac his agent who tells the young recruit that tically the entire crew were destroyed. it is possible to save some of his salary This act of collective suicide seems improb- is not guilty of misrepresentation. But it able; but to suit their purpose, Japan's depends greatly on the ideas and character enemies point out that all through the war, of the young man himself. There is one with a contempt for death singularly thing that agents recruiting for Far Eastern Japanese, the suilors and soldiers alike offices are perhaps careless in. In many have shown theintelves willing, when an cases they can look back to pleasant days adequite result was to be gained, to sacri spent in the Orient by themselves, and they fice not only their own lives, but those of sometimes direct the young emigrant's their companions; and did Admiral ToGo. thoughts to prospects of pleasant trips to or his officers call upon the crew to sacrifice sunny Japan and gemmy Macao; instead themselves at the demand of duty there is of impressing upon him that the first and little doubt that the call would have been chief prospect, as well as the great essential, almost willingly responded to. Here was is work.
however, no call of duty, but the very reverse and we may feel fairly confident that however individual members of the crew may have looked upon the peace as a disgrace to themselves personally they would never have permitted it to stand in the way of their duty to their sovereign. Had such a thing as a mutiny been agitated by a few fanatics amongst the crew the great majority would have stood resolutely by their officers as readily as they did in the day of battle.
"
THE MIKASA " EXPLOSION.
Daily Press, 12nd September.) However much the caution of the Japanese Government in preventing immature in- formation of movements of the army and fleet brcoming public is to be commended, the same praise cannot be extended to the remarkable cloud of secrecy with which it has covered the explosion on board the Mikasa. Sasebo, the principal naval station of Japnit, though situated within some thirty miles of Nagasaki, is so admirably conceale! by nature and art, that although the line of railway from Nagasaki to Moji passes within a few miles, and a branch line has been made to the port itself, practically nothing is known to the outer world of its position or resources.
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1
adily
But, as we have said, the story of the affair as officially told hardly holds together. The Mikasa was built in Barrow, and was launched only in 1902. Now the lesson taught imperatively by the Battle of the Yalu was the absolute necessity of making battleships, as far as skill could go, abso- lutely fireproof, and that this provision had been carried out her conduct all through the war amply proved. - If a fire dil break
£12011 a week; he may have board That this has proved of immense benefit but in the men's quartera we may be
lodgings and lodging equally good-board and atten- dance perhaps a little better-in both Shang hai and Hongkong for $80 a month. It can be done respectably for $70; but not by those who go to the first fashionable boarding house to which they may be recommended. It would perhaps be too great
to Japan during the War goes without saying, but it adds immensely to the difficulty of forming any correct judgment of what took place early on the morning of the 11th inst. The Japanese Government, continuing its policy of secrecy long after there was any advantage to be guined by
assured there were all the necessary means for its extinction ready at band. Next to the provisions against fire breaking out are those to prevent its spreading by any possibility to the magazine; and in addition to this, molern warships always contain a provision for immediately flooding the