CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT..
The remarks of Mr. Showan are, however, deserving of s rions attention. Are the British China ? His not the value of British trade really being slowly driven out of the trade of with China been constantly on the increase? Mr. Shewan I fancy, would not conten that "our old position in the Far East was gained bec use the British youth of former days did not go in so much for sport. My impression, gathered mainly from books, has been that though there was not Colony to-day, the average Colonial devoted far so much glorification of sport as there is in the
October 2, 105.] ope up wider areas than England, Dd th, Ho. Member representing the can boast; while
no English producing Camber of Commero+ speak from conviction, centre can be more than a few hours or were the observations made purely in the away from its nearest port. Railway Pickwick an sense? I ask the question beau-e companies have no love for cauals, naturally, v. C Aquatic Sports we e taking place in at the time the spe ch was being delivered the and we may at once discount the theory the harbour and I noticed the nm of the that the degree in which canal communi- Hon. Mr. Robert Shewan among the donors of ction becomes subordinate is the exact prizes ! measure of the efficiency of the railway system of a country." An efficient railway system is one that provides a tariff possible to all who must use it; and there is not the slightest doubt that there are English industries, chiefly agri- or horticultural, to which the excessive rai way rates are fatally prohibitive. The unprejudiced critic in England will welcome anything, cauals or road motors, that is likely to impose a check upon the ridiculous railway rates in vogue in some parts of the country; but to talk seriously of developing the canal traffic on n wholesale scale will not tickle the ground- lings, because it sounds so much like putting back the hands of the clock. In China, when it comes to a rivalry between railways and waterways, we will perhaps see olo custom" fighting on the side of progress. For the ease with which tariff barriers can be put across canals and rivers is the great hindrance to water transit in China; and it is these which are probably helping to over- come the natural prejudice against the fire carriage of the foreign devil.
HONGKONG JOTTINGS.
27th September. We have no seismological experts, I believe, in Hongkong, though something has been men tioned about "seismographs being lent by Hongkong to Macao. It would be interesting to have some explanation offered by an expert as to the origin of the recent earth tremors in the neighbourhood of the Canton delta. They bave been so numerons during the last month or two -especially at Macao-that the people have almost ceased to be alarmed. I have been wondering whether the shocks may not be explained as were a series of similar shocks in Kobe a few years ago. The people of Kobe were periodically frightened by ominous noises in the bowels of the earth followed by tremors which were particularly terrifying to the residents at the summer resort on the top of the hills which correspond to our Peak. Experts offered the explanation that deep down in the bowels of the earth were gigantic caverns or pas ages, which were falling in and these subsidences produced both the uoise and vibration. At Macio it has been noticed that the tremors are preceded by subterrane in noises like thander, and it suggests to my mind that their origin may be similar to that of the Kobo "shocks
13 of six or seven years ago.
more time to his recreations than does the man of to-day. The British had no competition in those days and now there is competition and plenty of it, and I think the British are learning the truth that "in trade and commerce to-day the race is to the man who gives himself entirely up to it."
in Chinese firms is an old one in this colony The question of the registration of partners and has been discussed in Singapore and Penang, and probably wherever else there is a Chinese community having commercial relations with Europeans. A memorandum by Mr. Stewart Lockhart, ex Colonial Secretary, which was published four or five years ago tells us that the question was raised as far back as 1874 when the Chinese community petitioned for some system of registration of Chinese partners, "and ever since that year the question has been re-opened at intervals, but has always been appointed a committee to inquire into the allowed to drop." In 1901 the Governingut
decided (though for different reasons) that question, and the committee unanimously it would be inadisable to introduce & Bill for the Registration of Partners in Chinese firms. The general ground for such a deci ion was that it would be impracticable to give due effect to such legislation. Since then the evils of the want of some system have constantly been will not have been forgotten that shown in the Supreme Court, and it Sir William Goodman,
at the oloe of his the need for legislation in this connection. term as Chief Justice, strongly urged The evil is acknowledged, but the means of correcting it have long been in dispute. As H. E. the Governor is apparently willing to consider a definite statement from the Chamber sider the subject again in the light of the of Commerce, the Chamber will no doubt con- experiences of the last five years.
Yesterday at the Police Court two or three building contractors were fined $250 each for using mortar which was not up to the standard required by the Public Works Department. I may be mistaken, but I think these are the first prosecutions of this kind that have taken place in the Colony. Two or three years ago official inquiries were held into a series of building collapses leading to the death of thirty human beings. No cousure was attached to anyone but the inquiries roved what was before very strongly fet, that the whole system of building supervision in Hongkong had in the past been wrong, and if the result of the inquiries did not call for the "huging of any person, they certainly called for the hanging of the system. Now, it appears the PW.D. have a standard tensile strength for mortar, and it is the duty of the building inspectors to take samples of mortar use on work going on in the Colony and submit it to the test. This ought to put an
How, why and wherefore is it that the Sporting Clubs of the Colony have not called a public indignation meeting to protest against the refere..os to sport in the speech delivered by the Hon. Mr. Robert Shewin at the last meeting of the Legislative Council? Perhaps the men "who dream' all day of p lo ponis, cricket matches and boat races do not find the time to real long speeds, so for their benefir I will quot- the passage in this short note. Mr. Shewau said: ·
I am quite in agreement wi h Mr. Kipling, and do not think in this colony Sport requires any enc uragement, If our yang men were but to serve their misters as diligently as they serve their g d "sport,' we should not see the British slowly driven out of the tra le of China by the hard-worki g German,eud to jerry-building. thrifty Jpauess and the untiring Chi aman. In tride and com nerce to-day the ra e is to the m n who gives himself entirely up to it, and wao, like st. Paul, has put a way childish things. We shall never regain our old posi ion in te Far East by encouraging our meu to dream all day of polo ponies, cricket matoles, and boat races.'
BANYAN.
ably proved n Shangai on Sept. 15, when th
The boycott's death in Shanghai was indubit. Standard Oil Company sold forty thousand sale of the kind since the boycott began on the case of kerosene oil in open market, the first
20th of July last.
225
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was he'd at th· Council Chamber on Sept. 28. Present:
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, MAJOR SIR MATTHEW NATHAN, K.C.M.G.
་
HIS EXCELLENOY MAJOR-GENERAL VIL« LINKS H. TTON, b. (Commanding the Troops). Secretary).
Hon. Mr. T. SERCOMBE SMITH (Colonia!
Hon. SIE H. S. BERKELKY, K.C. (Attorney General).
Hon. Mr. L. A. M. JOHNSTON (Colonial Treasurer).
Hon. Mr. A. W. BREWIN (Registrar. General).
Hon. Mr. BASIL H. TAYLOR, R.N. (Harbour Master).
Hon. Mr. W. CHATHAM (Director of Public Works).
|
Hon. Mr. R. SHEWAN.
Hon. SIR C. P. CHATER, C.M.G. Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, M.B., C.M., C.M.G. Hon. Mr. GERSHUM STEWART, Hon. MB. WEI YUK.
Hon. Mr. C. W. DICKSON.
Mr. A. G. M. FLETCH B (Clerk of Connoils).
MINUTES.
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed.
I.
FINANCIAL. The COLONIAL SECRETARY laid on the table financial minutes 4 to 42 and moved that they be referred to the Finance Committee.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded and the motion was agreed to.
The COL NIAL SECRETARY moved the adop tion of the report of the Finance Committee, No. 8, and stated that an addition had been made to that report.
the motion was agreed to.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and
THE APPROPRIATION BILL. The COLONIAL SECRETARY—It will be within the recollection of members of the Council that the Appropriation Bill was referred to the Finance Committee last week, after its second reading, to be reported upon. As Chairman Bill was considered elause by clause in the of that Committee I beg to certify that the
presence of all the members, and that in the opinion of the Committee the Bill might be dealt with by the Council AS a Bill dealt with by a committee of the whole Connoil. As there was no material alteration in the Bill I beg to pro- reading of the Bill entitled An Ordinance to pose, in the absence of any objection, the third
and seventy-six Dollars to the Public Service apply a sum not exceeding Five million seven hundre and seventeen thousand two hundred
of the year 1906.
The COLONIAL TREASURER' seconded.
HIS, EXCELLENCY-In asking you, gentlemen, to vote the third reading of the Appro- priation Bill-I trust unanimously-I will renew my assurance that that vote will not be considered as committing you to accept the principle of the transfer of the Widows and Orphan's Fund to the Government. As I have not yet been able to obtain the views on the subject of the Widows and Orphan's Pension Fund Bill of certain gentlemen interested in the funds to whom I have referred it, I am not prepared to proceed with it this after- noon. There is one other point I would like to mention this afternoon as I dealt with it in my remarks introducing the Appropriation Bill. I then informed you that I was in hopes that the question of military lands, which had been under disenssion since the date of the cession of: Kowloon, was approaching settlement. I, have now pleasure in informing you that, by the la-t mail, I received from the Secretary of State for the Colonies a dispatch in which, he informs me that the proposals put forward by His Excellency the General Officer Commanding and myself, as a fair and equitable solution of this matter, had been accepted by the. Commissioners of the Treasury (applause). Colonial Office, the War Office and the Lord:
confidential, but I am asking he Secretary of The cor e-padence on the subject is largely
State to allow me to lay papers containing this
.