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HONGKONG'S HISTORIC CLOCK- TOWER.
(Daily Press 21st October). In closing the interesting discussion to which we have opened our columns during the past fortnight as to whether the Clock Tower should be removed or allowed to remain where it was erected by the volun- tary contributions of the community more than forty years ago, we need scarcely emphasise the fact that the whole question must be decided according to the results of an inquiry into the allegation that it is an obstruction to traffic. "An Old Friend of the Tower," it is true, has advanced the legal point as to whether the Goverument can remove or destroy a building erected through the generosity of private individuals and handed over by them to the Govern- ment in trust for the public as a permanent memorial; but this is an argument which would doubtless not be pressed if it could be indubitably proved that the Tower is- what it has over and over again been alleged to be an obstruction to traffic and a public danger. About the only thing the popular "Handbook of Hongkong" tells the visitor about our Clock Tower is that it stands at the top of Pedder Street, " obstructing the traffic," and there is, of course, the information that it was built by public subscription in 1862, and that the Clock was presented by the firm of DOUGLAS, LAPBAIK & Co. It should not be for otten, though the fact has not been mentioned by auyone in the discussion, that the Govern- ment was a large, perhaps the largest con- tributor to the Tower Fund. The amount of the Government's contribution was $725, which represented about one-eighth part of the total cost.
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR has publicly stated that he is not convinced that any case exists for the removal of the Tower at present, and it must be allowed that our correspondents who favour the
removal of this old landmark have not produced any convincing evidence that it is an obstruction and a danger to traffic. It is denied by the majority that there is any considerable traffic to or from Queen's Road into Pedder Street.
It is for those who, urge the contrary to prove their case and that, for a private citizen, is not an easy thing to do. No doubt the Government, in considering the matter, will obtain records of the traffic from the police, who also might be expected to be able to afford some information, from their "accident" records, as to whether the structure is a real danger to traffic or not. Prima facie, the elements of danger have increased since the tower was built, The population of the Colony, for one thing, is immensely larger now than it was then, and, for another, we have now on the streets of Hongkong over a thousand jinrickshas, whereas when the Tower was erected, we believe we are correct in saying this vehicle had yet to be introduced. If the Tower was an obstruction to traffic when it was erected, as was alleged at the time by some of the newspapers published in the Colony, it is conceivable that the advent of the jinricksha only made matters worse. Some of our correspondents have suggestel that the Tower was more of an obstruction some years ago than it is to-day, or is likely to be in the future, now that the electric trams run along Des Voeux Road, which is rapidly becoming the principal thoroughfare of the Colony. We confess that we are unable to follow this line of argument; we are rather disposed to accept the view of our contributor BANYAN," that when the new Post Office
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[October 30, 1905.
and the new Law Courts, now being built | entered the realm of practical discussion; in Des Voeux Road, are completed the ns the occasion to do so certainly never probability is that the traffic, vehicular and occurred. We heard the same or very pedestrian, to and from Queen's Road past similar things spoken of as occurring be the Clock Tower, will be very considerably tween Russia and Germany only last year, increased, and this is a point which can That there has existed between the two hardly be overlooked in the consideration powers a sort of general understanding as of the matter. If the whole of the facts to what each would do under certain should now or at any future time be held to emergencies, as we pointed out at the time, to be controverted and, indeed, demand the removal of the Tower we think is not a very suitable place for its re-erection- has never been denied. The emergencies especially as the Post Office will probably have not, however, occurred, nor probably be provided with a public clock-would be are likely to occur, so that opinions ex- on the piece of waste ground at the junction pressed have never needed to be formulated, of Battery Path with Queen's Road.
nor has our Foreign Office conceived it necessary to seek to unearth them. interchanges of thought between allied nations must be of frequent occurrence; and indeed may serve very useful ends in the interests
of peace all round. It would be the
indiscretion height of to publish these confidential communi- Such an indiscretion seems, how- cations. ever, to have been actually committed by someone connected more or less remotely with the French Office of Foreign Affairs. If the recent alliance between France and England is to mean anything it must imply that under certain eventualities one Power
"MUCH THAT PASSES FOR HISTORY."
(Daily Press 23rd October.)
Of the manner in which much that
ordinarily passes for history is made a curious example is shown in the so-called "revelations" lately published in the Paris Matin. According to these, the British Government had actually promised France, in case of her being attacked by Germany in consequence of the latter's pretensions in Morocco, to send a large feet to the Baltic and to land a hundred thousand men in Sleswig-Holstein. Pro- bably no one was so much surprised at the disclosure as the British FOREIGN MINISTER himself. Yet, of course, it was quite on the cards that at any moment such a state. ment would have become true had certain eventualities, which in the then temper of both France and Germany seemed not impossible, come about. In spite of the fact that community of interests for nearly a century has pointed to the propriety of a joint understanding between France and England, and in spite of the fact that, after a few preliminary growls on one side or other, France and England always did come to a perfectly friendly settlement, on every disputed point which did from time to time crop up, ancient jealousies raised a sentimental barrier to prevent the common understanding being formu.ated; so that it is only within the last two years that a definite and written truce has been arrived at.
But beyond the strict wording of the treaty there is between the two countries an understanding, none the less real that it has never been put in writing, compelling both to act in unison in the case of any unprovoked interference with either on the part of the other nations of Europe. That Germany had in view some such unprovoked attack on France with regard to matters wherein France considered herself vitally interested seemed to some minds clear three months ago. Whether it was that France exaggerated the importance of certain protests made by Germany, or that the latter Power used in its communications. language less polite than the circumstances of the case seemingly called for, does not much matter; perhaps both said and thought too much for the good of either. There is no doubt, however, that the questions regarding which the con- troversy aros! were very intimately connected with other subjects on which we had come to a definite understanding with France, an supposing that France were correct in her apprehensions that Germany really did desire to take hostile measures against her, the understanding, written and tacit, seemed to call for our supporting France. It is, therefore, more tban probable that in our confidential diplomatic relations such a contingency as that sug- gested should have been talked over between the two Foreign Offices. But it may be assumed as certain that it never
must
Such
be prepared to support the other. There must from the very nature of the thing itself be gathered some such implica- tion." But such an implication by no means indicates any unfriendly or warlike purpose. If we were to tell France that if she invaded our shores we would meet her with war to the uttermost, the thing would be so much a matter of course that she could not inter- pret it, what we said, in any unfriendly spirit; and it is unlikely that she would be led into the indiscretion of asking our meaning. Such, however, seems to be the course that certain busybodies would press on the German Government. Under certain eventualities it is quite possible a British responsible Minister said we would be found with France in a quarrel with Germany. It is possible to conceive other eventualities under which we would most likely be found Such with Germany against France. eventualities have occurred before; and as history sometimes repeats itself, may occur again. Fortunately the diplomatic inter- course of great nations does not concern itself with the abstract. Occasions for quarrel are only too plenty to save the nations the trouble of raising them in advance, and should Germany be indiscreet enough to ask for further information we can probably rely on our FOREIGN MINISTER being able to explain matters in a sufficiently friendly yet diguified manuer. Somebody has been indiscreet, but the indiscretion has for- tunately not evolved anything of which anyone has cause to be ashamed.
CANADIAN DESIRES FOR CHINA TRADE.
(Daily Press 24th October.) One of our Canadian contemporaries, the Montreal Gazette, is laudably anxious to capture the Chinese market for Canadian products; and considers that just now,
but
with the present antipathy of the Chinese toward American brands, Canada has opportunity to put Alberta flour in China to the amount before long of ten million dollais a year." And not flour only, many other products are named by our colonial contemporary. It is entirely in the nature of things that Canadians should thus talk of profiting by the misfortune of their neighbour; and no business men will quarrel with the idea for any sentimenta reasons; but it is still open to doubt if thl present Chinese hostility to all thinge