January 22, 1906.1
CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRIPONDENT.]
January 11th.
THE ANTI-FOREIGN VICEROY,
It is reported that Viceroy Sbum has given private instructions to all the military officers enjoining them not to wear foreign socks or rubber shoes. By abstaining, they will show patriotism and preserve their military dignity. CHINESE INVENTIVENESS: SMOKERS' NOVELLY. The boycott of American goods has given an impetus, to local industry. Since the condemnation of American cigarettes a large cigarette factory was established here and has now a large and prosperous business Following in the wake of its foreign pre- decessors, the Wing Fook Company has tried to make its produce as attractive as possible and has now on the market a novelty in the shape of a combination packet of cigarettes and matches. This is not a bad idea. The cardboard packets contain 10 or 20 cigarettes with 10 or 20 matches respectively. The sides of the packet are provided with a chemical com. position, allowing the match to be struck thereon. This novelty is finding favour among Chinese smokers and the factory is doing a roaring business. This is perhaps the first instance in which a native concern shows signs of inventiveness, the conservative Chios- man having hitherto left this branch of com- merce entirely undisputed in the hands of Westerners. Who can say that our fashions and the latest crazes will not ten years later come from China ? f.
JAPANESE TRAINING.
Viceroy Shum has selected twelve of the most efficient amongst the officers trained by the Japanese to instruct the 4,000 recruits that have lately been enrolled for the Southern army.
CHINESE SPORTS,
The inter-school sports organized by the Board of Education took place yesterday afternoon on the spacious parade ground outside the East Gate and were attended by an immense crowd. It is thought that
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fewer than 100,000 spectators were present. The gathering WBS certainly the largest that has been witnessed here the ground was one dense black mass of moving heads. The sports went off very well.
Owing to the dense fog encountered on the way up, all the Hongkong river boats arrived here very late to-day.
THE FOG.
[FROM ANOTHER CORRESPONDENT.] On the 10th, the fourth annual graduating exercises, the ceremony of presenting diplomas to the medical students, and of the opening of Hackett Lecture Hall, took place in the Hackett Medical College for Women.
Among those present were the United States Consul General, Dr. A. A. Fulton and Mrs. Fulton (the founder of the institution), Wen Taotai (representing His Excellency the Viceroy Shum), Rev. C. D. Cousins, Mr. Owen E. Pomeroy, Dr. C. A. Hayes, Rev. 8. G. Tope, Mrs. Mary H. Faiton M.D., Mrs. Hogg, the lady Dr. Shi-Min Hing, and the lady Dr. Lo Shau Wan,
This institution has done immense good to the inhabitants of Canton and surrounding districts, especially in the line of midwifery, nursing, women and children's diseases, and is greatly appreciated.
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THE BOYCOTT.
January 12th.
$
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
partial to the boycott movement. His Er.} cellency is known to be one of the strongest advocates of "China for the Chinese."
H. & S. BANK U. LAU-HOK-SHUN.
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation is suing to recover $1,500,000 advanced to the Wang Fang Company. Title deeds of properties belonging to Lau Hok Shun were deposited with the Bank as a guarantee. Lau Hok Shun's accountant denies that his master was a party to the transaction and states in a petition addressed to the Nam-Hoi that his master had simply deposited the deeds with the Wang Fung Company and that the latter had no authority to pledge them. Consul General Scott has repeatedly addressed despatches to the Viceroy on the subject and has lately requested the Viceroy to fix a limit to the time within which Lan Hok Shun should appear before the Nam-Hoi Court so that the case may be tried, and that should defendant fail The Viceroy has complied with the Consul's to appear that his properties may be seized.
request and has sent a dispatch to Viceroy Chon Fu requesting him to notify Lau Hok Shun, who is in Shanghai, that he must return immediately to Canton.
BIVER POLICE.
The inauguration of this new establishment will take place on the 15th inst.
CANTON HANKOW RAILWAY.
VICEROY AND PEOPLE AT VARIANCH.
[From Our Canton Correspondent.? In the presence of a meeting of friends and one uninvited official (Wên Tsung-Yao), Lai Kwai-pui, on the 9th inst, discussed the Viceroy's method of raising funds for the construction of the Canton-Hankow Railway. That method involved a seventy per cent. increase of the duty on building materials (Toi-pau), an increase of the salt and field taxes, and the imposition of a boat tax. These things were described as the last straw. The uninvited official interpolated, "That is His Excellency's order. The only way to cure you obstructionists is to behead some of you.'
This pleasant remark evoked strong protests. On the 14th inst., a general meeting of officials, merchants, and gentry was held, to decide (as Viceroy Shum put it) who was to make the line, officials or merchants. There was a fully representative assembly, numbering about 300. At this meeting it was added that the Viceroy's scheme included taxation of rich men (Pai-kuen).
Mr. Lai Kwai-pui, representing seventy-two Guilds, said they had lost confidence in the officials. If the line were left to the merchants entirely, they would soon raise the money by shares. Taxation was already too heavy. If the officials kept control, shares would not sell.
A voice: "They (officials) want to make money out of it."
Mr. Lai pointed out that the officials had already, without consulting those who had to provide the money, appointed presidents and vice-presidents.
There were some more interruptions, with words irrelevant and strong, and Mr. Lai was goaded into this retort to the prefect, "Your master, the Viceroy! What has he done? What good? Since he came to this province, you dangle his name as a threat. He has made many taxes; what has been done with the money?"
thumping the table, and roaring: "It is the The Viceroy's Deputy (Chou Cho-yam), Viceroy's order. You must all obey."
to be arrested if you don't.
The Prefect (shouting): I will cause you all
Teacups went smashing to the floor, and the meeting broke up in disorder.
Viceroy Shum has issued another proclama-that the Viceroy had published no accounts.
Another (Mr. Leong Shu-shan) remarked tion owing to urgent representations made by the United States Consul General. The people are prohibited from holding meetings and are particularly warned against coercing their fellow countrymen and preventing them from dealing in American goods. The Viceroy enjoins the people to resume their usual business and to leave the settlement of the amendment of the Exclusion Act to the two Governments interested and to await patiently the result of Imperial Decree. the negotiations that are now proceeding between the Chineseand American Governments. Viceroy Shum says that the proclamation must be obeyed under penalty of revere punishment. The people believe here that the Viceroy is acting under instructions from the Central Govern
he was known to be rather
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not enjoy the freedom of speech granted by There were many complaints that they could
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arrested in his house, by a strong posse, and Late that night Mr. Ini Kwai-pui was locked up. The arrest has enraged the people, and meetings of protest are being held. The Viceroy is to be denounced to the Thront Resolutions to resist have been passed by various bodies, and riots are feared. ·
Writing on Tuesday, the 16th, our Corr.s- pondent adds:
Several thousand gentry, merchants, and scholars assembled at the shrine of Kung Fu- tsz, and discussed the arrest of their spokesman,
The ex-Viceroy of Fu-kien and Chekiang (Hui Ying-kwai), an old man of three score and twelve, presided. He said he had never, even when he held office, felt himself in a more responsible position than now. He would not have consented to emerge from his retirement if he had not believed the matter of vital importance to all Kwangtang. So long as he had breath he would protest against such procedure; and he intended to go to Peking to lay the matter before the Throne. The, arrest of Mr. Lai (of Taotai rank) without Imperial warṛans” was illegal.
The multitude lustily applauded the veteran patriot. Petitions were numerously signed, ani telegrams sent by special messenger to Hongkong for transmission to Peking.
await a peaceful settlement. The removal of It was decided not to have a strike, but to
Viceroy Shum is, however, demanded,
A VICEREGAL EXPLANATION.
THE SPIRIT OF REBELLION DENOUNCED. Our Canton Correspondent sends a transla. tion of a proclamation by Viceroy Shum issued to allay public resentment at the arrest of Lai Kwai-pui.
In the beginning it says that the Yuet-Han concession was redeemed in order that the line might be completed, and for this three million taels are required. In addition, debentures for a million taels have to be redeemed by the Kwangtung Government, as its share. In this connection it was absolutely necessary to impose new taxation, and he had distributed this in the best way, oppressing no one section of the public. The merchants did not object at first. The proclamation then goes on:- Unexpectedly, on the 9th and 10th inst., the gentry, Leong Show-shan, Lai Kwai-pui, Li Show-yuen, and, others had the audacity to con vene a meeting of the gentry to discuss my plans, sud instigated the merchants to repudiate what they had said and made them sign a document expressing their unwill- ingness to increase the Toi Pau tax so as to obstruct my policy and to avail themselves of this opportunity to ignore my commands I at first thought that Li Shew-yuen was the only person doing all this, and I would have taken no notice of the matter, as I consider that
i Shew-yuen is a low-born and shameless individual and that he was not worth being reprimanded. But I find that Lai Kwai-pai and Leong Shew-shan are both being concerned in the matter. They are both prominent mem bers of the gentry, are of noble family, and for generations have received Imperial favours and benefits. On the occasion of the redemption of the railway they were both appointed representatives of the Kwangtung provinco. They both know the difficulty there is to raise funds for the building of the line and should have taken the lead to devise plans and exhort the people to obey my commands and bring the matter to the desired end, Why should they obstruct met Contrary to my expectations, on the 12th inst these two members of the geutry and others at meeting in the Kwong-choi Hospital; "where I had deputed Wong Ping-yan, Taotai, a 1 Heung Man-wing, both directors of the rail y, Wing ssistant Tsung-yao, Koung Shum-chan, directors, the Prefect, the Nam-Hoi and Poon- Ya Magistrates, the supérentendent of Railway of exhorting the members of the 72 guilds to Affairs, and the Superintendent of Likin, instead
endorse my proposals, which they seemed at first willing to do, created a great noise and talked in a most boisterous manner, insulting the officials present and slandering the Government. Lai Kwai-pui had the audacity to speak to the people and made use of expressions such as
Though the people in Formosa have become Japanese subjects and are subject to stringent same than to be subjects of China. Such regulations it would be better for us to do the language implies ignorance of the laws of China. The insulting language used by Lai towards the officials is a trifling matter, but the above language is a serious matter, and if such a spirit should spread it would not only
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