February 19, 1906.]
of the sale of official titles. The other deputy is a brother of Shum Yu-hing, the present Pro- vincial Judge in Canton.
THE CANTON RIVER BARRIERS.
Viceroy Shum has received a dispatch from the Waiwapa referring to the removal of the five barriers in the Canton River. A reply has been sent to the Waiwupa stating that the Commissioner of Customs has been instructed to take the matter in hand. The cost of the removal is estimated at about Tls. 156,600.
EDUCATIONAL.
Last year Viceroy Shum recommended the appointment of Yiu Tai-wing (a subordinate official of the Board of Punishments) to take up the management of educational affairs in Kwangtang and Kwangsi. On January 24th a reply was received sanctioning the appointment. It is said that this official is a very learned man, that he knows foreign and Chinese literature well, and understands the|| management of educational establishments.
CHANG 'CHIH-TUNG TO SUPERSEDE SHUM.
A few days ago some of the gentry received letters from Peking stating that the Princes and the Ministers of the Central Government held a meeting to discuss the matter of the disagreement between Viceroy Shum and the gentry and merchants of Kwangtung. At the meeting it was decided to memorialize the Throne to recommend the removal of Viceroy Shum and to send Viceroy Chang Chih-tung to take his place, as he has already been in this province and is well liked by the people, who submit to him with pleasure.
LAI KWAI-PUI,
As Lai Kwai-pui is a native of Shun-Tak, a meeting was held in the Ming-Lung-Tong in Shun-Tak to elect delegates to proceed to Canton to enquire after their fellow-citizen's health. Over ter thousand people attended the meeting. About $100,000 wore subscribed for railway shares at the same meeting.
PREPARED OPIUM TAX.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
ADVISED TO ACCEPT THIS.
The best indication of the weight of public opinion is in Viceroy Chou Fu's concluding remarks, wherein he advises the gentry to accept that solution.
He says:-
"Viceroy Sham should know that the railway is an important affair, and if there is discord between the officials and the gentry, how is it possible to raise funds? How can the railway be constructed? You, Hui Ying- kwai, you are a venerable and eminent man; the people of your native place look up to you, and you should exhort the gentry and merchants to assist this public affair, and unite their efforts to devise means to raise funds. I suggest that you and the gentry might sand petitions to Viceroy Sbum and request him to make a decree reinstating Lai and give him powers to control and work the railway affairs. I am sure Viceroy Shum would consent to it and that you will agree with my suggestion. I would also suggest another way which is also workable. That would be to get the 72 guilds to petition to Viceroy Shum and ask that Lai Kwai-pui should take control of the financial and other arrangements, and that the railway should be entirely in the hands of the merchants, the officials only to give protection and examine the line when completed. Thus all ill-feeling would be removed and harmony would again prevail. Your humble younger brother is only working to this end. For the public interest I trust you will use your great power to assist in this matter. Lai took up the matter for the public good, and will surely overlook and dismiss the thought th what has happened to him has been a disgrace
A TIENTSIN INCIDENT.
A supposed insult offered to H. E. Yuan Shih-k'ai, the Viceroy, in the British Concession at Tientsin, bas led to a painful discussion. It It is reported that H. B. M'e. Consul-General | appears that as the viceregal cavalcade was go- has sent a dispatch to Viceroy Shum requesting along H. E. from his carriage window saw ing him to delay operations in connection with a native policeman holding up his balon in front enforcing the new increase in the prepared of his running footmen, which the Viceroy con- opium tax. The Consul also called the Viceroy's sidered a personal affront to himself. The con- attention to an arrangement made with his stable was hustled by the Viceroy's escort, and predecessor, the late Viceroy Tak Son, that any defended himself. The Peking and Tientsin increase of the opium tax must first be discussed Times says :- between H. B. M's. Minister and the Wai. wapu in Peking and must be sanctioned by mutual consent. The Viceroy's attention is also drawn to the cancellation of the increased tax on crude opium on the 28th day of the 5th intercalary month in the 28th year of Kwong Hsu, and that no matter under what new mame the tax is to operate it was in contravention of the Chefoo Convention.
CANTON-HANKOW RAILWAY.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS.
[FROM OUR CANTON CORRESPONDENT]
February 8th.
THE IMPRISONED HERO.
Lai Kwai-pui has written from his prison thanking the people for appointing him President and Chief Director of the Railway, and asking that, pending his release, the Vice- President be empowered to act.
MORE MONEY,
At another assembly yesterday, further shares to the value of about $1,000,000 were issued. The two proprietors of the Sun-woi Tobacco Factory (brothers) were the chief subscribers, each taking $100,000 worth. So great was the rush of applicants that a big house over the way was taken, and used in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce as a place of issue or enrolment.
It
A LOOPHOLE TO SAVE THE VICEREGAL FACE. Viceroy Chou Fu has sent a despatch to the Canton gentry, saying that Viceroy Shum had just assured him he had no prejudice or ill-feel- ing against the men he had imprisoned. was merely that they had improperly thwarted his taration plans, when the people seemed ready to accept some of them. He had all along stated his willingness to memorialisa for their re-instatement. If any gentry would now come forward to bail him out, he (Viceroy Shum) would be pleased to release Lai Kwai puist once,
"The evidence as to what occurred at the second collision was chiefly that of two foreign gentlemen, Mesars J. R. Gilchrist and A. Loap, and that of Chinese Constable No. 18. The Committee found that the constable then acted wholly in self-defence when hustled by some of the escort, and had he not originally caused the friction his conduct would not have been blameworthy. The Committee, therefore, found that Constable No. 30 had exceeded his duty on the first occasion, but not on the second. It was decided that the man should be dismissed the service at a parade of the whole Chinese Constabulary: that the Chair man of the Council should express through H.B.M. Consul-General their profound regret that the stupidity and self-importance of a Municipal sertant bad disturbed the courteous and friendly relations which had the Viceroy and his predecessors on the one existed for over forty years between hand, and the Conncil on the other; that, in tendering their apology, the Chairman should ask the yamen authorities hereafter to notify the Council when His Excellency intended to visit the Concession, so that proper arrange. ments should be made for his reception; and finally that as an act of grace, His Excellency should be asked to extend his clemency towards the man.'
15
The unfortunate policeman was accordingly publicly dismissed the foros, and instead of being protected and, if guilty, punished by his em. ployers, the Municipal Council, he was handed over to the British Consul-General, Mr. L. C. Hopkins, who sent him into the city on the formal assurance from the Tsotsi that he would be leniently dealt with.
sentence is doubtless intended to warn Chinese not to enter the service of foreigners. The policeman was simply doing his duty, and for this he is disgraced by his employers and given what is virtually a sentence of death. He did not rike at" any horses. He merely raised his baton when the escort of the "great man were about to ride over him, and asked them if they were blind and could not see him. They then seized him by his queue, held him up brutally, and in self-defence he struck one of them. That wAS the
" "second collision. The policeman has done five years' service in Tientsin, and has a wife and family on the Concession. It is rather spitiable inoident and will tot increase the respect of the Chinese for the British at Tientsin. It may be mentioned that the following letter, which he should never havO consented to receive, was sent to Mr. Hopkins on the 31st ultimo :----
From unquestionable private sources we learn that the action of the Council and Consul has caused intense disgust among the British com- munity at Tientsin. The Viceroy's "lenient treatment has taken the form of a sentence of 1,000 blows and three years' hard labour. These are the tender mercies of the most power- ful official in China, and the severity of the
#
Sir.-I have the honour to inform you that the following resolution was unanimously passed by the British Municipal Council in session last night:
It is resolved that this Council entirely support and approve of H. B. M. Consul General's action in delivering over ex-Constable No. 30 to the Chinese Authorities to be punished for an affrout to H. E. the Viceroy upon the occasion of his visit to the British Concession on the 27th instant.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
J. M. DICKINSON, Chairman, B. M, C.
L. C. HOPKINS, Esq.,
H. B. M. Consul-General, Tientsin. January 31st, 1906.
CORRESPONDENCE.
THE GENERAL MEETING OF THE··· HUMPHREYS ESTATE AND FINANCE-
CO., LTD.
TO THE EDITOR of the "DAILY PRESS,'
Hongkong, February 14th, 1906. DEAR SIR,-A remark of mine at the above meeting may carry, as reported, a different in order to remove possible misapprehension I meaning from anything which I intended, and shall be obliged if you will kindly insert this letter in your next issue. As I have been for to the late Mr. Granville Sharp and his trustees, many years one of the architects and advisory I can state that no house belonging to him was during his life, or has been since his death, used as a brothel; this being a matter on which both he and his trustees have insisted. But Mr Sharp's estate includes some godowns and tene- ment houses in the western part of the town and as (since his death) the Government has relegated Chinese brothels to Shek-Tong Tani,^ hood has increased, partly from this cause. the general value of property in the neighboru- For such a result it is obvious that neither Mr. Sharp nor his trustees could be considered in any way responsible.
Yours faithfully,
A. TURNER.
COMPANY AUDITS.
Elsewhere we print the full report for 1905 of the Laoukungmow Cotton Mill at Shanghai. It further confirms our remarks [see leader] and it will be seen that the Directors could have easily returned a bigger dividend than eight per cent., without impropriety. The certificate of the auditor is as follows: "I have examined the books and vouchers kept by the general managers and find this statement of accounts in accordance therewith.”
The N.-C. Daily News remarks: “It may perhaps be pointed out that the certificate given by the auditor, Mr. Wingrove, is almost value- less as far as the protection of the shareholders is concerned, and merely certifies that accounts as presented are in accordance - with the books and vouchers"? We were glad this comment, and hope that Hongkong auditors and shareholders, to whom that un- satisfactory formule not unfamiliar will take a careful note of it