June 16, 1906.
astonished to see that the seaffolding which had encircled the tower for so many weeks had been removed without any attempt being made to give the exterior the cleaning and renovation that it so obviously needed. That, however, is not the only sign of neglect. Its faces are no longer lib up at night, and the people who used to be induced to hasten their steps homewards after a study of one of its dials are conscious of something being wrong these nights when they look up and see nothing but the dark outline. It looks indeed as if those responsible were trying to bring the old landmark into disrepute by allowing it to develop into what some folks say it is, an eyesore, and by failing to make it as useful as it has hitherto been. Isn't it time somebody did something again?
It is ourious how our news returns to us after many months. When an item has gone the rounds of the press, ornamented by some sub. editor or criticised by another it is perhaps a little difficult to recognise the original paragraph. Some few months agu the advisability of replacing the boys in our dom- estic service by females was discussed in this column, and in making a comparison between the males and the females the writer naturally suggested that the latter would not only be better suited for household duties but that they would be more amenable to the lawful orders of their employers. Judge then the writer's surprise, when he reads in an Indian exchange the following travesty of his original sugges tions:"In Hougkong, the servant question is a terrible one. The Chinese serrant is des-
cribed as both a thief and revengeful, so much so, that a few months ago discussion was opened in the Hongkong Press as to whether it were possible to get rid of the 'male element in Chinese house-keeping (a survival of the old days of military rule) and subs itute Chinese girls." It is a trite remark that a rolling stone gathers no moss, but it will be admitted that a circulating paragraph, if it does not gain in bulk, frequently changes in form.
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Hongkong is not the ouly place that sends up a wail about the dollar. It is heard in the French colonies, in the Straits Settlements, and even in the Dutch possessions further south. The "petits fonctionnaires," as they are called in Indo-China, complain londly of the hardships to which they are exposed by reason of the fact that wages and salaries are based on the home currency. All the advantages of this system accrue to the merchants and commercial people, and the poor consumers have to suffer. Even the ray of hope which communication with the authorities in Paris held out has been extinguished, as the reply was that the rise and fall in the value of the silver made it impossible to give the desired "stabilisation of the piastre. In the Netherlands colonies the ory is practically the same.
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CHINA OVERLAND. TRADE REPORT.
garments is only regarded as a circumstance- one of the many unusual scenes which visitors never fail to provide.
BANYAM
HONGKONG LEGISLATI VE
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council was held on June 14th in the Council Chamber at 2.30 p.m.
PRESENT:~~
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR MATTHEW NATHAN, K.C.M.G.
HIS EXCELLENCY MAJOR-GENERAL VIL- LIERS HATTOS, V.B. (Commanding the Troops). Hon. Mr. T. SERCOMBE SMITH (Colonial Secretary).
Hon SIR H. S. BERKELEY, K.Q (Attorney General},
Hon. Mr. A. M. THOMSON Treasurer).
Hon. Mr. A. W. BREWIN (Registrar General).
Hou. Captain L. A, W. BARNES-LAWRENCE, RN, (Harbour Master).
Hon. Mr. W. CHATHAM (Director of Public Works).
Hon. Dr. Ho KA. M.B.. C'.M., C.M.G. Hon. MR. WEI YUK.
Hon. Mr. E. A. HEWETT.
Hon. Mr. E. OSBORNE.
Hou. Mr. H E. POLLOCK, K. C. Hou. Mr. W. J. GRESSON.
Mr. A. G. M. FLETCHER (Clerk of Council).
MINUTES.
The minutes of the previous meeting were replant sonirmed.
APPOINTMENT TO COMMITTEE.
His EXCELLENCY-I appoint the Hon. Mr. Gresson to be a member of the Public Works Committee vice the Hon. Mr. Dickson, resigned.
FINANCIAL MINUTES.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H. E. the Governor, lid on the tab'e Financial. Minutes Nos. 34 to 38, and mored that they be referred to the Finance Committee.
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FINANCIAL.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid on the table report of the Finance Committee No. 4, and mid-1 that committee, Sir, the Supplementary Appro- priation Bill for 1905 was considered clause B clause, and the committee unanimonalý récom- mend that the bill in question” should be with by Council in the same mauner as a bill reported on by a committee of the whole Council. That procedure will enable us to take the third reading without referring the bill to a com mittee of the whole Council. I move the' adoption of the report.
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded, and the motion was agreed to.
REPORT OF THE LAW COMMITTER.C The ATTORNEY GENERAL-I have to bring up the report of the Law Committee on the two bills referred to it-an Ordinance to amend the law relating to the property of married women and do Ordinance to regulate the (Coloutal qualifications and provide for the registration of dentists. With respect to the first bill the committee of the Council recommend that it be dealt with by Council in the same way as a bill reported on by a committee of the whole Conncil. I, therefore, when the time comes will mové“ that the Married Women's Property Bill be read a third time without any further referencë to the Council. With respect to the Dentista' Bill, the committee have reported the bill with certain amendments, all of which appear in the report. It will be necessary to move that they be adopted, and if they are then the bill can be read a third time as if it had gone through a committee of the whole Council clanse by clause. The first recommendation of the Law Cóm: mittee on the Dentists Bill is that the figures be altered from 1905 to 1906. That is obviously essential. The second is that clause 5, sub-section 1, should be amended by deleting all the words following the word
"after
in the third lins and substituting the words "the 3rd day of May in every year." I think that recommen- dat.on will commend itself to the Council. The" next is a recommendation that clause 7 of the Bill be struck out and the following sub- stituted: Subject to the provisions of sections““ 2 and 3 no person shall be entitled to recover in any action any charge for any dental aid rendered after the commencement of this Ordinance, unless or until snch' person shall have been registered." That carries out the intoution of the framer of the Bill but in improved language. It is recommended further that clause 8 (1) of the Bill be amended by the insertion between the words * dentists and "who" in the 6th line thereof the words “and any two other it persons willing to accept the appointment." The object of that recommendation is to provide. that the Dentists Board should not be entirely composed of professional men., As originally laid before the Council the Bill provided that the Board should consist of five members, the principal. Medical Officer of Health as chairman, two medical practitioners and two dentists. committee considered that following the pre- cedent of the Medical Board it would be well to have two men not necessarily either dentists or doctors upon that Board. His Excellency the Governor is therefore empowered to appoint any” two others he may think fit and willing to serve ou the Board. I hope the Couụcil will adopt that recommendation. Sub-section of clause" eight it is also recommended should be déleted and the following substituted in place thereof, an appointed member shall hold office for three years." As the Bill originally, stood the words were A member appointed by the Governor shall hold office for three years.' In the draft Bill the fact was overlooked that two of the members were to be appointed by the Medical Board- This suggestion of the committee is to the effect that all appointed members whether by the Governor or by the Board shall hold offios for three years. Clause nine has been recast in committee without in any way changing the intention of the original Bill. The suggested sub-section (1) runs as follows: “shall prove to the satisfaction of the Board that he was within three years prior to the passing of this Ordinance a bona fide practitioner of dentistry and dental surgery in this Colony, and shall make application in writing to the Dentiste Board for registration within six weeks after “ the commencement of this Ordinance or, in the
The COLONIAL TREASURER seconded. His EXCELLENCY-Financial Minute No. 34 is for & sum of 82,164 for the erection of additional quarters for nurses at the Goveru- ment Civil Hospital. Rather less was spout last year when this work was anticipated, and consequently rather more has been spent this year, and the work is now completed at a cost of $23,101 against an estimate of $26,000, making a saving of $2,899. Financial Minute No. 35 includes a sum of $400 in aid of the vote to the police and prison departments for meals to prisoners and servants. This excess on the sum originally voted is due to the large number of deportees from Singapore and Saigon for whom meals have had to be provided in the police cells. We propose now One would, however, have looked for different to recover this amount from the Government results in Singapore, where the dollar has of the Straits Settlements and of Indo-China. recently been fixed at two shillings and four. The same minute also includes a sum of 8690 pence. But such is not the case. A writer in in aid of the item secret service. Hitherto, it the new journal, the Straits Weekly, says that has been brought to my notice, informers have "no one appears to be one penny the better for been paid from fiues. That is a somewhat the enhanced value of our local currency. The irregular procedure, as fines should go to the sterling salaried men look upon fixity at 2s 4d revenue and all monies spent in payment of with jaundiced eyes and complain that they informers should be voted by Conacil, Fioan. never were so poor, while the silverites growlcial Minute No. 36 for a sum of $3.373.79 is that they are not getting enough for their money. Exporters don't like it and the im- porters say that it has knocked the bottom ouf of trade generally-just in the same old way as when the dollar depreciated almost to nothing a few years ago." Thus, we begin to realise that no matter what is done in this connection, the grumblers, like the poor, will always be with us.
•
Pookahs and electric faus are
blessings which most of us appreciate at this time, and
while in our efforts to keep cool, we discard as much clothing as is considered consistent with decency and dignity, few re- sidents dare risk their reputation by appearing on the streets minus jacket and rest as so many American visitors do at present. It takes some thing to shock those who have lived in the Far East for some time, and thus it is that the sight of white men walking along our thorough fares with trousers and shirt as their only
for substituting the new pattern for the old pattern rifle of the Volunteers. The work was done and the expenditure incurred last year. but the account was not received in time for the amount to be included in the accounts for last year. Financial Minute No. 38 is for 8470 for the Post Office. This vote is to enable the Government to do away with the "bong" system of correspondence with Canton By that system a private shop collected letters and posted them to a private shop in Canton at so much an ounce to the packet. It was necessary so log as the Imperial Post Office of China could not undertake to take Chinese letters for delivery in Canton. They are now undertaking to do that, and it is more convenient in every way that this additional amount should pass through a regular post office. It is more than probable that this small sum can be recovered out of the Post Office receipts.
The motion was carried.
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The