June 30, 1906.7
GOING NEAKER THE THRÔNE.
The ex-Hoppo of Canton leaves here to-day for Peking, H. E. will be entertained at a banquet in the Manchu Guild.
CHECK ON CHAIR COOLIES.
The police department here has decided to number all the chairs plainly so as to prevent petty thieving. The coolies frequently carry sway such articles as fans and umbrellas.
OPIUM VEN8.
Opium dens are now required to give to the polios a list of the fukis employed, and no other person is allowed to pass the night in the house under penalty of severe punishment.
THE HANG-FIRE RAILWAY.
JUSTIFYING ITS NICKNAME.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
order to pay friendly visits to the Governor of; Tsingtan and to the Governor of Shantung, the latter of whom visited the Commissioner at Weibaiwel last summer.
It is satisfactory to be able to contradict so emphatically the extraordinary and damaging reports that have been current regarding the political future of England's newest Eastern possession. Yours truly,
· HERBERT L. BEER. Weihaiwei School, June 19, 1906.
ARTS AND CRAFTS EXHIBITION.
TO THE EDİTOR OF THE “DAILY PRESS.”
:
SIE, Section 2. Paintings, drawings, etc. Water colours were omitted in error from Section 2, of which they form Class 1.-Your obedient servant,
JOHN MARCHANT,
Honorary Secretary, Arts and Crafts Exhibition.
1906.
The Canton-Hankow Railway continues be known as the Hang-fire Railway, notwith- standing the air of definite progress afforded by the formal entrance into possession by the President and Vice-President, which event took place on June 23rd. Those officials took Hongkong, 27th June, delivery on that day of the railway dossier, all the plans and documents being deposited in the confiscated building formerly tenanted by Chau Tung-sang. This, we understand, is now the railway company's headquarters, or rather, the office of the men who have been thrust into representative positions.
As real representatives it appears they are not yet recognised. Numerous shareholders are only expressing dissatisfaction with the President and with the Directors who support him. They demand the meeting promised by Peking, so that they may vote for their own representatives. They have not sent another memorial to Peking, but they are preparing a monstre petition, to which it is claimed they will get the signatures of an overwhelming majority of shareholders.
CORRESPONDENCE.
THE FUTURE OF WEIHAIWEL,
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS,
Cd Compl
Si-Rumours concerning the future of Weihaiwei have been in circulation for some
time, and latterly even details purporting to be
the terms on which H. M. Government is prepared to hand over the Territory have been published.
The rumours are apparently from Chinese sources and have generally appeared first in the native press. It would appear that they obtain considerable oreqence with foreigners, and this, too, in spite of official statements to the contrary.
Mr. Runciman, replying on behalf of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to a question in the House of Commons, said, "It is not considered that the transfer of the Russian lease of Port Arthur to Japan has made any change in the present status of Weibaiwei, which is leased to His Majesty's Government, and no action is at present contemplated with regard to the lease."-The Times, Feb. 22, 196 To ordinary people accustomed to plain English this public declaration of the Govern- ment's position in regard to the question would soon to indicate that Great Britain intends to retain possession of Weihaiwei till the present lease terminates, ie, for seventeen years--if not longer.
His Honour the Commissioner of Weihai wei and others in a position to know the real facts have also been approached on the subject, and the writer has received the Commissioner's permission to state positively that the question of the rendition of Weihaiwei to China bas not arison, and that statements on the point, which have been so persistent of late in the press, are entirely unfounded.
HONGKONG'S TUMBLEDOWN
HOUSES.
ANOTHER COLLAPSE.
The expected has happened in the vicinity of the recent house collapse in Queen's Road West.. Another house has fallen in. It will be remembered that the three houses which collapsed were part of a tenement situated at the corner of Eastern Street and Queen's Road West and were numbered 226, 228 and 23. It was feared then that the adjacent houses would share the same fate, and the people were accordingly cleared from the premises and the party wall supported by woodwork.
About 6-45 p.m. on June 24th there was a loud report åt 232, followed a few seconds later by a complete collapse, similar to what had taken place in the case of the others. the roof fell in and orashed through the other floors, the debris failing on the shop below which had not been cleared of its furniture. The party wall fell outwards, carrying with it the shoring that had been put by the Public Works Department. As in the previous case, the kitchen and verandahs were left standing. Naturally the eveut caused some excitement in the neighbour hood, but the police had no difficulty in keeping the thoroughfare clear. It is understood that the other houses in the tenement will be pulled dowp.
7 EDUCATION IN HONGKONG.
amoun'
The report of the Inspector of Schools for 1905 was laid before the Legislative Council last week. It states that excluding $200 paid by Mr. Arelli towards the cost of the Iudiau school, the reven:19 collected
to $9,783.50. It has been increased from $922 in 190, or by more than ten-fold. The expenditure on education, including Queen's College, for the year was $138,677.58, being 2.28 per cent of the total expenditure of the Colony. The estimated expenditure was $189,335, of whigh, $30,657.42 were not spent.
or more in both 19.4 and 1905. The sum of the average attendances in these good schools increased from 405 to 451, and the average is now 50 for each school. Seven schools obtained a grant of only 85 in both 1904 and 1905. The average a tendance in them decreased from 161 to 151, and is now 21.6.
The figures for the private schools were taken in a more system tic way than has hitherto been done; still they are but an approximation. The English and Anglo-Chinese private schools do not include 36 night schools, with a maximum montbly enrolment of 635. Of the 3,047 children in private vernacular schools, 500, or one in six, are being taught by the new method; and the rest receive the time-honoured classical odnos. tion. The proportion of girls to boys in the schools was as 1,922 to 3,4)1, a slight increase as compared with last year. Of the 2,146 pupils in vernacular schools,,1,292 or 60 per cant. are girls.
The statistics given shaw an increase of 7% in the total number of pupils in Government and grant schools; and the critical portion of this report will shew that the standard of edu- cation has been maintained, possibly somewhat improved, in the English and Anglo-Chinese schools, and has certainly been improved in the vernacular schools. The last feature is satis- factory for general reasons, and particularly because Chinese female education is almotion-
tirely limited to education in the vern tongne.
alar
The total number of pupils in the Govern- ment schools is 782; and net cost to Government per caput is $46.17. The corresponding figure for last year is $41.22. The increase is mainly due to heavy initial and non-recurrent expendi- ture on the Victoria School.
|
Details of the work in the various schools are given.
|
|
EMPRESS-DOWAGER'S RESCRIPT.
MIXED- SENTIMENTS.
A Peking telegram to the Asahi states that a most touching" Imperial Rescript has been issued in compliance with the wishes of the Empress-Dowager. The Rescript is to the following effect-
The Empire has passed through eventful days of late. The mass of the people are experiencing great difficulties on account of the heavy financial demands made upon them by the forerument for the payment of foreigu indemnities and the expenses for carry. ing out administrative reforms. Natural calamities have descended 00 the various provinces which have intensified the hardships of the people. The administrative reforms just embarked upon, however, must not be abandoned, and the money required for the purpose must be levied upon the people. Under the circumstances, the people should endure their hardships with patience for the sake of their country, and in view of the saori- fices of the people the officials must be careful not to waste the Government funds. The disturbances in the Yangtse Valley, which are fermented from time to time damage the interests of well-disposed people, and the authorities should suppress the insurgents with great de'ermination.
:
CHINO-AMERICAN TRADE.,
The number of schools (Government and grant) was 83, au increase of 2 over last vear's return. The average attendance was 5,323, as against 4,970. The proportion of pupils in the The following tables from the journal of the Upper Grade Schools to those in Lower Grade American Asiatic Association show the com- Schools is as 3,146 to 2.177. The Chinese side parative values in gold dollars of the principal of the Belilios Public School has for the purs'aples exported from America to China and poses of this calculation been treated as an upper Hongkong for the nine months ending the grade school. Upper Grade Schools are defined 31st of March, 1905, and 1906, in the Grant Code as those with a staff com. petent to give instruction in all the subjects of Standard VII. The great majority of them are English or Auglo-Chinese schools.
To China:
Cotton Mineral Wheat cloths. oils. flour. 18.022,471 6,298,950 203,678
28,637,377 3,011,984 · 374,592
1945 1906 To Hoogkong
1905
58,050 1,355,226 3,483,104 33,029 391,837 2,829,548 The following table shows the comparative value in gold dollars of the imports of ten and silk into the U.8. for the nine months ending the 31st of March, 1904, 1905, and 1906 :---
The steady increase in the numbers of pupils His Honour the Commissioner recently went, studying English is maintained. The corres via Tsingtau, to the provincial capital. Acoord-|ponding decrease in vernacular education has
1906 This is bigbly satisfactory ing to the reports published in the European been checked. press, from Tientsin to Hongkong, there was a ❘ when the improvement in the standard of the two-fold object in this journey-(1) to arrange ji veruncular schools in considered. It seems to for the rendition of Weihaiwei, (2) to conclude negotiations about an important railway con- ession. His Honour authorises me to state that both these reports are absolutely untrue, and that be undertook' the journey merely in
shew that the improvement in them has the approval of parents. This view is confirmed by the fluctuation in the numbers of the individual schools, as illustrated by the following figures. Nine vernacular schools obtained a grant of 87
1904. 1903. 19.6. Ten.. .,16,621,484 14,754,073 13,088,777 Raw silk,..34,392,242 46,280,788 42,108,232