September 3, 1906.]
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. There may be, directly incited by the Church, which hungers still after temporal dominion, more disorders and fatalities. It
consoling to believe that the flowing tide is is a sad thing to contemplate, but it is
with the party of common-sense and human diguity, and that in time to come all Freuch- men will blush to think of the folly of those misguided predecessors who failed to recognise the rottenness of the pretensions for which they fought.
HONGKONG JOTTINGS,
1st September.
The power of the private individual in a government is not contemplated, is greater Crown Colony like this, where representative than would appear at first sight. This fact is illustrated by the following incident, which also shows the Governor in a pleasant light. It has long been a grievance that the European children on the lower level were not so fortunate as those living on the Peak, where the Government had provided a playground for them. Most of Gardens, but as they have to keep to the paths the your g folks are of course sent to the there is not much opportunity for them to romp and play. Animated with a desire to do some thing to brighten the lives of the little folks
who do not dwell on the Peak a resident. I am informed, wrote to the Governor. drawing His Excellency's attention to the need for a play. ground for those children. The letter was not without result. With his usual courtesy, the Governor acknowledged the
letter and invited the writer to meet him at the Gardens and discuss the position. The gentleman attended and found His Excellency ready to hear his propositions. Inquiry followed, and, while not officially announced yet, it is understood that the green in the Gardens will be set apart as a playground for children.
In some of the large hongs of the Colony there are men who have received the usual annual increments, yet the remuneration they draw in
hopeful as to the future, are still complaining of less than when they began here three and four years ago. Those la the public service, though dwindling salaries, compensation. It is now quite three months and crying out for since the Hon. Mr. Howett raised the question in the Legislative Council, when he was told that the Government was already in com
munication with the Houve Government on the subject. Perhaps it might be well to ask if no answer has yet been received. The Commission itself will doubtless take into consideration the situation of those men who are receiving much less salary than they used to do, owing to the systems,
The trouble, however, is not due so much to the fluctuations of exchange as to the fact that two aystems of currency are employed. Either we should adopt the sterling basis of the homeland or else adhere exclusively to the form of the decimal system which is really the currency of the Colony. Cash transactions calculated in
will always be an element of speculation in the sterling and completed in dollars and cents will never be satisfactory, and though there rise and fall of the dollar, the conflict of Inter- ests occasioned by two systems being employed would disappear were the sterling basis to be eliminated from business transactions within the Colony.
It is doubtful even if the firing of the dollar, which so many regard as & consummation devontly to be wished," would be so advan tageous as its advocates claim. True, it would eliminate much of the speculation that at present is so undesirable and would help to steady certain commercial relationships, but at the same time it would be liable to serious conse- quences were the price of silver to fall to any extent in the great empire on which we depend for our trade. The experience of Singapore is
not very sacouraging, where many business—
hands, and that it is this which has incurred the displeasure of the Church, and provoked antipathetic legislation in contempt of that displeasure. trouble is much less worthy; it is almost Really, the cause of the Indicrous and certainly contemptible. President LOUBET visited the KING or ITALY early in 1904, and omitted at the same time to visit HIS HOLINESS THE POPE: Various reasons have been suggested for the omission, but none should be necessary, if modern piety were half as real as modern pretence. The Papal authorities, however, protested bitterly in a private note, which was unfortunately later made public. The POPE strongly resented the action of M. LOUBET, as head of a Catholic. State, pointedly recognising the Power that had deprived the POPE of his dominions. As a matter of fact, M. LOUBET had merely performed the necessary duty of returning a Royal visit, their Italian MAJESTIES having been in Paris the ⚫year before. Other Catholic Powers were circularised from Rome, and the publication of the protest aroused the indignation of the Republicans. The POPE ordered two bishops of Republican sympathies to resign and repair to Rome for disciplinary pur- poses; and in reply to this assertion of power, France recalled its ambassador from the Vatican. By this time the necessity of complete disestablishment had become fully apparent, and legislation to that end was started. The Vatican was accused by M. COMBES of having wilfully disregarded and violated the Concordat of 1801-by which, in return for recognition of State rights, NAPOLEON I. made
an annual grant equivalent to £1,480,000, as some pensation for church property seized during the. Revolution. Subsequent governments had arranged modifications of detail, but this principle remained intact, that the consent of the Civil Government was necessary for all appointments or dismissals of ecclesiastical dignitaries. The French government, therefore, could not submit to the POPE's attitude in the matter of the two bishops. Violent dissensions in the Chamber were only to be expected, but M. ROUVIER in succeeding M. COMBES last year showed that the noble ideal of liberty, equality, and fraternity must not be hindered by the tyranny of the cassock. Where before France legally recognised all religions, and made a grant to every sect that could boast of a hundred thousand adbereuts, now France washes its hands of them all; each sect must support itself and the State will not meddle, provided no sect presumes to meddle with the State. Education is removed cutirely from church control, an example which
Yesterday, as all interested in local finance Britain, as a Protestant country, should were aware, the dollar was worth 2/2. This is have been the first to set. By the law pro- the highest price it has reached for many years mulgated ou December 9th, 1905, the indeed we have to go back to 1896 to find the churches are separated from the State, dollar representing so great a value, and then which is relieved from payment of salaries. the average for the year was 22, while for the The adherents of all creeds may form two previous years the average worked out at associations for public worship and all. Of course everyone knows that the dollar buildings actually used for public worship years ago.
is only about half the value that it was thirty In 1874 the average for the year are to be made over after an inventory is was is 2d. Then the average fell each year by
H. E. the Governor is patron and the com. taken of these various associations, about one penny, sometimes greater and some- mittee is composed of Sir Hoary Berkeley Ecclesiastics over sixty years of age and times less fluctuations, but its greatest drop took K. C. (Chairman), H. F Colonel Darling, with over thirty years of remunerative place in the beginning of the nineties, when for the Bishop of Victoria, Bishop Pozzoni, service under the State are entitled to a
Three years there was decline of about Hon. Dr. Ho Kai, Hon. Mr. W. J. fourpence noticeable between each January and Gresson, Hon. Mr. H. E. Pollock, K.C., December. Since 1894 the dollar has remained Hon. Dr. Clark, the A aerican, German, in the region of two shillings, and though it French, Japanese, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, rose to 28 2d two years later it had a big fall in Austrisa, Portuguese, Dutoh and Belgina 1902 and 1903.
Consula, Mr. E. H. Sharp, K.C., Major Prit, ghard, Dr. Jordan, Messrs. Vernon, Kam Bowles, L. Bird, Fung Wa-chuu, Mihara, S. T. Dann, Gale, Sayle, Mrs. T: Davis, Mrs. Bailey and Mrs. Marchant, with power to add to their number.
pension equal to three-fourths of that salary, and others according to their length of service. There are nearly forty thousand Catholic pensioners, seven hundred Pro- testants, and a few Jewish, who take about fr. 29,500,000 from the State. The POPE appears quite willing to goad the State into withdrawing this generous item, by his suicidal... and unscriptural orders to the priesthood to resist the separation law.
Gossip is still busy over the proceedings of the Government Commission, and though little of their doings has become public property, it is apparent from recent erents that there are likely to be some starling disclosures. The sensations of the past fortnight have been the arrest of two sanitary inspectors on charges of bribery, and the trial at the Criminal Sessions
a few weeks hence will be followed with the
greatest interest by all members of the com- munity.
ouses report serious losses aud some have been brought to bankruptcy. On the whole it seems batter to tolerate the ills that we know rather than risk greater by hasty and ill considered attempts at standardisation.
BANYAN.
ARTS AND CRAFTS EXHIBITION.
It has been decided that the Arts and Crafts
Apparently the Commission has entered on a much bigger undertaking than was at first Exhibition, formerly arranged to take place in anticipated. Since the invitation was issued to Dotober, will be held on Thursday, Friday, and those in a position to give evidence to come Saturday, 1st, 2nd and 3rd November. This forward as witnesses there have been many fresh decision was arrived at a meeting of the com- sources of information opened to the Commission.mittee held on Tuesday, when there were pre- and, while one cannot expect an inside knowledge seat-Sir Henry Berkeley (presiding), Hon. of the secret deliberations of this body, there Dr. Clark, M. Liebert (French Consul), Mr. are good grounds for believing that the inquiry Wilder (American Consui), Messrs. Rim, Sayle, is likely to be thorough and searching, and Lennox Bird, 8. T. Dann, and the secretary, certainly much more protracted than six months, Captain Marchant. which was the first modest estimate of the
duration of the Commission.
8
Naturally the high rate of exchange is the source of mach jubilation to those who stand to gain by sending remittances home, and
the
canse of growing anxiety to those who are paid on the sterling basis and monthly see their salaries becoming smaller and smaller.
:
A finance committee consisting of Mr. Rim
(chairman), Hon. Dr. Ho Kai, Mosers. ernou and Fung Wa-chao, was appointed, and a working committee to look after decora tions, etc., was constituted as follows : —M. Liebert (Chairman), Dr. Jordan, Messrs. Bird, Sayle, Gale, Ram, Major Fritobard, Mrs. Bailey, Mrs. Trenchard Davis and Mrs. Marchant.
The hope was expressed that the press would be able to give exhibits of the work they did, and for this purpose the secretary proposed to set aside a special section.
It was announced that exhibits could not be accepted until 27th October.
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