January 12, 1907.]
every member of the Association will doubtless acknowledge. As we showe yesterday, our motive was misconstrued in the most extraordinary and unpleasant manner. Referring to the Customs Edict, Mr. GEORGE Jamieson says "it is not surprising that Chinese officials should nowadays claim to have a greater share in the control than they have hitherto cared to exercise, neither is it necessary to impute to them corrupt motives for so doing ". Mr. MURRAY STEWART'S grave mistake and injustice entitles us to again point out that it is not surprising that a newspaper should comment on a long speech reported verbatim in its own columns, neither is it necessary, or proper, to impute to it ignoble motives. However, we should concern ourselves more with the CHAIRMAN's arguments as to the effects and intentions of the Custoins Edict, and to Mr. GEORGE JAMIESON's answer to such. Mr. MURRAY STEWART referred to 'China's alleged breach or intended breach of agree ment, and the depreciation of China's credit thereby involved. Mr. GEORGE JAMIESON Says:
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
21
the | HONGKONG SANITARY BOARD.
With these reasons, we presume, CHAIRMAN of the Hongkong branch would be familiar all along, and how he could expect the Daily Press to be covered with ridicule for attaching more importance to them than to his own analogisms we cannot imagine. Everybody who reads the papers knows that the Anglo-Gertaan Loan Agree ments of 1896 and 1898 bound the Chinese Goverument to maintain the Customs service as it then was during the currency of the loans. Where has it failed?
As we read it, Mr. MURRAY STEWART's speech chiefly alleges that they meant to fail, meant to commit default. Here we have found ourselves in the surprising position of sharing with Peking some of the discomfort caused by people persisting in the imputa tion of motives. Mr. GEORGE JAMIESON ignores motives, and dealing with acts, says the appointment of the Chinese Con- trollers does not necessarily import any material change in the validity of the security for the loans. It is admitted that Sir ROBERT HART is, and always has been, a servant of the Chinese Government. That unfortunate | reference raised a bowl among some of the less well-informed authorities ". GEORGE JAMIESON accepts it calmly, and Mr.
admits moreover that Sir ROBERT HART of the Chinese Foreign Office at Peking. has always, hitherto, been under the control
Now he is under the control of another office, a special Board. This change, said the Chinese, was a mere domestic detail. Mr.
false. We would think the same, without MURRAY STEWART thinks the explanation hesitation, if there were not reasons for supposing it to be likely true. Thinking it somewhat of a mare's-nest, we might, if we and wanted to gibe and scoff, have anticipated the CHAIRMAN's free-handling of ridicule; but we do not even yet regard him or any other authority as making himself ridiculous by happening to hold opinions we do not endorse. There is always the chance that the Chinese are less shrewd than we think than knaves, in which case Mr. MURRAY them, that they may show as more fools
STEWART will have beeu right, and we But neither will thereby app-ar wrong.
diculous. Meantime, the only real danger,
JAMIESON sees, "if danger there be", which Mr. GEORGE would seem to be not 80
Granting the sufficiency of the security, what means are there whereby it can be made available for the service of the loans, supposing the Chinese Government were to default or be driven by imperious needs to use the Customs revenue for other purposes? The answer to that is that the contracting banks hold Customs bonds, duly signed by the authorities concerned, for the full amount of principal and interest, which by the terms of the loan contracts are available for payment of duties. The procedure, therefore, if the case were to arise, would be for the banks to sell these bonds to the merchants, to be used in their Customs business, and with the proceeds recoup the bondholders. Such a course would be cumbrous, but it could be done, and the mere knowledge that it could be done would be suficient to deter the Chinese from even contemplating_default."
That is what we, As Mr. MURRAY Stewart now suggests, ridiculously ven- turing to entertain opinions at variance with his own, bave said all along. We have never denied that the Chinese would like to be rid of foreign interference, but we were reluctant from the first to suspect them of the fully of believing that in the case of the Customs it could be practical politics. If for go believing we have become a laughing-
44
*
The
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was held on January 8th at the Board Room. Hon. Dr. J. M. Atkinson (president) presided, and there were als present Lient.-Colonel J. M. Reid. R.A.M., Dr. F. Clark, Medical Registrar General, Hon. Mr. F. J. Badeley Officer of Health, Hon. Mr. A. W. Browin, (Captain Superintendent of Polic), Dr. H McFarlane, àssistant Medical Officer of Health. Hoa. Mr. E. A. Hewett, Mr. H. Humphreys, Mr. Lau Chn-pak, Mr. Fung Wa-chun and Mr. G. A. Woodcock (secretary).
LIMEWASHING.
Dr. Macfarlane wrote a minute relative to
the limewashing of the houses at Kowloon City bi-yearly limewashing for tenement houses had and Sham Shui Po, in which he stated that the
not been enforced. Instead, a yearly limewash · ing, combined with general cleansing, hal been enforced. This was not so expensive to the people as the double cleansing, and he recom- mended that the same course be adopted for 1907.
limewashing may be dispensed with in these Mr. LU CHU-PÁK minuted-I think outlying districts. General cleansing ander the supervision of the Board ou ht to be sufficient to keep these houses: clean, which are in the majority of cases occupied by one family.
Hor. REGISTRAR GENERAL-I agree with Mr. Lau Chu-pak.
The Hon. REGISTRAR GENERAL asked if it differently to any quarter of the Colony. was proposed to deal with these places
The PRESIDENT-No.
The Hon. REGISTRAR GENERAL-The limewashing of family houses is not carried out in any quarter of the Colony.
Dr. CLARK-Except by notice.
The Hon. REGISTRAR GENERAL-I think the time has come when Kowloon and Sham
Shui Po should be treated as the rest of the Colony. They should have this annual clean. ing with limewashing. There have been complaints that the required too high
Sanitary Department a standard, but I would suggest that Mr. Lau Chn-pak and Mr. Fang Wa-chuan should go over and inspect the houses.
The PRESIDENT-Fifty par cent of the houses are occupied by more than one family. houses are limewashed only once a year?
Mr. HUMPHREYS-Do I understand these
The PRESIDENT-Yes.
Mr. HUMPHREYS-Under what regulations ? The PRESIDENT-The regulations of the Board.
Mr. HUMPHREYS-Have the Board the
stock to Mr. MURRAY STEWART and other much of a tampering with the security for power to override the standing regulations in
the loans, as of a lowering of the status of the Customs Service and consequent friction with the merchants". between the
The difference control of the Waiwupu the coutrol of the Board of
outlying districts?
The PRESIDENT-They have. The PRESIDENT moved that the recom- mendation of Dr. MacFarlane be adopted.
HON. Mr. HEWETT seco ided.
well informed authorities, it is comforting to find one like Mr. GEORGE JAMIESON in our company, one who goes even further than we did, and cannot believe that the Chinese were 'even contemplating default." To clarify our point in a phrase, we did not say Peking is too virtuous to do what Mr. appear sufficient to cause such a lowering occupied by only one family whether the honse
AL
and Commissioners does not at first sight
of status.
We are not convinced that the difference has not been exaggerated. the worst, we have taken the liberty of At criticising a speech.
It came from the
MURRAY STEWART suspects it of but that it was too sensible. Even & thief will let marked money alone, when he knows it is marked. We described Mr. MURRAY STEWART's fears as a little ex-official mouthpiece of the local branch of aggerated: Mr. GEORGE JAMIESON thinks them "
quite groundless," for this leison : for the service of the loans, has never, in point The Customs revenus, though hypothecated of fact, been directly appropriated to their payment. It is probably the opinion of some that Sir Robert Hart and his staff actually collect the revenue and hold it for this purpose. That is not so.
From the first the Casome duties have always been paid into a native bank appointed for the purpose at each treaty port, and have been held to the order of the Chinese local official, who is termed the Superintendent of Customs. The function of the foreign staff is to see that the proper duties are so paid in before granting clearances to foreign vessels, but once the money is paid they have no concern with what becomes of it. Their returns of trade supplied to the Central Government through the Inspector General are, of course, in efficient check on the honesty of the local offloials, but the disposal of the money is entirely a matter for the Chinees themselves.”
were
an Association for whose poinions we and our public look with respectful eagerness. substance beneath the flow of words to If, un analysis, we fail to find sufficient
reward us for the time spent in assimilating it, it is a disappointment. In this case we expected something better. Perhaps the general body of members might share some of that disappointment. There indications in the report of the succeeding speeches that such was the case. was not, and is not, auv question of “scoring" off individuals or jeering at an Association. It is only that, in the congregation of the devout, we sometimes don't like the sermon. Against the preacher personally, or against his gospel, the devout have nothing to say. this expounder had denounced us It is as if for criticising his sermon,
atheism.
But there
for
Į
The HON. REGISTRAR GENERAL was opposeɗ to compulsory limewashing of any housS
were clean or dirty.
The PRESIDENT-It is never done unless the house is dirty.
Mr. FUNG WA-CHUN said he disapproved of the limewashing unless a distinction was made
between the houses.
On the vota being taken, four supported the resolution; and four opposed it. The recom- mendation was, however, adopted on the casting
vote of the President.
COLONIAL CEMETERY BYE-LAWS. The following report by the Select Com- mittee on the Colonial Cemetery Bye-laws (the members of which were Messrs. Shelton Hooper ad Lau Chu-pak, and Dr. F. Clark)
was submitted:
It
tion of the Sanitary Board and under the The Colonial Cemetery is ander the jurisdic
Public Health and Buildings Ordinance, is for the Board to fix a scale of fees for inter- ment, etc., therein.
The schedule of faes now in force Was framed by the Governor-in-Council on 16th January, 183, and it is now necessary for the Board to fix a schedule and incorporate it in a bye-law. The schedule now in force refers to the Protestant cemetery, but there cân be no doubt that the Colonial Cemetery
■ the one meant. ́On investigation it cannoț
T