THE OPIUM DECREE,
THE HONGKON} WEEKLY PRESS AND
he may have become accustomed.. Mere outward signs of co-operation are bere no proof whatever of incidence; and, if gene- rally believed reports be true, a way out of the difficulty which will neither compromise į the officials nor deprive the smoker of his luxury has been found.
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It is true that the opium fiend can still find satisfaction in the Foreign Settlements where no anti-opium ordinance has as yet been passed, but we doubt if the closure of ders in the City will be found to affect in any way advantageously those in the Settle ments. As a fact opium smoking dens have never been much in evidence in Shanghai city, yet there is no reason to believe that the habit is less prevalent there than in other parts of the Empire. As
rule every
one who is disposed to smoke opium can do so, and there is no particular obloquy attached to the practice. There must be hundreds, if not thousands dependent for their living on the practice of the vice, and it would not be consonant with ordinary human nature, that these without any compensation what ever, should without a word of protest, give up a line of life to which they have been accustomed, and in many casÈS their ancestors on both sides for generations. The very readiness of the populace of Shang- bai to accept the new situation is open to the suspicion that some compromise which will enable the old system, though for the present carried on clandestinely, to survive has been arrived at; and this is quite in consonance with what we know of the general tendency of the Chinese government. A notable instance of this is the salt smug- gling which prevails under concealed official protection throughout the province of Kiangen, and is more especially prevalent in this very district of Shanghai, where it introduces a very undesirable element of disorder into Municipal Police administra tion, and where to it can be directly traced nuch of the rowdyism which marks large districts along the north of the foreign settlements.
(Daily Pres-, 29th June.) Saturday, the 22nd June was the day fixed under the newly awakened self-consciousness of China for closing finally the opium dens of Shanghai City. Toe Tuotai of the district had been holding out denunciations against the opium habit, along with the promise of honours for those who conformed early to the new regulations, and closed their establishments in advance of the appointed day; and several keepers of opium divans bad spontaneously submitted, and to each of these was presented a medal in token of their acquiescence and support, and their intention to become law-abiding citizens. To secure acquiescence on the part of those who held out to the end, the Taotai ordered up from the garrison at Woosung some four hundred armed troops, and these were stationed in parties, each under the command of its regular officers, just out- side the West Gate of the city, and composed a very orderly and respectable force, well drilled and armed with Mauser rifles, and in strange contrast with the so-called soldiers of but a few years ago. To supplement these in case of need there were stated to have been enrolled some hundreds of volunteers, also under responsible officers, while the city has now for some time been patrolled by A regular police force in clean and serviceable khaki uniforms, who to judge from outer appearance have earned the confidence of the better class of the inhabitants. There was thus without any effort at ostentation a sufficient force to control any attempt at disorder on the part of the rowdy population who might feel aggrieved at the new order. The result was eminently satisfactory for the officials; the day passed absolutely without distur- bance of any sort; the people went about their business as on any ordinary day, and no groupings, nor discussions were to be noticed, nor had any force to be made use of to close a single opium-smoking den. Shanghai, in fact, wore its ordinary every- day aspect, and no one entering the city would suppose that it was about to undergo by force the greatest change in the habits of its inhabitants that any modern city has had to submit to. those who only know Shanghai city from the recollection of even a few years ago, would be much surprised on paying it a visit now to note the general march of improvement. Filthy and un- paved streets are now converted into cleanly and nicely paved alley ways; the city is supplied with water; many of the most filthy of the ditches are becoming filled up, aud the streets widened; the roadways are fairly well cleansed, and a general air of comfort prevails in lieu of the former poverty-stricken conditions of the place. In the shops and houses there is now an air of comfort and prosperity; new houses and signs appear on every side, and the contents of the shops can now vie for! attractiveness and value with those of the best kept thoroughfares of the adjacent Foreign Settlements. It was to be expected then that the inhabitants are in no mood to encourage disorder; and that the officials find them ranged on the side of willing sub- mission.
In England we know from experience, even under so powerful a government as that of Great Britain, how extremely diffi- cult it is to put in practice laws contrary to the feelings of any large sections of the people at large. Even in such petty ques- tions as vaccination we know how strong is the opposition of the so-called "conscien- tious objector." The proportion of the population in China who object to their opium smoking being interfered with is immeasurably greater, and the Chinese are the most ingenious people on the face of the earth for evading unpopular laws, so that we must await further developments before accepting as a fait accompli the abolition of opium smoking, even within the narrow limits of Shanghai.
CUBICLES.
(Daily Press, July 1st.)
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[July 8, 1907.
vision, and it is with the view of enden- vouring to remove the misunderstanding created that we make another reference to the subject.
At the outset it might be profitable to secure A common understanding with respect to the principle term employed. That is the word cubicle. It has been somewhat loosely used, and in consequence there has been wrangling and angry dis cussion where unanimity ought to be found, A cubicle is really a division or apartment. in a legal room. A cubicle is window- less, but n legal room must have a window. No less an authority than the Hon. DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS him- self in the proposition for a new type of house-to which further reference will be made--is guilty of terminological laxity, inasmuch as he describes the tre windowed apartments in the floor of the two houses shown as cubicles instead of rooms. This is not mentioned in a spirit of hypercriticism but merely to indicate the necessity of being agreed upon terms before we can hope to have clearness of thought and expression and ultimate unanimity in the conclusions arrived at and the opinions based thereon. Having agreed upon our term, we shall proceed. As has been pointed out before, the type of houses provided for Chinese here is peculiar to Hongkong. The style is neither European nor Chinese, and judged by Western ideas it has little to comtrend it. But it is here that mauy people allow themselves to fall into error. A European criterion cannot be applied entirely to Eastern conditions, and repugnant as overcrowding is to advanced thought in other lands, it is less repellant where Chinese are concerned, as no matter in what environment they are placed the instinct to herd together asserts itself among this people. Therefore, overcrowding in itself is not a particularly crying evil, and we are not so much concerned with the lack of accommodation as the insanitary conditions which prevail in that limited accommodation. Dirt and squalor, absence of light and fresh air conspire to produce innumerable diseases and this menace to the public health is provocative of uneasiness mong Europeans and activity among sani. tary officials. Cubicles must be abolisked, said the medical authorities and the authori- ties vainly attempted to act on the advice, forgetful of the economic conditions which dominate the lives of the masses. mistake as committed then no one attempts to deny, but that the Government was altogether blameworthy is not s› readily admitted. After all it has to be remembered that governments and public bodies general- ly are at the mercy of the experts whom they employ and in this matter it requires no great effort of the memory to re all the fact that the much discuss.d and much
abused Ordinance of 1908 was based on the recommendations of those experts who reported on the sanitary conditions of the Colony at the instance of the community.” And objectionable 88 that Ordinance is in many respects, it is not wholly had. It allows greater liberality in respect of cubicles than is generally understood, at least the amending Ordinance of that year does, and much of the barassing worry inflicted on the unfortunate in abit- ants of the sub-divided houses would have been obviated had the owners or tenants
In a multitude of words there may be con- fusion of thought. Trite though this remark may be its aptness cannot be denied when applied to the debate in the Legis lative Council last Thursday. The sitting On the other hand the extreme quietude was given up to a discussion on the housing which prevailed in the city on the 22nd, question as it exists in Hongkong, but in raises a suspicion that some sort of a modus its result it could neither be described as vivendi has been discovered. There is no enlightening nor practical. The real point population in the world more impatient of at issue was never once made clear, and any government interference with its ordinary beyond the fact that an influential com- customs and manners than the Chinese, and mit'ee was appointed to investigate the no one knows better how to circumvent any cubicle problem, the debate was of very attempt through the deepest laid plots to questionable value indeed. It tended to deprive him of any luxury or vice to which I confusion of thought rather than clarity of
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realised this and had the Sauitary Board been given the opportunity of exercising its prerogative in grant ug exemptions to the extent of its power. However, there is little use discussing that further: the question to be decided is the future attitude regarding cubicles. Either we must go back to the
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