24
first were inclined to believe that her story was true, but systematic inquiries revealed the fact that the woman had sold her child to a father.
pur-
less gentleman in Connaught Road for 84 This was proved beyond doubt when the obaser produced a receipt for the money, and ed before the Court on a charge of obtaining the arrest of the woman followed. She appear- money by false pretencer,
Kwong Fe, the man who accompanied her from the north, stated that he did so at her
request. The woman told him she wanted to bring her two sons here and sell them
His Worship-And you felt pleased? Witness-Not much pleased. His Worship-What made you come down then ?
Witness-It was such a good chance. Proceeding, witness said an agreement was come to with a local man who purchased her boy for $40. He did not share in the profits.
His Worship-It is questionable whether this is a case of false pretences.
Inspector Hanson-The defendant came to the Police Station after having sold her child for $40, made a false report, and wanted to get her child back.
His Worship adjourned the case to hear
further evidence,
The woman from Kwanggi who was charged before Mr. G. N. Orme with obtaining $40 by false pretences, in that she sold her son for that amount and then informed the detectives that he had been kidnapped, was discharged, his Worship holding that it was not a case of false pretences. The question as to the present ownership of the boy is to be referred to the Registrar-General.
NEW TERRITORY NOTES.
The first rice crop is very uneven this year, owing to the late spring and the lack of water. Some of the crop has lean cut, but other portions remain green yet. Neither is the yield of grain up to the average f ast years, but a great many fields that were allowed to be waste for want of water are now being ploughed in readiness for the second crop.
Among the other crops peanuts and sugar cane look very healthy, especially the former which may be expected to yield a good crop.
In spite of many drawbacks, progress is being made with bridge building on the rail- way route. Sickness among the labourers engaged in digging the foundations is not infrequent, and the constant pumping necessary to keep the foundations clear considerably retards the work. On the whole the undertaking is progressing satisfactorily.
With the advent of the railway the country shows signs of its coming prosperity. Villages are putting on an improved appearance, and new houses in new localities are being constructed. The village loafer is not so much in evidence as formerly, as the railway has given employ ment to the surplus population.
THE PROPOSED SHANGHAI EXHIBITION.
in
As the proposal to hold an International Exhibition of Foreign Manufactures Shanghai bids fair to meet with a generous measure of support in Europe, America and Japan, as well as in British Colonies, the work of building up a local guarantee fund has now been started, and the following sums have been guaranteed. It is suggested that the Exhibition should be held in 1909, and consequently no time should be lost in securing the requisite guarantee fund, which is only a preliminary step towards the larger task of inaugurating a successful Exhibition,
The amounts guaranteed on July 4th were:-
8
T18. Jardine, Matheson & Co. Ld.
5,000 The Hongkong and Shang-
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
WHANGPOO RIVER CONSERVANCY.
AS
Rijke arrived in
During 1906, early in the year, Mr. J. de hanghai to take up his appointment Engineer-in-Chief to the Whangpoo River Conservancy Board under the and the Shanghai Commissioner of Customs, Directors, the Taotsi of Shanghai, Jai Cheng, Mr. H. E. Hobson. The work of the Conser- vancy Board has up to now been mainly of a
preparatory nature, surveying the river, training
workmen in shere defence work, and drawing up the plans and specifications necessary for future undertakings. The main features of Mr. de Rijke's plans are :-
as
[July 18, 1907.
the Conservancy nurseries are doing splendidly. Continuous surveying operations of great interest have been made by Mr. Muller and the survey, staff, which indicate an almost incredible amount of silting up in Junk Channel during 1906, owing to heavy rains (which caused the famine) and high water in the Yangtze, reducing to a minimum the strength of the food tides, which ought to scour Junk Channel, and, con- sequently, largely increasing the probable cost of the river. The Nanking Viceroy recently of Conservancy dredging operations in that part
requested the Conservancy Board to consult with the Engineer-in-Chief, Mr. de Rijke, to the advisability of trying on the Whangpoo, instead of dredgers, the raking such signal success on the Taku Bar, thus system which Mr. Ferguson employed with effecting a huge saving in expense, if found suitable, and avoiding the necessity of raising a loan to carry on the work; but as in Mr, de sufficiently powerful for starting a channel in Rijke's opinion the raking system would not be
Junk Channel, it is improbable that the scheme will be given a trial. A plan showing the 3. The construction of training works,
normal lines as laid down by Mr. de Rijke, Gough Island, to bring the river to an easy-By Mr. H. E. Hobson, a Director of the * here needed, and especially in the vicinity of together with the proposed improvements as far as at present known, is attached to this report. city to Woosung, and cut away Pheasant Point vol. III., 1997. curve and normal width from above the Chinese
Conservancy Board, in Customs Returns, and other pieces where widening is necessary.
from
1. The diverting of the streant Ship Channel on the northern side of Gough Island to Junk Channel on the southern side, thereby avoiding the almost right angle tarn over the Inner Bir into Ship Channel, so much complained of by navigators.
2. The construction of a large training Princes Pier to the Spit 1 noy on the Oater jetty at Woosung, nearly a mile in length, fro n Bar.
aparent to everyone when it is realised that The enormous difflculty of the work will be
while Junk Channel is being made the water- Channel), on the Pootung side of Gough Island, way for shipping, the former channel (Ship must be kept open and gradually shoaled; to do this, huge mattresses of brushwood weighted with stones will be gradually sunk at the upper end of Ship Channel (laying the foundation for training dikes), causing the river bed Lo the help of training works, towards the Shang- gradually silt up and forcing the stream. with
Channel. The jetty at Woosung will serve the hai side of Gough Island, that is, into Juok double purpose of keeping out deleterious matter brought down by the Yangize and of guiding
flood consequently the
the ebb and
tide
in the desired direction. For this jetty, test piles, to discover the nature of the bottom, site; borings were were driven in December along its proposed also made to a depth of 20 to 25 feet below river bottom and elsewhere with a view to estimating the for a similar purpos, and in Junk Channel
oost of dredging. For the construction of the jetty from Princes Pier to Spit Baoy, and for dredging work up to a maximum of 2 million taele, tenders were invited. Only four com. petitors came forward, representing Dutch, remarkable that no British contractor tendered French, German, and Japanese firms, it being and only one American firm-made any inquiries good for three months, that is, to the 1st June, about the work. The tenders, which are to hold
are still under consideration; but it may be said that the German firm's tender for the dredging work was far lower than any other, and the Japanese firm's figures for the construction of the jetty were also far below of the other tenderers. Plans showing the normal lines laid down by Mr. de Rijke have been made and handed to the Harbour Authorities at the Custom House, to enable riparian owners advanced-or the reverse,-but definite rules as to see to what distance their frontage may be to the purchase of accreted laud and to ensure a regular advance along the frontage line where training works on Gough Island are now well necessary have still to be laid down. under way, though great difficulty has been the brushwood required for fascine work, other experienced in obtaining a continuous supply of materials, such as stone, reeds, “gabbioni” (long bamboo oylinders which are wrapped with
The
KULANGSU (AMOY) MUNICIPAL COUNCIL.
Minutes of a meeting of the Council, held at the Board Room, on the 18th June 1907.
Prezent Messrs. W. H. Wallace, C. A. V. Bowra, V. Kruse, Hung Ts'an-chew, 8. Okuyama, W. Wilson, the Health Officer and the Secretary.
1. The minutes of the last meeting are read, and confirmed.
series of robberies which have taken place 2. The Superintendent of Police reports a recently, and he is directed to ascertain from the British Consul whether some arrangement with the Singapore and Hongkong authorities cannot be come to, by which the Police would be furnished with photographs and detailed descriptions of all bad characters deported 10 Amoy. He is also directed to come some more satisfactory arrangement as regards the Mafi.
to
3. On the motion of Mr. Bowra, it is decided to drain and fill in some low lying ground opposite the house occupied by Mr. Armour, and to improve the drainage of the road.
4. The Superintendent of Police reports the following cases have been heard in the Mixed Court since the last meeting :-
SUMMONSES.
Assault 2, Fighting 1, Debt 4, Obstruction 1, Failing to report a case of plague 1.
BUMMARY ARRESTS.
1, Theft 1, Burglary 2, Not carrying a light Committing a nuisance 2, Assault 1, Perjury
after midnight 3, Failing to report a case of plague 1, Obstructing the Police 1, Being found on enclosed premises &c. 1, Being a rogue and a vagabond 1.
By order,
(Signed) W. H. WALLACE,
Chairman.
C. BERKELEY MITCHELL,
Secretary.
A CHINESE OPIUM DODGE.
We have received the following copy of a letter to Sir Pelham Warren, British Consul at Shanghai, for publication :-
Shanghai, 27th June, 1907. Sir, We beg to bring to your notice the following :-
with brushwood, filled with stone, and Some of the Chinese opium dealers here have sunk for shore defence), etc.,
received information from their constituents in are easily procurable; but unless a larger and better field Nanking that the Viceroy there intends grant- for brushwood than the Hingehow district is ing the monopoly of the opium trade in Nank. discovered before the Woosung Jatty and othering to a few dealers, who only will be allowed to large works commence the difficulty will probably become acute and binder operations consider- ably. Willow shots, however, have been im- 1,000
ported from Holland and planted on the land 1,000 purchased by the Conservancy Board at Gough 500
Island, and it is expected that in a few years they will yield quite a large supply of fascines 12,500 2,000 for brushwood work. The latest report says
hai Bank
5,000
A. R. Burkill & Son
1,000
Ilbert & Co..
1,000
Andersen, Meyer & Co.
Gibb, Livingston & Co.
D. Siffert, Esq
import opium there. So far no official notifica- tion has been issued: but as there is every probability of its coming into force at any moment, and subsequently a similar monopoly is intended to be given here and elsewhere, we think it advisable to lay the matter before you so that immediate steps may be taken to stop its being carried into effect.