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828
JAPAN.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
Tokyo, November 3rd,
THE FORTHCOMING BUDGET
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
|
THE DANGER OF FIRE IN TOKYO.
under the brightest auspices. Marquis Katsura, a leader of the movement, has just concluded a visit to the peninsula, where he has enlisted the sympathy and support of the Krean authorities in a scheme which aims at the development of the country's resources by Japanese labour. Three quarters of the cultiv Unofficial details of the departmental estimable land of Korea lie fallow. It is first and ates for the ensuing year have been made foremost a farmer's country and since the public, and the aggregate represents a large native, from many canses, is unable to develop increase in both revenue and expenditure. The its agriculture the Japanese farmer will go total expenditure is calculated at nearly 700 over and do it. This is the programme of the million yen, & great increase compared with last promoters of the Oriental Development Com- year, but it may be taken for granted that the pany. Of course the Japanese Government is departments will not get all they ask. There is interested, the whole scheme being under official most likely, however, to be a decided increase direction. The capital of the company is fixed in the outlay on railways, perhaps the at 10,000,000 yen and further capital to the most important of all public works. The extent of 100,000,000 millions may be raised doubling of the Tokaido Railway, running from by the issue of "bonus debenture. The Tokyo to Kobe, is imperative, and is being company of course will undertake all sorts proceeded with. Nothing should be allowed to
of enterprises in Kores but its principal aim stand in the way of this work, although it is to settle the Japanese farmer. invokes an outlay of many millions, on account of new bridges and other engineering works necessary. Apart from the growing demands of an important freight traffic, and the need of an accelerated express service, the recent floods showed how completely a railway system, de pending on only a single track, can be disabled. In advocating the complete doubling of the railway, one of the vernacular journals recently observed that it was a fortunate thing for Japan the floods and railway break down did not occur during the war, when such a disaster to the transport service might have been fatal to Japan's success. The argument is equally applicable in regard to the fight for commerce. Even in a time of pesce, the Tokaido and other railways are quite unable to cope with the business of the districts through which they pass. It was estimated the other day that 14,000 tons of goods were lying at various stations unable to get transport. Further con- gestion is likely to be caused shortly by the transport of troops to the north-east for the great manœuvres. The improvement of the railway services is therefore of first importance.
INTERNATIONAL SPORT IN TOKYO, While the principal English games are but slowly increasing in favour among the Japanese of the rising generation, no one can doubt the tremendous enthusiasm displayed with regard to baseball. The fervour, in fact, sometimes leads to disagreeable incidents, for it is owing to this enthusiasm in excess that the rival teams of two of the Tokyo universities, Waseda and Keio Gijiku, are at daggers drawn, and have not played together for months. But at the present time the youth of the country are greatly interested in the outcome of a match that is now being played between a team from the college of St. Louis, Hawaü, and the Keio Jijiku boys. Play opened to-day and apart from the game provided a scene that will be long remembered. One of the most attractive features was the little army of Keio students, boys ranging from 14 to 20, forming the "rooters," their task being to cheer their own side. Their "college yell was an ear-splitting "Kei Kei Keio!"-long drawn out and yelled from a thousand throats. The boys marched on to the field led by a student in mortar-board with a magnificent purple-silk oloak over his shoulders and carrying a beautifully gold-embroidered standard, also of purple silk, bearing the word
11
"Keio."
Lafcadio Hearne, in one of his books, signifies his horror of Tokyo by a dismal picture of the characteristics of its main streets-the long vista of orooked telegraph poles, the dirty gutters, wooden houses, children and dogs scattered about. The only hopeful featur of the matter is that the whole district is, as a rule, burned down once & year! The complete disappearance of a great building a few days ago strikingly testifies to the danger from fire constantly threatening the citizens of Tokyo. The Gonikan was a very large wooden building used as a sort of bazar, situated very close to the Imperial Hotel. After business hours it took fire and by midnight nothing remained but a few burat tim. bers on the ground.
The Gonikan had disappeared completely
8.8 been swept aff the earth, scarcely at upright remaining in the morning, when a few man and women were to be seen poking among the embers. There were also destroyed the commodious offices of the French industrial syndicate (on the other side of the road) and the headquarters of the Progressive party. The total loss was half a million. An appalling feature of the fire was the rapidity with which the great structure was consumed, and one wondered that any fire insurance company could be persuaded to accept such a risk on ordinary
terms.
if it BS
had
When the fire was at its height and it was not impossible that it would spread to the Imperial Hotel, Secretary Taft was speaking before a great gathering of Japaness but he was kept in ignorance of what was going on outside. Wooden buildings in the business quarters of the city are disappearing by degrees and giving place to brick structures.
APPEALS FROM THE U. S. COURT IN CHINA,
Peculiar interest attaches to the two cases detailed below in which the decisions of His Honour Judge Wilfley have been revers d on appeal to the Home Court. When Judge Wildey came to inaugurate the U. 8. Court in Shanghai he was fully aware that the incoherent state of American law as applying in China would expose him to many difficulties. For, in establishing the Court, Congress fixed the Court of Appeal as that of the Ninth District of the United States, but it did not fix which legisla- ture should control the conduct an the judge- ment of the Court. One system of common law runs through the whole of the Districts, but its application differs widely or slightly in each District. The possibilities of confusion | arising from this state of affairs is amply shown in the Biddle and Price cases.
The youngsters each carried a small flag of purple colour, and having been lined up with military precision gave vent to the college yell and then took up their position on a reserved stand, from which they encouraged their team throughout the game. The crowd was immense and also enthusiastic, and the game ended in an initial victory for the home team with a score of 5 to 3. The second and perhaps concluding match was to be played to-day, the Emperor's C. A. Biddle, who was yesterday released brithday. The Hawiin team will also meet the from gao', was charged before the U. S. Court Waseda university team, and it is to be feared for China at Shanghai on February 1, 1907. that if the Waseda boys do not prove equal to The indictment against Biddle, who was the those of Keio against the foreigners, the un- manager of the Hotel Metropole, was that in sportsman like rivalry between the two local | the previous autuma he had unlawfully obtained universities will develop into something like | Tls. 3,000 as rent of ♣ house in Mohawk Road hatred.
THE GREAT COLONISATION ENTERPRISE. Following the remarkably successful visit of the Crown Prince of Korea-one of the results of which is that the young Korean Crown Prinos will be educated in Japan - the Korean Colonisation Company begins its work
by persuading certain Chinese that the Municipal Authorities would allow gambling there during the autuma Races. At the outset Mr. Ellis, who defended, entered a plea against the jurisdiction of the Court on the ground that under the laws of the United States it was not an offence indictable before this Court, and
[November 18, 1907.
that the Court had no jurisdiction under Com- mon Law in this case, as no provision had been made for dealing with this offence, Common Law, he said, only dealt with cheating and fraud of a particular kind. Obtaining money by false pretences was dealt with by State
Law in Amerio. The laws of the United States only dealt with offences against the Government. His Honour requested counsel to submit a written argument on
point, and
meanwhile the
CA USO
this was proceeded with. On February 4 Judge Wildy found defendant guilty of the offence as charged in the complaint, but he gave him an o portunity of refunding the money before sentence was passed. Biddle was unable to return any of the money, and sentence of twelve months imprisonment was passed, but Mr. J. Hays immediately gave notice of appeal. The seateuca began from February 11, bail being refused, the Judge saying that he was convinced of accused's guilt after hearing the case twior. A motion for a rebearing and a new trial but a new trial was refused and Mr. Ellis then was filed by Mr. F. Ellis on February 18,
filed a bill of exo-ptions and a petition for appeal. On February 25 the District Court of Appeal in California ordered that the defendant in the
case of the United States v. 8 R. Price be admitted to bail in $4,000 Gold. Judge Wilfey decided that the ruling of the Appellate Court in this case applied to the case of the U. S v. C. A. Biddle, and the latter was offered bail in $4,000 Gold, but he never found it and remained in gaol until yesterday when the Court ordered
his release.
Mr. F. M. Brooks yesterday received a telegram from an Francisco stating that the Appeal Court had reversed the decision of Judge Wildey in the case of U. 8. v. S. R. Price, who who was indicted ou January 15 with as- saulting A. Jovanger, manager of the St. George's Hotel, by pointing a revolver at him. In this case sentence of six months' im- prisonment was passed on January 18 and Judge Willey granted leave to appeal on the same day, but he refused bail. The United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit ordered the release of Price on bail, pending appeal in the sum of $4,0 10 Gold, and he was released from the custody of the Marshal of the Court on February 25. The telegram received yesterday does not set out the reasons for the reversal of Judge Wilder's finding and Mr. Price has not yet been formally discharged by the Court.
Judge Willey has determined to return to America in December where be will remain for three or four months with the object of obtain. ing, if possible, through Congress, proper codification of American Common Law for China, before Congrees rises in May. During Judge Wilfey's absence the US. Court will be closed and only its lesser daties will be carried out by the U. 8. Contal General.—N.-C. Daily News.
WATER RETURN.
Leve-and storage of water in reservoirs on the 1st November :-
LEVEL.
1906.
Tytam
1907. Above overflow. Above overflow. 2 ft. 0 in. 2 ft. 7 in. Below overflow
Byewash Low Level No. 1 Pokfulam Wongnaichoong.
Tytam Byowash
12 ft. 0 in.
2 ft. 5 in.
2 ft. 5 in.
• ft. 9 in. 1 ft. 9 in. 2 ft. 0 in. 1 ft. 11 in. STORAGE GALLONS.
1906, 402,300,000 8, 38,000 Low Level No. 1
59,980,,000 Pokfulam Wongnaicheong. 27,762,000
1907. 407,000,000
26,335,000
210,125,000
69,910,000
33,200,000
746,470,000
Total 498,180,000
CONSUMPTION OF WATER IN THE ĈITY OF VICTORIA AND HILL DISTRICT DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER. 1906. •
1907. Consumption...131,684,000 141,174,000 gallons Estimated popu.
lation
235,300 205,710 Consumption per
18.0 head per day
23.1 gallons
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