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CANTON.
(TROM OUR CORRESPONDENT,)
THE FLOOD.
His Excellency Viceroy Coang has issued an appeal to all the Viceroys and Governors of Provinces to co-operate with him to raise the sam required to relieve the distress in the Two Kwang provinces caused by the recent floods.
The authorities are requested to stimulate the seat of the wealthy in their respective districts. The sum required is about two million taels and the money collected would be advanced as a loan. The Viceroy himself subscribed a portion of his salary towards the fund. His appeal gives full details of the disastrous affects of the flood in the different districts p and states that such a calamity is unprecedented in the annuals of the province.
The inauguration of the Flood Fund Bazaar here will take place on the 31st instant. The committee have already received numerous valuable gifts from the gentry, merchants, and girl schools. The Bazaar is to be open for seven days and nights. A charge of 50 cents
is to be made for admission.
ANOTHER SHISURE OF ARMS,
It is reported that a big seizure of arms and ammunition has been made in Kongmoon, the value being stated as $10,000. The arms were to be conveyed to a family in Sun-Wai where a clan dispute was going on. This will no doubt end the dispute as one of the belligerents will certainly get into serious trouble over the matter.
DULLNES8 OF TRADE.
One of the principal industries in Fat Shan
is the manufacture of cotton cloth. This has been a fourishing industry in that City for several decades and gave employment to thousands of men and women. It is carried on in hand looms and many of the weavers werk in their own houses, Over a million dollars of this textile are annually manufactured and sold in the interior and other provinces The cloth is obiefly manufactured from imported foreign cotton yarn. It is reported that the demand for the native cloth this year has diminished considerably. Recently almost half the number of shops dealing in this article have closed down, reasons given being dullness of trade, bad harvests and keen competition of foreign piece goods.
FIRN.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
PRECAUTIONS BEGARDING REFORMERS, ‹
His Excellency Viceroy Chang has received a telegram from the Central Government instruct- ing him to be loautious with reformers taking up official positions in all the ordinance depart ments and powder magazines and ordering him se institute investigations in all those depart ments and find out the antecedents of the officials at present employed.
PROMOTION OF TRADE AND AGRICULTURE.
The Grand Council has telegraphed to H. E. the Viceroy instructions for the promotion of trade and agriculture in the Provinos. His Excellency is ordered to investigate thoroughly the nature (objects P) of the travelling public, and more especially to direct his attention to the steam launch service in the interior; to hold meetings to enadurage the people to open new industries and foster agriculture. The instructions enjoin the Viceroy to impress on the people to do these things in earnest,
DANGEROUS EXPLOSION.
Last week a keg containing fifty pounds of smokeless gun powder exploded in the Wing Chai Powder Magazine situated outside the
North Gate,
Part of the roof of the
building was blown off and the wooden floor of the magazine caught fire, but fortunately there were several bottles of fire extinguishing chemical aid in readiness and the fire was put out without further mishap. The officer in charge of the Magazine not being able to discover the origin of the accident put it down to spontaneous combustion caused by
excessive heat of the sun.
A NOVEL PUNISHMENT.
It is the duty of the Provincial Treasurer to furnish annually before the sixth moon 8 Provincial expenditures for the previous year memorial containing a detailed account of the
to the Throne. His Excellency's accountants have been rather late this year in furnish. ing the accounts. So far Treasurer Woo has been unable to draw up the memorial owing to the accounts not being ready. Yes terday he summoned the chief accountant Chan to explain the reason of the delays, and on receiving an unsatisfactory explanation, His Excellency ordered Chan to kneel down in the Court for two hours as a slight punishment, after which a limited time was given to have the accounts ready and, if he exceeded the time, he would be dismissed from service.
THE MINTING OF COPPER CENTS STOPPED.
Before the minting of copper cents by the Provincial mint here, Hongkong copper cents were in great demand, The market has been In your issue of the 18th instant you gave a simply inundated with native copper cents aummary of the fire which occured in the since the Provincial Mint commenced producing Viceroy's Yamen. Here are further partion them. They have consequently been at a big lars-Owing to an unsatisfactory explanation discount and there has been a huge accumu- concerning the origin of the fire His Excellencylation of these coins at the Mint. The the Viceroy has ordered the arrest of the two servants of his olerk Ting, and sent them to the Nam Hoi.
They were tried by the Chief Magistrate Chang. When questioned both prisoners stated that they have been in Ting's employ for the last eight years and during that time they had never committed any fault or blander () On the morning in question their master as usual looked his door, hung the key outside and went to his breakfast. There was no lamp burning in the room and nobody was smoking opium. They only knew the place had caught fire when they saw smoke coming from the direction of the room. The same questions were put to them many times but elicited the same answer. They denied all knowledge of the origin of the fire. The case is adjourned for further trial,
an
CANTON-HANKOW BAILWAY. The local authorities have received B cablegram from Peking stating that Imperial Edict has been issued appointing HE. Chang Chi Tung as the Chief Superintendent of the Canton-Hankow Railway Company. It is believed that the above announcement will give satisfaction and pacify the hot-headed and troublesome Cantonese shareholders.
OPIUM CRUSADE.
The Police have been instructed to stop the manufacture of all opium smoking implements and the Customs Authorities have been request- ed to prevent the importation of same, In future those who still continue to manufacture or import these articles will be severely punished. 1
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Provincial Government had been making enormous profits in circulating them. The Bureau of Local Affairs (Provincial Financial Department) on discovering that the demand was diminishing considerably, enforced a regulation that all salaries of Government Officials were to be paid 80 per cent. in silver and 20 per cent, in copper cents as a means of forcing those coins into the market. This practically means a small reduction of their salaries. It is reported that recently some high officials who were dissatisfied with the new regulation appealed to the Throne. The result was that an Imperial Eliot was issued ordering the Provincial Mint to cease mint ing copper cents for three months. The value of these ooirs is gradually rising and the officials are now paid entirely in silver.
OFFICIAL DEPUTATION. .
His Excellency Viceroy Chang has deputed Tactai Wei Han as special delegate to proceed to Tonking to apply for the rendition of about ten rebels who are now detained there. Mr. Wei Han is an excellent French scholar and, besides holding the office of adviser on foreign affairs, he fills several onerous positions such as Chief Director of the Canton-Kowloon Railway, Director of the Whampoa Torpedo Fleet, and Director of the Ordinance Depart ment He will proceed to Tonking with ex Magistrate Chan Pak Han this week.
THE BOYCOTT.
The members of the Sea Delicacies Guild in Fat Shan called a special meeting on the 20th instant with a view to stimulating the native industry of sea delicacies.
The Chairman
{July 25, 1908.
stated in his speech that it had been brought to the notice of the guild that certain dealers who are devoid of shame in making money have olandestinely purchased foreign (Japanese) nen delicacies. A resolution was put and passed. that in future any shops ór firms discovered dealing in foreign son delicacies are liable to a fine of 1,000 taels for each offenos.
CORRESPONDENCE.
#t
TO THE EDITOR OF TH】 'DAILY PRE88.”]
HONGKONG AND OPIUM.
22nd July, 1908. DEAR SIR-With reference to the Artiole ander the above heading which appeared in your issue of this date, as Solicitors for the Opium Farmer of this Colony we are instructed to inform you that the report of the interview con- tained in such article does not correctly represent our client's true views of the subject matter: thereof, which are of quite a different nature.
We shall be obliged if you will give this communication an equivalent publicity to that afforded to the article in question, the serious inaccuracy of which, if uncontradicted, might substantially damage our client's interests.
Yours faithfully,
DEACON LOOKER & DEACON. paper by the Rev. G. A. Wilson, Secretary of [This refers to a letter written to a London
the Society for the Suppression of the Opium Trade, who quotes from the "Malay Mail” a statement purporting to have been made by Mr. Loke Yow (who is described as the holder the holders of the monopoly threatened to of the Hongkong opium farm) denying that
claim compensation should the opium resolution of the House of Commons be carried out, and further orediting Mr. Loke Yew with stating that he would welcome the suppression and would put no opposition in the way of the : Government-ED.]
A HONGKONG TRADE MARK CASE.
DECIDED BY THE PRIVY COUNCIL.
We learn that a telegram has reached the Colony announcing that the Privy Council has allowed the appeal in the famous trade-mark case Leuba Freres v. Ullmann & Co, with costs in Messrs. Ullmann & Co.'s favour. This litigation, which refers to the trade mark on watches imported by the parties to the action, had been in progress since 1902. In 1906 an application for an injunction was heard by the Chief Justice (Bir Francis Pigott) who gave judgment in favour of the plaintiffs. The defendants appealed to the Full Court, when His Honour the Chief Justice upheld his previous judgment Mr. Justice Wise's judgment was in the favour of the appellants. Messrs. Ullmann & Co. carried the case to the Privy Council with the result above stated.
It is understood that Mr E. H. Sharp, K.C. formerly of Hongkong, was one of the Counsel engaged in the ese on Messrs. Ullmann & Co's || behalf. Mr. Sharp was counsel in the case (instructed by Messrs. Wilkinson and Grist) when it first came before the Supreme Court. On his leaving the Colony Sir Henry Berkeley KC, was instructed.
Mr. C. D. Wilkinson is in London in con- nexion with the case, as also is Mr. John Hastings whose firm was instructed on the other side. Mr. Justice Wise being also at Home, it is probable that the Hongkong Bench and Bar were wall represented at the hearing of the case.
We understand that the costs of this litigation will amount to something like $60,000.
Rain fell almost continuously from Wednes day noon till Thursday night, and caused several landslips, notably one at Battery Path where several tons of earth were dislodged, and another large slip occurred in the Peak Road just below Mr. Henry Humphreys' residence. Several shops in the Eastern part of the city were in undated. The Tytam reservoir, which at the beginning of the month was 26ft. 8țin, below overflow, was reported yesterday to be over- sowing.