88
NOTES FROM THE NORTH.
[FORM OUR CORRESPONDEN!.
A TIENTSIN SCANDAL,
THE HONGKÔNG WEEKLY PRESS AND
of
cases in the neighbourhood. She was distarbed in the middle of the night by something else and was not thinking of barglars, but while awake happened to hear a noise. Her bedroom window was open and she peeped out into the garden below, where she saw two men trying to open A pretty scandal has just come to light here. the dining room window, while a third was For some years past the French Concession patrolling the road, keeping watch. This in Tientsin had had a Municipal Connoil, whose latter man she saw clearly, and he was a members were nominated This Council was European, and she heard the two others composed principally of members or representa talking in a low tone and is almost certain tives of one hong, and in the matter of mani- they were Europeans. This may be nothing cipal contracts of all kinds this hong practically very remarkable, but what makes ons ran the Concession. There grew up a Muni. the burglaries noteworthy is the fact, that in oipal Purity Party and when at the beginning one of their successful visitations the burglars of this year the municipal elections were made were not content with robbery but added to This was at popular, ie., were put on a basis of vote by their orime the offence of arson.
the house of the Postmaster of the Chinese ballot and the Councillors elected by the rate. payers on a liberal franchise, the purity party Imperial Post Office, Mr. H. D. Summers opposed the contracts-monopolising party at Mr. Summers' family are at Peitabo, and had he been there too his house would probably the polls. The reformers were beaten at the elections in February, and the Municipal Coan-have been burnt out completely for the barglars
or leaving, set the draving room on fire. cil went on practically as before so far as muni-
Summers, however, was sleeping in the house. cipal contracts were concerned. Several fla. grant cases of jobbery occurred, and the facts The burglars had not disturbed him, but he were placed before the French Minister in was awakened by the suffocating smoke from the room below, and with the assistance of his Peking who suspended or rather cancelled the membership of the arch-offender. Thereupon own and neighbour's servants got the fire out the rest of the Council resigned in a body, and a without requiring the services of the Fire firsh election took place on the 25th June. The Brigade. It was a near touch, however, for the whole drawing-room was in flames and a big hole party of graft were again returned with a
was burnt in the floor giving access of an majority.
unaccustomed kind to the cellar. Burglary alone is bad enough, but burglary-cum arson is more than 100 per cent worse
NOT PLATING THE GAME,
At
Apparently the majority of the electors preferred that these particular men should have the manipulation of municipal contracts. But s singular thing has now been discovered. the election in February and at the lates! election a number of ballot papers went missing. In the room in which the voting took place the Consul and other officials were present to see that the election was properly conducted. But outside and adjacent to this room Was another, on a table in which were placed the voters' lisfs and the ballot papers, At the February election the voting papers provided for the municipal reform party mysteriously disappeared; tboss for the municipal contracts party were left intact. At the recent election the same thing occurred again, except that, instead of disappearing piecemeal, as at the first election, they were far en practi a ly en bloc.
THE GUILTY UNPUNISHED,
An official inquiry has been held since the
in the election, and
this it of
were
was
course
found that the ballot papers abstracted by some Chinese attendants who were in the room. These men confessed their guilt, and were punis ed. They were sent to gaol. But it seemed inconceivable that these ignorant Chinese atter dints, althon h servant; of the municipality, should have any personal interest.in the municipal politics of foreigners- at any rate such an interest as to lead them to take away ballot papers and destroy them, for it transpire that one lot of some 250 voting papers were taken below into a cellar and there burnt. The Chinese culprits were accordingly interrogated, and stated that they took the papers according to instructions-they were ordered to do so! And by whom? By two highly-placed European servants of the municipality. These facials have not yet been punished. Why? These revelations which, as I have said, are the result of an official inquiry and are not mere gossip and hearsay have caused a painful impression in the public mind as to the oonduct of municipal business in the French Concession and the
abuse to which popular institutions may be put.
INCENDIARY BURGLARS.
Tientsin householders—and more particularly those who have shut up teir houses here and gone away to the seaside-have been much exercised by the operations of a gang of burglars, who seem to be taking advantage of the holiday season. There have been some four burglarious attempts in less than a month in the British Concession alone. These have all taken place on the outskirts of the British x- tension. The police so far have been unsuccess- ful in tracing either the barglars or even the stolen property-mainly silver. They have given it out that they suspect the burglars to be Chinese. But I was talking the other day to a lady who had received a visit from the barglars and it is assumed that these are the same gang who have operated in the other
Mr.
EUROPEAN COMMITS SUICIDE.
Mr. Charles Collett, manager of the Hong. kong branch of the firm of Messrs. Wallem and Company, steamship agents &c., commit ted suicide sometime on the 23rd inst. in the office of the firm by shooting himself through the heart with a revolver. He was a native of Norway and only 29 years of age. The reasons for this rash act are at present unknown, but it is believed that deceased had financial troubles. His body was removed to to the Mortuary on July 24th,
on
FIRE IN DES VEUX ROAD.
in
soene in
There was a big blaze in Des Voeux Road
July 30th when a fire broke out the Ip On oil and lamp shop, it is sait, through the carelessness of a customer who called to purchase some oil. At the time of this casto. mer's call a foki in the shop was repairing a lamp, into which he poured some gasoline. Then he left this to attend the caller, and while be was getting him the supply of oil ordered, the visitor is stated to have accidentally dropped a lighted match into the lamp Immediately the oil flared up, and the flames, catching on to the surrounding material, quickly spread to that part of the shop in which the gasoline was stored. This burned so fiercely that the firemen, although
the on remarkably quick time, were powerless to cope with the conflagration until the oil had barned itself out. It was at about 1.40 p.m. that the fire got a firm hold and within twenty minutes from that time the shop on the ground floor, the store-room above it, and the two floors The residents of the above that were gutted. two upper floors fortunately made their escape through the trap door on the top floor, but at one time it was feared that many would be burnt to death. The fire ladder was run up, and a fireman attempted the ascend, but so dease was the smoke and so fierce the flames which caught on to the top of the ladder, that he had to desist. According to the statement of the master of the shop, he carried a stock which he valued at $10,000. Insurances had been effected to the extent of $10,000 with the Nippon and Meji Insurance Companies.
The question of the appointing of a chief engineer in the French Concession at Shanghai has created some dissension among the members of the French Connoil. Some of the members were in favour of getting a man out from France, while others wished to appoint an acting chief engineer, to be engaged locally. This finally resulted in the resignation of Mr. Berthos, Chairman of the Council.
|
[August 8, 1908.
TAXATION OF SHIPPING.
The Agends of Thursday's meeting of the Hongkong Legislative Council contained the following resolation which the Hon the Clonial Secretary will move, bat it was not proceeded with at this meeting:—
Resolved that ou and from the 1st January, 1909, the Owner, Agent or Master of every ship which enters the Waters of the Colony, shall pay the following Dues to such Officer as the Governor may, from time to time, appoint: -
For all River Steamers, which enter the waters of the Colony by day or by night:—
Five-sixths of a cent per ton register, (2) All other ships, which enter the Waters of the Colony :-
Two cents per ton register. Exemptions:-
British and foreign ships of war.
SHANGHAI TRADE.
Messrs. Ilbert and Co.'s Piece Goods Market Report is as follows:-
The market still continues quiet, but reports of the crops from the surrounding country and the Yangtze valley generally are favourable, and with the present spell of hot weather, much of the damige supposed to have been done by the late rains is disappearing. Dealers anti- cipate a revival as soon as confidence in the probability of a good harvest is restored; many of them think that orders are being held back which will be placed before long; it is to be hoped that this more sanguine view is well founded and that a farther reduction in stock may take place.
The Chamber of Commerce stooks for 3)th Jane have been published and in many cases prove to be appreciably over the estimate based ou the December returns; until all the figures relating to the end of the half year are pub- lished by the Customs, it is difficult to account for
the differences, Lut doubtless the latest returns are the safest basis to go upon.
The general impression made by the Returns as a whole is, that while they indicate a welcome reduction on the figures of a year ago, they are still unnecessarily large. For many years the Shanghai trade has become accustomed to look upon heavy stocks as more or less normal, but it is obvious that if the trade as a whole carries stock which is equivalent to the total consump tion for an extended period, the loss of interest must neutralize much of the profits made on In a goods which are quickly turned over.
months' great many cases sticks amount to cousumption of the whole trade, in others to 12 months' consumption and in one or two cases to When demand nearly 2 years' consumption. springs up for some special commodity, the fact that there are heavy stocks of other goods, which are included under the same heading in these Returns, is of course no reason why the speciality in question should not be supplied, but the lesson which recent experience ought to impress deeply upon the trade generally is that buying has been altogether overdone
ia
the past, and that until this is realised and until future operations are regulated in the light of this experience, no permanent improvs- ment need be expected.
Auction sellers it is true do not pile up large stocks; if stocks are heavy and prices unprofit- able, they all, but they do not repent like private sellers, they keep on selling on the same scale as if their hammers brought them in an annuity; the consequence is that when the market is overdone, it gets no chance of recovery, and an artificially forced trade is carried ou.
The Committee of the piece goods guild has discussed the question of establishing a register of hongs, recording the names of the partners in each boag, and the extent of their share. A favourable report on the proposed register has bee forwarded to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce and if it meets with the approval of that body, the proposal will probably be carried out. in the interests of both Chinese and foreigners it is to be hoped that it will be approved of.