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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND OUTPORT MUNICIPAL COUNCILS. 1 Mr. Fox stated that he had taken the oppor-
SHAMEEN (CANTON).
The annual general meeting of Landrenters and Ratepayers of the British (oncession, Sha- meen, was held at H.B.M. Consulate General on Monday, February, 15th 1909, at 9.30) a.m.
Present: Messrs. P. H. King. R. Leissing, H. F. Dent, A. oke. F. Harris, P. B. F. Carter, J. R. Greaves, H. Bent, H. S. Smith, E. A. Stanton, Davenport, J. L. M. Drummond. G. E. Huijgen. M. Steger, T. E. Griffith. A Metzler, W. G. Saunders, W. A. Robertson, H. H. Fox, W. P. Turner, A. Tigges. U. Spalinger, A. H. V. Bohuszewicz, G. W. Appleby.
Mr. H. H. Fox. H.B.M. Acting Consul- General, occupied the Chair.
THE QUALIFICATION FOR VOTES.
The notice comvening the meeting and the minutes of the last annual meeting having been read, the CHAIRMAN explained that SOILLA uncertainty had arisen as to what constituted the qualification for an "occupier's" vote, and as legal opinion which had recently been taken was at variance with the views of the Council. the matter would be laid before the Crown Advocate at Shanghai.
Mr. KING suggested that a reference to the Crown Advocate would be a fitting opportunity to open the whole question of tenants' votes.
THE ESTIMATES.
The CHAIRMAN having read the Report of the Council for 1908 together with the Accounts and the Estimates for 1909. suggested that observations should be made on the items of the Report.
Mr. KING asked on what conditions the 15- year Tontine Life Insurance Policy in favour of Superintendent Brimble had been taken out.
Mr. GRIFFITH explained that, though it was in favour of Superintendent Brimble, it was assigned to the Council.
Mr. KING expressed his gratification at the promise of additional pathways on the Concession and hoped that an effort would be made to preserve the grass plots.
An opinion having been expressed on the advisability of increasing the pay of the caretaker of the cemetery with a view to its better upkeep.
Mr. BENT called the Council's attention to the serious silting up of the river bed near the boathouse. The matter had been brought before the notice of the two preceding Councils and he wished to know if any steps had been taken with regard to it.
Mr. GRIFFITI informed the meeting that at the beginning of 1908 he had spoken to both the Commissioner of Customs and the Harbour Master on the subject and an effort had been made to get dredgers on the spot to remove some of the deposit, but without success. The difficulty was that the area in question lay largely outside the 100-feet limit and nothing could therefore be done without the co-operation of the Customs Authorities. The question had already been referred by the Harbour Master to the Coast Inspector's Office in Shanghai, but nothing had been done.
Mr. KING having explained that the Harbour Authorities were extremely anxious to co-operate in dealing with the matter and having expressed the opinion that the difficulty would be partially obviated by the extension of the bunding on the other side of the creek, Mr. Fox stated that he
agreed with these views and that when it could be ascertained when the completion of the Wongsha bund was likely to take place, the question of bringing the Shameen bund in line with it would be laid before the Office of Works.
Mr. STANTON then proposed and Mr. U. SPALINGER Seconded that the Report of the Council and the Accounts be passed, and the motion was carried nem con.
THE NEW BYE-LAWS
Referring to the first of the proposed new bye-laws, namely that in regard to "Death Certificates," viz-" That in event of death occur- ring on the Concession notice must be imme- diately sent to the Superintendent of Police, who shall also be furnished with a certi- ficate showing the cause of death from a duly qualified medical practitioner. No permission for burial in the Cemetery shall be granted before a certificate of death is forthcoming from a duly qualified medical practitioner,”
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tunity of the visits of H.B.M. Judge to Canton to consult him on the bye-law, with the result that certain amendments in the original pro- posal had been suggested.
The amended byelaw now reads as follows:- In the event of a death occurring on the Concession, notice must immediately be sent to the Superintendent of Police, who, in the case of the death of a foreigner shall also be
furnished with a certificate of the cause of
death from a duly qualified medical practitioner. Permission for burial in the Cemetery shall not be granted until such a certificate or an order of the competent authority has been produced. |
After discussion it was proposed by Mr. GRIFFITH and seconded by Mr. STANTON, that the bye-law in its amended form be passed.
Carried unanimously.
Mr. Fox then read the second proposed byo- law:-
"Every medical practitioner attending on. or called in to visit. any patient suffering from infectious disease, including small-pox. cholera, plague. diphtheria. membranous croup, crisypelas, scarlatina, typhoid, enteric, continued or puerperal fevers, dysentery, all forms of meningitis or other disease to which the byelaw has been applied by the Council shall forthwith, on becoming aware that the patient is suffering from any of the above named infectious or preventable diseases, to which the byelaw applies, send a certificate giving all particulars to the Council's Officer of Health. under a penalty of $50. No Chinese suffering from infections or contagious diseases, shall be allowed on the Concession, and any house- holder having any such case within his com pound and failing to notify the same the Council's Officer of Health, shall be liable to penalty not exceeding 850 for each offence." The CHAIRMAN stated that, in order to give more latitude to the Council in cases where there had been only a technical breach of the byelaw, His Majesty's Judge had suggested that the words under a penalty of $50 be substituted by the words "under a penalty not exceeding $50."
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Mr. GRIFFITH proposed that in that case the amount of the maximum penal y be altered from $50 to $100 and this being seconded by Mr. ROBERTSON and put before the meeting, was carried unanimously.
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Mr. King having questioned the power of! the Council to classify disease and having objected to the word preventable as not being found in byelaws of a similar nature at home, aj
discussion arose as the result of which Mr. KING moved, and Mr. STEGER seconded, that the word preventable" be deleted from the proposed byclaw.
This amendmend was, however, lost.
r. STANTON then proposed that the bye law as amended be carried.
This was seconded by Mr. BENT, and passed unanimously.
Mr. Fox then read a nomination which he had received for the election of a Council for the ensuing year.
The proposed names were Messrs. 0. F. R. Carter, T. E. Griffith, N. R. Robertson, E. A. Stanton, and M. Steger.
No other nomination having been received Mr. Fox asked the meeting to confirm this nomination.
Carried unanimously.
The meeting concluded with votes of thanks to the outgoing Council, the Chairman of the Council and the Chairman of the meeting
KULANGSU (AMOY).
A meeting of the Council was held at the Board Room, on the 26th January 1909.
Present:-Messrs. W. H. Wallace (Chairman)' J. S. Fenwick. W. Kruse, Lim Kui Siong, Okuyama, W. Wilson, A. H Wilzer, the Health Officer and the Secretary.
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
Correspondence between the Council and Mr. Lim Kui Siong was read concerning a building permit, and the Secretary was instructed that if Mr. Lim Kui Siong fails to apply for a permit within seven days, and fails to submit plans in accordance with Bye-law 13, he is to be proceeded against in the ordinary way.
[March 1, 1909.
The Superintendent of Police reported the following cases as having been dealt with in the Mixed Court since the last meeting, the Court being closed under the seal from 12th January to 9th February :-Summonses :-Assault 2; cruelty to a child 1; debt 1.-Summary Arrests. -Being abroad after 12 midnight without a light 3.
EXECUTION AT VICTORIA GAOL.
Chan Shun, one of the six men sentenced to death on January 28th for the murder of their former employer at Des Voeux Road, was executed at Victoria Gaol on the 22nd inst. at five o'clock. In the afternoon Mr. J. H. Kemp cenduated to the Magistracy the usual inquiry into the cause of death. The Jury was composed of Messrs. H. V. Wilkinson, Owen E. Owen and Wilhelm Sohniidt.
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E. J. Pierpont, chief warder at Victoria Gaol, stated that the deceased was received into prison on January 28th last under sentence of death, which sentence was duly carried out at one minute past five on Monday morning. There were present at the execution Mr. Craig, superintendent of Victoria Gaol, Dr. Moore, medical officer, witness and the usual escort of officers. He produced the warrant for the execution.
Dr. Moore, medical officer of Victoria Gaol, said he was present at the execution and in his opinion death was instantaneous.
He made a post-mortem examination of the body and found the neck was dislocated and the spinal
cord was crushed of the neck.
Death was due to dislocation
The jury found the cause of death to be as stated and that the sentence of death had been duly carried out.
Though no official announcement has been made, it may be assumed that the five other men have had their sentences commuted.
A CHINESE GIRL'S SUICIDE.
Mr. J. H. Kemp conducted an inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of Ko Se Heung, a Chinese female, 14 years of age, who committed surcide by hanging in a house
in Des Voeux Road.
Dr. Hunter, in charge of the mortuary, spoke to the body being brought into the mortuary on February 4th and to making a post mortem examination, the result of which showed that death was due to asphyxiation from hanging.
His Worship-The evidence is that deceased stood on a stool, tied a string round her neck and jumped off the stool, breaking the string? Is that consistent ?—Yes.
You can't say how long it would be necessary for the string to be round her neck before death ensued? No, a very short time.
When the witnesses found her she was breathing -She might have been asphyxiated before the string broke.
There were no other marks of violence ?--No. I suppose while hanging there would have been convulsive movements of the limbs?-- Yes, and that would have broken the cord.
Other witnesses were called who testified to. deceased being found on the floor of the house, dying shortly afterwards.
The inquiry was closed.
SEQUEL TO A WEST RIVER COLLISION.
Judgment had been given by Acting Chief Justice Bourne of the Supreme Court for China and Korea, sitting in the Provincial Court at Canton, in the action heard before him in which the owners of the junk Man Cheong claimed $60,000 from the China Steam Navigation
ompany for the loss of their boat and cargo by collision with the defendants' steamer Nanchang in the West River on the 12th November. Mr. Loftus Jones from Shanghai' appeared for the plaintiffs on the hearing of the case at Canton on the 8th, 9th, and 10th instant and Mr. Gedge of the firm of Johnson, Stokes and Master appeared for the defendants. Judgment was delivered in Shanghai on Thursday in favour of the defendants. Captain Archibald sat with the Chief Justice as nautical assessor.