MSMEN ARBEID MAARI
E
530
There was thus a decrease of 1,099 on the total number of admissions as compared with the year 1907. There was also a decrease of prison. ers convicted for larceny during the year under review, the number being 845 against 963 for the previous year.
The number of prisoners admitted to prison for offences not of à criminal nature was 2,803, made up as follows:-
Convicted by Courts-Martial
Convicted by the Captain Superintendent
of Police...
Debtors, ...
sures Ordinance
18
452
309
20
43
43
138
1
86
Convicted under the Opium Ordinance Convicted under the Gambling Ordinance Convicted under the Market Ordinance Convicted under the Arms Ordinance Convicted under the Vehicle Ordinance Convicted under the Sanitary Bye-laws Convicted under the Harbour Regulations Convicted under the Weights and Mea-
630
1
Convicted for Drunkenness
33
Convicted for Cruelty to Animals
4
Convicted for Trespassing.
82
Convicted for Disorderly conduct
318
Convicted for Vagrancy
30
Convicted for Contempt of Court
2
Convicted for Assault
Convicted for Obstruction
Convicted for Cutting Trees
Convicted for Fighting
Convicted for Mendicancy.
Convicted under the Post Office Ordinance, Convicted under the Police Ordinance, Convicted for Rogue and Vagabond Convicted under the Women and Girls'
Protection Ordinance...
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
SHIPPING NOTES.
A message from Honolulu states that officers of the United States army transport Diz, who have been experimenting with Philippine coal on that vessel, report that the coal from the islands has excellent steaming qualities and has proved very satisfactory ou the Diz.
|
*
A message from Boston, dated May 14, states that officials of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company denied that any plan was under consideration for the abandonment of its Oriental service, but admitted that no profits were being derived from the service and added that, if there was not a change within a year or so, it might be deemed advisable to cease running freight vessels between those points. It was also stated that the company's line operating along the Pacific coast from San Francisco to Panama was doing a very poor business.
聋
*
-[June 21, 1909.
Mr. D. W. Craddock, General Traffic Agent of the C. P. R. Royal Mail Steamship Line, informed us yesterday that he was in receipt of a cable from Yokohama advising that a wireless message has been received from the Empress of China to the effect that she will reach Yokohama at 7 a.m. on the 16th inst. The ship left Van- couver one day late, and as the 16th is her correct date of arrival at Yokohama, she has made up one day on the voyage. To secure information of this kind, proves the usefulness of the wire- less system.
CORRESPONDENCE.
THE COST OF THE RAILWAY.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE HONGKONG "DAILY PRESS ]
++
SIR," From the tax-payers point of view' do you not under-state the financial aspect of the railway in your leading article to-day ? According to the Tokyo Asahi, translated by As I understand the position, it is, short- the Japan Gazette, the British steamer Inly, this: Three years ago the Legis- verclyde while leaving Yokohama for Yokkai-lative Council sanctioned a loan for railway chi about 3 p.m. on the 31st ultimo, collided works up to £2,000,000. The Govern- 137 with the T.K.K. steamer Tonyo-maru, striking mont thereupon obtained from the Crown Agents 77 her on the starboard side. Five plates of the a loan of £1,100,000 at 34 per cent. which they 63 Japanese vessel were slightly bent near the lent to the Chinese authorities at 4 per cent. for third hatch, Captain Lea, of the Inverclyde, the purpose of redeeming the concession of the 40 immediately paid a visit to the Tenyo while Canton Hankow railway, the loan to be repay-
2 the Harbour Office sent an official. The Tenyo able in ten annual instalments.
maru was, however, allowed by a Lloyd's sur reyor to resume her voyage, leaving Yokohama for Hongong at 10 p.m. on the 1st instant.
16
95
Convicted under the Stowaway Ordinance Convicted under the Servants' Quarters
Ordinance
24 116
Convicted under the Chinese Wine and
Spirit Ordinance
Total
17
5
2,803
The above figures show that 68 per cent. of
the total admissions to prison were for non- criminal offences.
There were 4,027 prisoners committed to gaol without the option of a fine and 143 juveniles were admitted, 44 of whom were sentenced to be whipped in addition to various terms of imprisonment.
The two magnificent turbine steamers Heliopolis and Cairo, built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding Co. for £650,000 for an ultra- luxurious express passenger service, much advertised at the time, between Marseilles and Egypt, were put up to auction at the Baltic Exchange saleroom, on behalf of the builders. The vessels were built only last year. The upset price for each steamer was only £150,000. There was a large and interested crowd of shipping people at the sale, but they were not interested enough to bid--possibly of the difficulty of finding remunerative work for such unusually fine vessels. The steamers are of
The payments made by the Chinese authorities on this account are being devoted to financing the construction of our own railway, which is to cost not less than-probably considerably more than £1,000,000. Now, our railway will be open to traffic next May or June, and will, I take it, be entirely completed by the end of 1911, that will be, say, five years from the time it was commenced.
If, then, the railway costs over a million sterling, and the Chinese authorities have paid back in the time only half that sum, it follows obtain from the Crown Agents a further advance of half a million pounds sterling; so that in 1911 thisColony will have a railway loan of £1,500,000, that time, we shall be receiving interest from on which we shall have to pay 34 per cent. By
the Chinese authorities on half a million only
that the Colonial Government will have had to
It is interesting to note from the report that nearly 11.000 tons gross, and fitted with triple- | (roughly), and the Colony in 1911 will have to screw Parson's turbines, and on their trial trips provide for paying to the Crown Agents made nearly 21 knots. They have accom- modation for 709 first and 231 second class passengers.
the percentage of prisoners to population was in 1908 the lowest recorded. It was 110 as compared with 121 in the previous year.
The value of prison labour in 1908 was $15,110.45.
BE LILIOS PUBLIC SCHOOL.
The prizes so kindly given annually by Mr. R. E. Belilios to the pupils in Belilios Public School whe excel in the subject of Fnglish composition were yesterday presented to the successful candidates by Mr. E.. Irving, Inspector of Schools. The following are the names of the prize winners:-
Mabel Long, Rose Ablong, Mabel Mooney, Yahara A larakia, ung A Nui, Cheung Fook To, Li Teing Lim, and Chan Bik Harm.
A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Belilios and Mr. Irving on the motion of Mabel Long, the dux of the tchool.
OPIUM SMUGGLING.
Early yesterday morning an excise officer stopped a Chinese passenger who was leaving the river steamer Tak Hing, and told him he intended to search his luggage for opium. The luggage contained five suspicions-looking tins, which the owner strongly objected to the officer examining. He informed the opium searcher that the tins contained twenty cent pieces, and that it would not be advisable to steal them. The officer took the passenger to the Police Station where the tins were searched, and were found to contain four taels of prepared opium. When charged before Mr. F. A. Hazeland at the Magistracy yesterday the passenger still asserted that the tins contained twenty cent pieces, but when called to the witness stand he stated that another man handed him the boxes and ran away. His Worship held the charge proved and imposed a fine of $300, the alternative being two months'imprisonment.
In the Osaka Marine Court on Wednesday, the 2nd instant, an inquiry was held to investi- gate into the circumstances surrounding the stranding of the C.P.R. steamer Empress of hina in the Inland Sea, while on her way from Nagasaki to Kobe on February 19th last. Captain J. S. Steavenson, the pilot, was examin- ed at great length. In the course of his evi dence the Pilot made the following important statement:-
interest at 34 per cent. on a million pounds sterling, ¿.c. $350,000 out of a rapidly declining
revenue.
Is not that the position? - Yours &c.
TAXPAYER. [We think our correspondent correctly states the position.-ED.]
DEATH OF A BRITISH VICE-CONSUL.
'
Death has removed another promising young man from the British Consular service in the person of Mr. Alfred John Flaherty, British "On the last trip up the Inland Sea, on the Vice-Consul of Shanghai, in charge of the Empress of China, May 14th, Captain Archi- Land Office, who died at the General Hospital bald came on the bridge shortly after 9 a.m. on the 11th inst. after a short illness. The de- The ship was then off Kominase Shima, and ceased, the Mercury says, was removed to hospital after saying Good-morning to me, he called some days ago suffering from appendicitis. At the 2nd and 3rd officers over from the port side first no serious results were anticipated by his of the bridge, to where Captain Archibald and medical attendants, but a change set in and an I were standing, on the starboard side, and then operation was decided upon several days ago. in front of us three said: I know how our The shock, however, was too great, and as accident happened.. There may have been a already stated, the deceased succumbed this little set, but it was due to bad steering the morning. The deceased was a native of Ireland Captain then continued to caution both officers and was born on the 19th August, 1878. After about watching the steering. And it is rather learing school he passed his examination in July, remarkable that when the Empress of China 1898, and was appointed student interpreter to arrived at Vancouver after her grounding, both the Legation at Peking the same year. He was the 4th officer, Johnson, and the Quartermas-stationed at the capital during the Boxer siege ter, Thompson, who were responsible for the of 1900 and rendered valuable services in the steering and course that morning from 4 to 6 a.m., were dismissed."
Asked whether he knew for what reason these men were discharged, witness said he understood Thompson was discharged because he was a bad helmsman.
The Court asked why witness did not see that the quartermaster carried out his instructions properly. Witness replied that it was impos- sible for one man to attend to all these matters or la foggy night, with the steamer travelling at the rate of fifteen knots an hour.
defence of the Legations and received the hina Medal and Clasp. In 1902 he was promoted second class assistant and from October, 1904, to February, 1905, he was Acting Vice-Consul at Tientsin, Acting Consul at Changsha 1905 Vice-Consul at Hankow 1906 and in August the same year he was promoted first class assistant and transferred back to Tientsin. Recently he came to Shanghai with the rank of Vice-Consul in charge of the Land Office. During his short stay he made hosts of friends by his obliging and engaging manners.