September 18, 1909.]
9. Do not grumble because there is no dining car on the airship.
10. Do not despise ordinary land travellers. It was not you who invented airships.
The price of the Blériot aeroplanes as adver- tised in a Bangkok newspaper is 7,000 ticals. A griffin wanted to know what a tical was, and when it was explained to him, he demanded to know the difference between a Siamese tickle and an English one. The problem is one that might have been presented to Harry Lauder, whose comments on tickling are well known in the Colony, but in his absence the explanation was offered that no one could stand seven thousand English tickles. Neither, to my mind, could any one withstand seven thousand Siamese ticals.
Woe is me. My favourite drink is to be taxed, and 1 will either have to risk bankruptcy or become teetotal and wear a blue ribbon in my buttonhole. I am not the only one who sings this doleful lay, because there are others who, despite the optimism of His Excellency, do not view with composure having to pay increased prices for the liquors which have become so essential to tables out Eere. Have we no heroes to come forth and declare our resolutions in similar language to the home writer who has modelled the following composition on “ Scots wha hae"?
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SCOTS WHA DAE
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A DRAPPIE LO`E. (Tune-"Scots Wha Hae."): -
Scots what dae a drappie lo'e, Scots whs aften hae got fou, See the price o' whisky noo,
And drap a bitter tear. Nae mair, I doot, we'll get a spree, Nae mair we'll laugh and sing wi' glee; Nas mair the guid auld barley bree
Oor weary he'rts will cheer. Noo's the day, and noo's the 'cor, Fecht against Lloyd George's poo'er; Gi'e the Budget its death cloor-
It's a' for liberty. Arise, ye sons o' Scotland's isle, Arise, ye hardy men o' toil; Arise, an' fecht in proper style,
And gain the victory! This price is far ower big tae pay, Sic nonsense we're nae gaun tas hae; Tae want oor dram wid.never dae,
And that ye a' ken fine.
W. S.
Then join wi' me, ye Scotchmen true, And fecht for Scotland s mountain dew! We'll pay nae mair for it jist noo Than what we did lang syne. (Banchory.
I have referred to the subject before, but at the risk of being charged with reiteration I must suggest that the time is opportune for consider- ing the possibility of drawing revenue from other sources than wines and spirits. Why should the inocuous ginger beer, the saccharine lemonade, the sparkling orange champagne, and all the rest of the drinks which form the tipple of the teetotal section go untaxed? These drinks are just as much a luxury to the teetotalers as the wines and spirits to the non-teetotalers, and why duties should be imposed on the latter and none on the former seems hardly quite fair. Moreover, the people who imbibe those so-called soft drinks have a sneaking conviction that they are more moral than the others who don't mind
having a whisky or even a glass of champagne, and if that be so they should not be averse to paying their share of the expenses of the Colony. Who is going to see justice done?
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The public, it seems, were very near missing all the excitement which the proceedings of the Legislative Council on Friday have occasioned. The meeting of the Council was called for 2.30. and the scribes were in attendance, but a lunch- eon was in progress at Government House in honour of Prince Hsun. When one solid hour had passed without any sign of the Council assemb ling in the Council Chamber it recalled to recollection that cir Robert Hart not long ago spoke of 2 Chinese official dinner sometimes lasting twenty-four hours, and the scribes began to wonder whether they should not, there and then, in the absence of a quorum of councillors declare the meeting adjourned sine die, and proceed to other duties
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
demanding their attention on that day. No message came from Government House to save the situation, but, as Fate would have it, just as the reporters were on the point of concluding that the Council would not sit that day in the procession walked at twenty-minutes to four, and business proceeded as if nothing had happened. As I say it was a timely arrival which happily prevented the sweet eloquence being wasted on the desert air.
One of the events of the week has been the Chinese naval visit. Two cruisers, one gunboat and a training ship flying the yellow dragon represented the nucleus of that Chinese Navy which optimists believe will be formed one day, but though the sight may have been impressive to the native Chinese it could only have impressed the Westerners with the fact that China has a long road to travel yet before she possesses a navy commensurate with her needs
thought-and
One of our del has been shattered. We thought occasionally has found pictorial expression that when the North Pole was discovered a Scotsman would be found sitting on it hugging a bottle of whisky Now it seems that when the Pole is discovered we shall find two Yanks squabbling as to who
'got there" first.
The drought is ended. Many anxious thoughts were given to gardens and tennis courts as the days passed without any rain, but now the tension is relieved and gardens and courts are beginning to look fresh and green again. Still we are not out of the wood so far as our water supply is concerned, and a much greater rainfall is necessary before our reservoirs show the level which we like to see to carry us through the dry winter months.
KODERICK RANDOM.
HONGKONG!
It is stated that Mr. Ho Kom Tong has resigned his position as member of the Sanitary Board on account of pressure of business.
The electric light installation at the Naval Yard was formally inaugurated on Monday Mrs. Lyon, wife of the Commodore. performed the ceremony of switching on the light
The British cruiser Kent returned from Wei- haiwei on ~unday with five men who were in jured in the boiler disaster which occurred on the Otter last month.
A surpliced choir is being formed for St. Andrew's Church, Kowloon. The new incum- bent, the Rev. H. O. Spink, is to be instituted by Bishop Lander on Sunday morning, the 26th instant.
Inspector Dymond prosecuted a native woman from Aberdeen before Mr. Hazeland at the Magistracy on Tuesday for selling samshu with out a licence. His Worship imposed a fine of $25, the alternative being one month's imprison ment.
plague return is discontinued until further cases It is very satisfactory to learn that the weekly of plague occur. sheet. The total number of cases for the year Last week there was a clean
written across the return for communicable was 134, of which 121 were fatal. "Nil" was also diseases for the same period.
at Happy Valley on Monday when a large I he remains of Mr. Carl Koch were interred
tribute of respect to one who was held in high number of mourners assembled to pay their last
esteem. At the monument the funeral proces- included Messrs. S Swart, G. Engel, A. Koehn, sion was met by a representative body, which H. Brodersen, E. Heuser, C. G. Gok, J. C. K. Kitzmantel, J. Bitzen. There were many floral
tributes.
245
At the Magistracy before Mr. J. R. Wood a native was charged with breaking into a military canteen near the Bowen Road Hospital and stealing $37 and a box of cigarettes valued at $2. Defendant admitted the charge and was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and six hours' stocks.
the Magistracy on Tuesday in which the master The case concluded before Mr. J. R. Wood at
of a cargo boat and his wife were charged with being in unlawful possession of 2 8, taels of opium. His Worship fined the man $400, with an alternative of three months' imprisonment, and the woman $100, in default six weeks' im- prisonment.
quenching drinks will be dispensed in the new Refreshing teas, cooling ices and thirst- Café which opens on Sunday in the old premises formerly occupied by the Weismann Company. The new claimants for public patronage are the Vienna Cafe Company, Ltd., who announce that the bakery and Cafè will be under European management.
A cook who was formerly in the employ of Li Ping, contractor, but who was discharged last month, was charged before Mr. J. R. Wood at the Magistracy ou Thursday with obtaining goods by false pretences. The defendant took complainant's compradore book to the market and obtained goods to the value of $5. His Worship found the accused guilty, and sen- tenced him to six weeks' imprisonment with hard labour
The
The Third Squadron of the American Pacific Fleet, which returned to Hongkong on Wednes- day from a tour in the north, comprises four cruisers. The Charleston, which is by far the largest, carries the flag of Rear-Admiral Giles B. Harber. Her tonnage is 9,900. Cleveland, Denver and Galveston belong to the Cleveland class, their tonnage ranging from 3,213 to 3,00. The squadron arrived in Hongkong on March 12th last and remained for a fortnight. On their present visit they will stay in the Colony for five or six days.
Two natives who were arrested on the pre- mises of the International Bank and charged before Mr. F. A hazeland at the Magistracy on Wednesday with being rogues and vagabonds were defended by Mr. Otto Kong Sing. One of the defendants was in possession of $80 when arrested, and the other was discovered to be The latter told Mr. wearing a false queue. faith, but wore the queue while doing business Hazeland that he had embraced the Christian
on the waterfront. His wife, in giving evidence, stated that her husband wore a queue because he was suffering from a disease of the head. Both defendants were discharged.
Joseph's Church Garden Road, the contracting A pretty wedding took place on Monday at St.
parties being iss Elsie Kathleen, daughter of Walters, chief engineer on the s.s. Charles Mr. Willlam Lysaught, and Mr. Alfred Joseph Hardouin. The bride, who was given away by Mr. A. F. Ramsey, (brother-in-law), wore a charming white silk eoline princesse gown trim med with exquisite hand embroidery. Her Wood, while the bridegroom was supported by bridesmaids were Miss Pereira and Miss E.
ceremony, which was a quiet one, was conducted Mr. A. Lindberg and Mr. C. H Wood. The
and well-wishers of the happy couple were by the Rev. Father Augustine. Many friends present, and afterwards went on board the yacht
home. Marion, where Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey were at The honeymoon is to be spent at Wuchow.
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ALLEGED MURDER.
FAMILY QUARREL IN NEW TERRITORY.
Before Mr. J. R. Wood at the Magistracy on An armed robbery was reported to the police Thursday a native was indicted on the charge on Tuesday as having occurred at the village of of murdering his brother's wife. The brother, Cheungunha, near Sheungshui, on the border who is a shroff in the Land ourt here, was of the New Territory. Five men, two of whom absent when the quarrel took place. It appears were armed with revolvers, held up the inmates that a long-standing family dispute over certain of a number of houses and departed with a land in the village mentioned was brought to a large quantity of clothing and five head of climax on the 13th instant, when accused was al- cattle. he police in the blockhouse ataku-leged to have stabbed deceased in the buttock ling have the matter in hand, but it is thought with a knife, and she subsequently succumbed to that the robbers have passed over into Chinese her injury. His Worship adjourned the hearing territory.
for a week.