PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TRILLIC.O. 882
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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No. 67.
COMMISSIONER SIR A. DORWARD to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
(Received January 6, 1902.)
(No. 22.)
SIR,
[Answered by No. 83.]
Annual Estimates, 1902-3.
Wei-hai-wei, November 21, 1901. I HAVE the honour to forward, herewith, the Annual Estimate for 1902-1903, and to offer the following explanatory remarks:-
2. Provision has been made for a Clerk of the Court and Interpreter. This appointment is necessary for the carrying out, even partially, of the provisions in l'art III. of the " Wei-hai-wei Order in Council, 1901."
A European Clerk of the Court would be too expensive, and it is proposed, there- fore, to train an English-speaking and writing Chinese in the ordinary Court routine, and teach him the work of a registrar. This man would also be useful as a copying clerk under the Financial Assistant and Secretary. If not appointed, it will be neces- sary to appoint an English copying clerk for the Secretary's office at $600 per annum. The Order in Council is somewhat in advance of the present state of the Colony, and its full observance would necessitate the employment of considerable clerical assist- ance. It will be advisable to work up to it by degrees. It should, therefore, be clearly understood that if it is intended to be worked in detail, it will entail expendi- ture in addition to that asked for in the estimate.
3. On the strong recommendation of the Assistant Commissioner an increase of salary of $120 is proposed for the First Chinese Clerk in his office. An allowance for temporary assistance has also been entered for that office. sufficient means of notifying Government orders and regulations to the Chinese public. At present there is not There is no Chinese press here, and the writing of Proclamations to post in the towns and villages is frequently too great a tax on the time of the permanent clerks. The proposed allowance of $100 will enable the services of an expert notice writer to be engaged as required. It is very necessary that sufficient notice of the wishes of the Government should be given to the people, and I have also entered a provision to cover the cost of Government Notice Boards being put up in all the larger villages of the Territory.
4. Under Hospital Charges an increased allowance has been made for the Surgeon, and the necessary establishment has been provided for. The Hospital has been much appreciated by the Chinese, and the work connected with it is increasing.
5. I have not entered any provision for the establishment of Civil Police on the mainland. The employment of the Chinese Regiment for such work is most econo- mical and satisfactory. If the Regiment is to be removed from the mainland a pro- vision for Civil Police will have to be made, as noted in my despatch, secret, of 12th October.*
6. I have entered the cost of the Engineering establishment at 5 per cent. on the expenditure, which is very moderate-probably less than obtains in any other Colony. It is not proposed to engage any permanent Engineering Staff, but to utilise and pay
for the services of the local Royal Engineer establishment, as is done at present. 7. The provision for Gaol expenses has been increased to cover the cost of prisoners' food, clothing, blankets, fuel, and lighting, &c.
8. An allowance has been made for Government Printing. Forms of many kinds are required for Court and departmental work, and for collection of the various taxes.
9. A provision of $1,500 has been entered for the encouragement of vernacular education. Approximately 80 per cent. of the natives in the Leased Territory are illiterate, and more than half of the 330 villages have no schools. It is not proposed that steps shall be taken to establish Anglo-Chinese education at present. There is no demand for it yet. The villagers are too poor to pay for their own education, even on Chinese lines. The chief resource of the Territory is cheap labour and that should, I think, be made intelligent by education, and available for use when local industries
• No. 63.
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have been established and capital introduced. Chinese elementary education in Shantung costs about $4 per annum. A Chinese teacher is paid, according to the number of pupils he collects, e.g., if he collects 10 boys he would be paid about $40 per annum for teaching them, and would receive, in addition, small presents on festival days, and a few other perquisites from the parents of the schoolboys. About $10 covers the rent of the schoolroom and miscellaneous expenses. The first thing to do would be to establish schools where there are none and to arrange for collective schools for two or more villages where possible. No hard and fast system of examinations would be necessary at first. Cleanliness, tidiness, good manners and good attendance would be the first things to inculcate. Whenever possible grants in aid would be made on the contributory system of dollar for dollar. The total expenses of a school would only be paid in the case of the most destitute villages. If the proposed grant of $1,500 be approved, it could be expended as follows:-
For a dollar for dollar grant in aid to 55 village schools... For the maintenance of the 10 most destitute village schools
at $40 per annum
$1,100
$400
$1,500
The first year's working would show how the system worked. The Assistant Commissioner would inspect the schools and no increase of Staff would be necessary. Later on the above system, if successful, could be extended, and schools at present established be increased by making small grants of $10 or so a year in proportion to the number of pupils over 10 collected by the village Headmen and teachers, and sent to school.
10. When the cadet arrives here to take up the post of Secretary and Financial Assistant he will, I presume, have to be provided with a Chinese Teacher and books. I have, therefore, entered a sum of $150 in the estimate to meet that requirement.
11. The grant of $10,000 entered for Island Expenses can be removed from the estimate if the Admiralty and War Office agree to hand over to the Colonial Govern- ment the native town on the Island and the property not required for naval and mili- tary purposes, as recommended in my despatch, No. 21, of yesterday's date.*
12.
A sum of $500 has been entered for expenses connected with village adminis- tration through the Headmen. This sum would be used in providing the Headmen with an official board, stating their position in the village, and with an official seal, and in rewarding them for any distinguished services.
13.
I have also entered a small sum for the encouragement of fruit growing on the mainland, and the employment of a gardener for the Assistant Commissioner's garden round his new quarters. There is a considerable fruit-growing industry at Chefoo, and there is no reason why equally good fruit should not be grown at Wei-hai- wei, and a small revenue derived from the industry.
14. Under "Works a provision has been made for the Commissioner's quarters. In my letter of the 20th February, 1900, Cr./207,† to the Under-Secretary of State, War Office, I forwarded a plan for those quarters to be built on the Island. In the circumstances created by the recent decision regarding the military garrison, I am now strongly of opinion that the Commissioner should live on the mainland, where his principal work will lie, and where he will be more in touch with the people than if he lived on the Island. The provision will probably suffice for all requirements, including drainage, water-supply, and stabling. Experience has shown that building work can be carried out more cheaply than was at first estimated. It will be necessary to build offices near the quarters, and provision has been made for them.
15. Two urgent requirements at Matow are a market and a dairy. Both will be remunerative works. The market is intended for the sale of fresh fish, fruit, vege- tables, meat and cereals, now all sold promiscuously in the streets. At present, owing to want of a dairy, it is not possible to secure a supply of wholesome milk being available for the European residents, and the large number of Europeans who now visit Wei- hai-wei in the summer.
The sheds in which Chinese keep and milk their cows are
far from being as clean as they should be, and the whole business requires centralisa- tion to allow of its being properly supervised.
16. The provision entered for furniture will be principally required for the Com- missioner's house and offices.
• No. 66.
† Not printed.
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