1925-05-30 — Page 1

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China Mail

Temperature. 75, Barometer 29.81 Rainfall 0.02 in., Humidity T

No. 19,508

HONGKONG, SATURDAY, MAY 30, 1925.

HOW THEY LIVE.

OUR RICSHA AND CHAIR COOLIES.

Saving

LITTLE KNOWN FACTS. Despite Many

Money

Calls.

Strange though it may sound it is yet true that a' ricsha coolie next considerable capital to commence "business" in Hongkong whore there is always a surplus of applicants for the vehicles.

Even" before the advent of motor traffic and possibly even when trams had not yet arrived a limit was set to the number of "public" rieshas which were per- mitted to ply for hire.

CANTON UNREST.

The Outlook Still Uncertain.

TROOPS ON THE MOVE.

MARTIAL LAW AT EAST. GATES

Chair-coolies need a much (From Our Own Correspondent) smaller outlay-about $20 or $30 to buy a chair. The day is also split up into halves, each to one pair of bearers.

How many have noticed that the ricsha man's uniform is of dark grey and the chair-coolie's of black-blue, both of the same material known as "native spun cloth?"

Here again, the profession is For the privilege of pulling a crowded as the number of chair riesha, two men wil spend any-licences is limited. As the coolies. thing up to a hundred dollars, own their own chairs, they need The major part of this sum goes not pay any""farmers" but they to buying out the right of their still have to obtain licences both predecessors to a certain riesha., for themselves and for their

If chairs. "leased" from "farmer." me man retires his successor pays him about half the sum to step into his shoes and the system continues. In addition to pur- chasing his right, a coolie must pay a deposit with the "farmer," who is a person or firm which has rieshas of street A number licensed by the Traffic Office at Police Headquarters. The deposit is a guarantee that the hire from the licensee will be paid. If it is not, the deposit is forfeited and another man gets the job. Rates

hire include the fee on the ricsha a considerable per- centage. A vehicle is let out-gen-

Private chair and ricsha coolies are generally recruited from the "for hire" ranks and sometimes. return to their original jobs, while others pasA

on from master to master. The employer pays the licence in this case and the men earn a fixed salary:

Most of the ricsha and chair coolles in the Colony are Hoklas who come via Swatow, or natives.

Canton, May, 29. From one source f learn that if trouble does not break out, the present situation will be smoothed

over..

General Techen Wu las return ed to Canton but the other officials or down at Whampas. All the are either at the Cement Works Kuomintang gunboats have steam up continually and the cruiser has shifted further down the river.

THE DOLLAR

AUSTIN SEVEN.

Catalogues & specifications from

Solé Agente :-

'ALEX ROSS & CO (CHINA), LTD.

To-day's closing rate, 2/3 1/16 To-day's opening rate 2/3 1/16

PRICE, $3.00 Per Month. UNMUSICAL HONGKONG ? MUNICIPAL ORCHESTRA REQUIRED.

SINGAPORE'S EXAMPLE.

Excellent Chance for the Colony's Amateurs.

The setting afoot in Singapore of a municipal music scheme raises once more the question, how much longer Hongkong is going to lag behind in the matter of the provision of facilities for the many who enjoy listening to good music.

A recent visitor, to the Colons, extent, was of the opinion that a musician of no small attain such a scheme could be run here ments, who had been very favour-with Httle, if any, financial loss. nearly all respects, confessed to be always open to accept engage- ably impressed with Hongkong in for the reason that the band would

& party of great surprise, in the course of an ments. More suitable for Hong- interview with a "China Mail" kong, would be representative, that there was no amateurs under a professional In reply to his question as to case the expense involved would no be limited practically to expendi- municipal orchestra or band here conductor, he thought, and in that whether, there had been attempt made to test the demand ture on instruments and salary of He had, understood when in orchestra could give, the reporter for the entertainment such an the conductor. informed him that a military band Singapore that the authorities had been put at the disposal of the were confident the scheme along. community for a period last eum those lines just started there mer and had attracted large would put but little tax on the numbers over at Kowloon, al-municipal pocket. An ex-military was to conduct and the though it had proved a financial man loss for the Kowloon Residents majority of other members were The Shameen (Chinese) tele- Association, under whose auspices recruited from the Police Force.. The If the talent among members of graph station is charging 10 cents it had been conducted. on each telegram from June 1 to band's selections also had been the Police Force in Hongkong much appreciated in Statue was not sufficient his suggestion Sun's memorial hall and library. Square.

was that the scope should be July 31 in aid of the fund for Dr.

If it The business community are not

The musician, who had had extended to other services. too pleased.

some experience of municipal was the expense which was keep- Medical practitioners have re-musie at Home and had been in ing the Hongkong Government from setting afoot such a scheme.

and typhoid.

the local temperament to a certain

Martial law was declared again at the East gates last night. Kwangsi and Yunan troops have been on the move but nothing of moment has occurred..

6

erally to two men who each take of Hoiping in the hinterland of ported cases of plague, small pox the Colony "long enough to gauge the lead of Singapore would be a

a twelve hour stretch and split the fee between them. For some casses of ricshas, two partners would have to contribute as much as fifty cents per day, if not more. To live, coolie wouki have to earn on an average. not less than eighty cents or a dollar a day, leaving him anything from $15 a month upwards out of which he supports himself, makes good any damage to a ricsha and jeven remits money to his native village to prepare for his old age!

From the above it will be seen that the "farmers" run no risk whatever. Once a roolie makes a transfer to another man, the latter puts up his deposit and pays This hire every day even if he is sick and cannot venture into the strouts. So what with having to buy his right to be a humun horse, to give a deposit and to pay

"Meroni" Half Hose, a good hire (including fee) in advance.

Tenpia Sock.

$1.95 pair.

WHITEAWAY, LAIDLAW

& CO., LTD. The Gent's Outfitters HONGKONG.

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the ricsha coolie must be com- paratively affluent. Then again, he must hold a licence himself for which there is another fee.

Contingencies for which rieshu coolies have to provide include damage already referred to, pay- ment of hire. without income while Incapacitated, and fines for breaches of traffic, regulations. In the last respect it should be stated that although many sum- monses are issued weekly, the Police policy is more of instruc- tion than prosecution.

Some of the men-and this applies also to chair-coolies-are drug addicts or habitual gamblers. They do not succeed in their call- ing. Others there are who pay. continual interest on borrowed capital, are extravagant once a year when the tomb worshipping season comes and yet save money.

$200,000 ESTATE.

·PLAINTIFF WITHDRAWS

CLAIM.

·ORINESE FAMILY LAW.

The disposal of an éstate (valued at nearly $200,000) was again before the Supreme Court yesterday morn. ing, but in the tiffin interval the plaintiff decided to withdraw.

Elis case bad been that the fourth wife or concubine had no right to

ply for letters of administration

in respect of the estate and that he as the next of kin was the most

Biting pornon to take charge.

The case for the other side bad been that the fourth wife had been appointed the mo ("compassionate roother) of the deceased's sons and as such was entitled to administer the estate, and except that she was junior claimed she had the right to be treated with egnal courtesy as the kit fat (principal wife), k

Kongmoon.

SPECIAL "CHINA MAIL" PHOTOGRAPH OF PRINCE GEORGE.

This excellent photograph of Prince George with the Colonial Secretary, the Hon. Sir Claud Savern, was taken by the "China Mail's" official photo- grapher, Mee Fong, of No. 7, Wyndham Street, at Murray Pier yesterday morning a few minutes before His Royal Highness went aboard the P. & O. liner Mantua to continue his voyage to Shanghai where he joins H.M.S.. Hawkins, flagship of the China Squadron, for two years' service as a sub-lieutenant. Noticing our photographer, Prince George graciously posed for him.

PETTY THEFTS.

CENTRAL MARKET

EPIDEMIC.

WHACKINGS" FOR YOUNGSTERS.

COLONY'S BEGGARS.

THIRTY MORE SENT

"AWAY,

are sent to Cantan,y2

The vigorous action of the police in clearing mendicants The practice of stealing vegeta from the stress has resulted in bies on their arrival at the Central the nuisance being abated, very Market and thereafter offering micadicants being found to them for sale in the vicinity, had reached such a stage, yesterday return by the nest boat after the that the police thought it time to interfere. Numbers of little boys. During this week thirty beggars and girls who had taken to this captured over a period were sent trade received a shock yesterday to Canton and four were convicted when they came into the hands of at the Magistracy, the police during three raldi specially arranged for the purp

thing of the charged at the Cen this morning

His Lordship held that the claim of the docessed to letters of admin istration could not be held ta ka established marely because the other aida had dropped-ant and he ruled that the claim of the fourth trife - Tawking and would have to be argued further.

ordered, there tõents a

Mr. Eldon Potter Of and Mr. light cane. The ri

FC Inkin represented the

abe Court

CG. Tumber of

presumabl

the candy acted behind the scene

TIAN TELK

UNDESIRABLE."

better one to follow rather than

ENGLISH FOULARD NECKTIES

We constantly receive new stocks of these English twill silk bow and wide-end ties The designs and colourings represent the latent from London, whilst the dyes are quite fast. Foulard ties are. thin yet strong and slip round the collar easily, making them the ideal tien for hot weather.

́ ́Call and son them.

Silk Handkerchiefs, in beautiful, colourings are

also being shown. ·

that the expense of maintaining = MACKINTOSH an entirely professional band should be borne, he under- stood that the municipal band at Shanghai, consisting of profes- sionals, had involved heavy loss.

& CO., LTD. Man's Wear Specialists. Alexandra Building,

Asked if there Was any criterion on which to form a more definite opinion of the music re- ceptivity of Hongkong people, the 1000. reporter recalled the concert given x by the band of the East: Surrey Regiment at the City Hall on April 2 when 3

Des Voeux Road.

ONE

very large HOT WEATHER audience sat out a long 'pro- gramme to the end and obviously

NEED NOT WORRY enjoyed every minute of it. The works of Beethoven, Tschaikow- sky, Wagner, Becker, Ansell and Sullivan had figured in the pro-. gramme that night. There would be little difficulty in obtaining the services of a very capable lender, the reporter thought, and the opinion of the musician interview. ed was that if this was so there was no reason from the observa- tions he had made why a scheme should not be put in hand and prove most successful.

PAKHOI NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.).

I regret to report a rather bad eye accident to Mrs. Mackenzie, wife of the Rev. N. Mackenzie, of the C.M.S. Mission. Whilst at- tending to her garden, 's branch unfortunately caught her in the eye, injuring it rather severely. An operation has not been neces- sary and the sight of the eye has not been affected; but for the time being there was considerable anxiety and not a little pain..

*

Several robberies have taken place recently to such an extent that it has been necessary to lay in revolvers, shot-guns and powerful electric torches, the latter able to sight a man at a distance of thirty yards. These have had such a "moral" effect as to convince evil doers that the! game of robbing is hardly worth white.

1.

REDS WHO MUST LEAVE hangari

FRANCE,

(Reuter's Service,).

PARIS, May 29, Asempl-official denial that the

Government has declined to renew the passports of 680 Eussian traders states, however, that visas will not be renewed in the case of a number of Russians whose activities have rendered their pre- sence in France undesirable. The afktement does not define the exact extent of the French action

ister has decided no

The authorities have recently commenced to build an seroplane The site chosen is near the Protestant cemetery. There has been no objection to this, but there has been to the practice of Chinese coolles making their beds on Protestant graves. A hint that "ghosts" of the "dear depart ed" might possibly haunt the weary ones has had the desired effect, and the cemetery is now left severely, alone,

OUR CABARET

at the

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