Aberdeen
Travelling magistrate.
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European Inspector, with headquarters at Cheung Chau, who should have at his dis- posal a launch armed with a machine gun and a crew, who should be properly drilled. With this launch he would be able to visit regularly all the islands in the new territory. Lamma Island, which is immediately adjacent to Hong Kong, might be policed from A The Putoi Group might also be placed under Hong Kong so far as the policing of them is concerned.
LAUNCHES.
In addition to the launch for visiting the islands, another launch will be required for the east of the new territory, and a pinnace for Deep Bay and its neighbourhood in the west. Each of these vessels should be armed with a quickfiring gun, and com- manded by a European, who should have under him a crew trained to the use of arms.
JUDICIAL
I recommend that the village tribunals be retained, and that they be allowed to exercise their present powers under proper supervision. A precedent for this exists in Ceylon, where an ordinance entitled the "Village Communities Ordinance" (No. 24 of 1889) is in force, and which, I think, might with slight modifications be adopted for the village communities in the new territory. In this opinion Mr. Brewin, the Acting Registrar-General of Hong Kong, the Hon. Ho Kai, and the Hon. Wai Yuk, the Chinese Their members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, whom I consulted, concur. report on this subject, with which, generally, I agree, will be found in Appendix No VI 6 As in Ceylon, records of all the cases tried should be carefully kept and regularly inspected from time to time by a travelling magistrate, who should exercise strict super- vision over the native tribunals.. This officer should have a knowledge of Chinese and of law.
An appeal to the council of a Tung should lie from a decision of a village tribunal. The Resident should be the final court of appeal in all matters civil or criminal cogniz- able by native tribunals.
In criminal matters offences punishable by death, as well as offences such as piracy, arson, treason, forgery, highway robbery,, burglary, &c., should be heard before the Hong Kong Police Magistrate, and, if there is a prima facie case, be committed by him
for trial.
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PRISON.
The question of providing prison accommodation is one requiring serious considera- tion. In this connection I would call attention to the following opinion of the Chinese members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong:-
"We hold that simple imprisonment has little deterrent effect on the ordinary Chinese, and that, wherever possible, flogging to a moderate extent should be substi- tuted for it. The lower classes being extremely poor and in constant want of the necessities of life, do not in the least mind imprisonment in a well-conducted European jail, where they can get good lodging, food, and clothing with the minimum amount of labour. It would be an extremely expensive item to provide sufficient jail accommoda- tion for the large number of Chinese seeking admittance as an effective means of relief to their necessitous condition in hard times.
With this view anyone who knows the Chinese must agree. If a large jail be built I therefore recommend that the it will not be long before it is full to overflowing. punishment of imprisonment be so far as possible discouraged, and that, at any rate to begin with, a jail sufficient to accommodate 50 persons only be established.
The head of the police should discharge the duties of superintendent. The Chief Inspector should act as chief warden, and the other warders could be selected from the police. The prison should be situated at headquarters where the Resident Com- missioner resides.
In addition to the main prison, there should be in each Tung a lock-up for detain- ing prisoners pending trial or transfer to the chief prison; and in each village accommo- dation should be provided in the watch-house for detaining prisoners pending trial before the village tribunal:
嘿
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MEDICAL AND SANITARY,
207
A European medical officer should be appointed to look after the officers of the Government, and superintend generally sanitary matters throughout the territory. He should have under him a staff consisting of two Chinese assistants trained in Western medical science, who would aid him in the work of supervising medical and sanitary matters throughout the villages. A small hospital should be erected at headquarters, and in course of time dispensaries should be established at different points in the territory.
For purposes of sanitation the council and head constable in each village should co- operate with the medical authority, and should be encouraged to keep their villages in a cleanly condition.
EDUCATION.
At present every village of any size in the territory has at least one school, in which the Chinese Classics are taught. The schoolmaster's salary is paid by the villagers.
In addition to these schools there is at Nam Law, the chief city of the district, 2 college hamt au
or Shü Ün, under a Director and Assistant Director of Studies, in which candidates for the first and higher degrees may study. These candidates, who are commonly known as Tung Shang, have already passed two examinations--one, held by the magistrate of the district, and one by the prefect of the Kwong Chat Prefecture, the Prefecture being made up of a number of districts, of which San Of is one. It is estimated that there are in the district of Say Of 300 Tung Shang studying for the first degree, for which an examination is held yearly at Canton. The number of vacancies allotted to the district is eleven. There are said to be 150 graduates of the first degree resident in the whole district.
I recommend that the present village schools be retained, but that at the same time the study of English be encouraged. This could be done in the first instance by the establishment at the headquarters of the government of a school for the teaching of English under a master well acquainted with both Chinese and English. When a desire for a knowledge of English spreads, as is almost certain to be the case, other schools can be established at other places throughout the area. As an inducement to learn English free scholarship at Queen's College should be offered to the best students in the new territory, and the appointments of interpreters should be, so far as possible. given to natives of the district who are qualified to fill them.
REVENUE.
It is notorious that in China the officers of Government are so inadequately paid that it is impossible for them to live on their official emoluments. The result of under- paying the mandarins is that order to make both ends meet, the officials are con- strained to resort to methods which in most other countries would not be tolerated, but which in China have come to be regarded as part of the official system.
This "squeeze system is in existence throughout the length and breadth of China, and the officials of the San Of district, in which the new territory is contained, are driven, like their cou- frères in other parts of the Empire, to supplement their insufficient salaries by appro- priating to their own use moneys which should find their way into the public purse.
In fact, two distinct revenues are collected in the San Of district. One, the public revenue, is collected by the district magistrate. A careful account of it is rendered to his superiors, who have to forward a portion of it to Peking as the contri- bution of the district towards the Imperial Government. It has been an easy matter to obtain information regarding this revenne, which practically never varies from year to year, as any increase shown would not benefit those responsible for its collection. Appendix 7 contains a statement of this revenue, drawn up by the district magistrate, from which it appears that the total annual revenue for the entire district of San amounts to taels 37,589, or $52,220, or, say, £5,000.
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The other class of revenue is also collected by the district magistrate and his under- lings, but as it goès into his own pocket and that of his friends and relations, and as he is liable at any moment to be impeached for extorting it from the people under his jurisdiction, he naturally takes every precaution to prevent, so far as he can, any in- formation regarding it being made public. It has, therefore, been extremely difficult
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