suggested that labour might be imported here.
Up the West River there were thousands will- ing to come. In April the British North Borneo Company had sent up an agent who brought back several hundreds of men, women, and children for the plantations in Borneo. It had also been said that the Cantonese should do more. One of the Caulon- ese benevolent societies had already contributed 100,000 taels, and the distress in Kwangtung province was another drain upon their resources, Lastly, it had been asserted in some quarters that there was a "corver" in rice in Canton, and in refutation of this statement the speaker quoted figures which showed it not only to be unlikely int practically impossible that such a "corner" could exist. Even supposing there was a corner," he concluded, it was absurd to refuse to subscribe to any relief fund, If the starving people in Kwangsi were being made the victims of speculators, all the more reason that help should be extended to them. (Applause.)
Mr. GEESHOM STEWART next addressed the meeting. He did so briefly, and said that from the statement furnished by Mr. Clementi their existence as a Committee to relieve famine had been fully justified. Their principal trouble had been to secure assistance for disbursements; bodies in Kwangsi and other helpers had now overcome that difficulty. Mr. Stewart read extracts from ย letter received on the 11th inst. from Mr. Fee, missionary at Tsamchau, which showed that the distress was most acute. The Committes were endeavour- ing to keep a steady supply of rice going forward, and in this connection they were indebted to Mr. Fox, H.B.M. Consul at Wachow, who had been most kind in receiving and forwarding all rice sent up. (Applause.)
Mr. Ho TUNG complimented Mr. Clementi on the valuable work he had done, and suggested that the scheme of importing labour from Kwangsi into this Colony might be tried, had sug Some European friends of his gested to him that the coolie guilds here prevented the adoption of that measure, but his conviction was that not only had very few people in Kwangsi ever setu Hongkong, but they could not find the necessary travelling money. He further suggested that a guarantee fund might be started to enable these poor people to come to the Colony from Kwangsi, they to repay out of their wages whatever amount might have been advanced to them, so that those who subscribed to the fund should be at no loss. He was willing, Mr. Ho Tung concinded, to co-operate in any undertaking that had in view the accomplishment of this object.
HIS EXCELLENCY also expressed apprecia- tion of the valuable work done by Mr Clementi, but declined to support Mr. Ho Tung's suggestion for the import of labour. It would doprive Kwangsi of those whose services would be required when the harvest came, and in Hongkong would create a demand for accommodation that could not be met. It simply came to this, that as far as the disburse- ment of money went, the committee would exert itself to place subscriptions in the best possible way for the affording of relief; and speaking from personal knowledge, ho had no hesitation in saying that when the different communities in Hongkong were satisfied their help was wanted, they would not have the slightest hesitation in extending that help. (Applause)
This concluded the proceedings, and the meeting dispersed,
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