140
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 2ND MARCH, 1895.
3. ATTENDANCE.-The minimum monthly attendance 85 in July contrasts sadly with the maximum 881 in April, which nearly equals the 890 of 1890. In the course of the year 403 boys were admitted, as against 308 in 1893; and of these, 56 entered in the second half of the year, as against 44 in the same period last year. This increased demand for admission, in spite even of an epidemic, may be viewed as an indication, that this college has not suffered in reputation.
4. FINANCES.It is specially disappointing to note the low figure, at which Revenue derivable from Fees stands. I have already reported to the Treasury that, in view of the $700 actual gain in the first five months of the year, and of the increased admissions above alluded to, there is no exaggeration in assuming $1,200 as the total increase, and $13,500 as the total revenue, that might naturally have been expected, had it not been for the Plague. The total loss in Fees due to this cause cannot be taken at less than $2,000, of which $1,181 is accounted for, by the amount remitted to boys, who were absent in the months of June and July, having left the Colony with their families, in the scare naturally engendered by the Plague. The balance, $800, may be attributed to the fees of six months unpaid by about 100 boys, who are in excess of the number of absentees in the corresponding months of last year. With a heavy loss of revenue and a terrible reduction in attendance, as observable in the fifth column, it is not a matter for surprise, that the Average Expense in the tenth column should appear disproportionate. The Table at the end of this report contains two additional items of expenditure, viz: Adjustment of Exchange in Crown Agents' Account, and Exchange Compensation paid to three masters, who accepted three shillings exchange for the dollar when on leave; these account for the increase in expenditure observable on last year.
5. BUBONIC PLAGUE. On the 1st May, the absentee list, in accordance with normal conditions, was under 4% of the number on the monthly roll; but on account of the outbreak of the Plague over 42% were absent on June 1st, and on July 1st 96.5% were absent, exactly inverting the percentages of two months previously, when that was the precentage of attendance. From the end of May, the non-Chinese scholars, nearly to a boy, absented themselves; two little English boys in the Preparatory School were a bright exception, coming regularly till the College was closed. Of the Chinese boys, the Upper School boys deserve the most credit for regular attendance; for some time, the First Class formed the bulk of the total College attendance. As daily, dead bodies were carried out of streets in the vicinity of the College, and the smoke and smell of burning stuff, refuse from plague-stricken houses, were borne into the building from a spot not 50 ft. distant, the gradual nature of the exodus deserves praise rather than censure. It is difficult to ascertain with precision, how many of our boys succumbed to this disease. Eight deaths have been reported as due to this cause. Early in June two of our boys, living in quite different parts of the town, suddenly died of plague. Só Man-chau was in school on Saturday, the 2nd, and reported dead and buried on Monday the 4th; on the same Monday, Leung Shi-chák was removed to hospital, and reported dead on the following day. As a consequence, 280 boys left, in the course of the week, and 120 more, before the close of the month. With rare exceptions, the boys observed the usual formalities, bringing their parents or guardians to apply for leave. On the 14th July, there were 48 boys for the 21 class-rooms instead of 832 as in May. His Excellency the Governor, under the circumstances permitted the vacation to begin a fortnight earlier than usual."
6. On re-opening on the 3rd September, 557 boys returned and by the end of the month, this number had risen to 625, not counting 37 boys newly admitted. I attribute this satisfactory return, of so large a number of boys, to the Governor's kind consideration, in remitting on account of the Plague, the arrears of fees due from boys who were absent in the months of June and July; for there can be no doubt that otherwise a considerable number would have stayed away on account of inability to pay such large lump sums as $12, $8 &c. As it is, 235 names were missing between May and September, as against 109 last year or an extra loss of 126 boys in the summer of 1894.
:
7. RETRENCHMENT.-Experience, as observable in connexion with the formation of a new department, or the extension of an old one, has shown that the expenses grow, in the first few years, to a considerable extent in excess of the original estimate. It is therefore to the credit of Dr. STEWART and Dr. EITEL that their approval of my estimate in 1887 of the number of officers, and items of expenditure, required for the New Building has in no particular been subject to increase; for we cannot take into account, the general increase of 35% and 20% to the Civil Service, nor the item, English Books, where fall in silver has necessitated further adjustment; neither of which events could possibly have been foreseen. The Colonial Treasurer in his evidence before the Retrenchment Committee, said (p. 127) "When men become trained in Treasury work, they become very valuable. If a rush of prosperity comes to the Colony, several of my staff, some of whom are really intelligent men, may leave ine at once for better pay and this sentiment was echoed by other Heads of Department. The same argument applies with greater force to the trained Chinese Assistants of this establishment; if they continue to be underpaid, the old experience of their departure, when their services are most valuable, will again be felt. The onus of showing, that younger and more incompetent Chinese are suitable to be teachers of English, in fourteen of the twenty-one classes of this College, falls on those who dispute my position, which is, that Chinese teachers of ages ranging from 25 to 40, competent to teach a variety of English subjects, surely deserve higher salaries than young Chinese clerks five and ten years their junior, who are only required to copy or translate documents. It has however gravely been suggested to reduce the salaries of these masters which are already lower than those of copying clerks; this would certainly reduce expenditure, but render any chance of maintaining efficiency hopeless.
19
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.