A HISTORY OF CONVEYANCES
866
The recent reference to the coming of rickshas to the Colony and the gradual introduction of other means of conveyance (see 28-2-35) might be amplified by further extracts from the old chronicles.
I quoted Mr. Stephens — champion of the cause for the removal of the Clock Tower as stating that it was only after 1884 that the ricksha had been used in Hongkong to any extent: but I find he was out by several years, probably due to having relied only on memory. Public rickshas must certainly have been commonly in use in Hongkong about the close of the Seventies, for early in the Eighties they were described as being already much the worse for wear. I quote the following from a contemporary comment dated May 2, 1883:
"During the greater part of yesterday the approaches to the Police Station were crowded with those vehicles which are an eyesore to many individuals in this Colony. For a considerable distance lines of jin-rickshas stretched along Wyndham Street, Arbuthnot Road, Hollywood Road, up the roadway leading to the station, and into the compound. The new Ordinance transferring the regulation of these vehicles to the Police Department from the Registrar-General had come into force, and yesterday, the 1st May, a month later than usual owing to the alteration, was the day for the licensing.
"We believe that the number of licences for Jinrickshas is now limited to 500, and as 700 applications were sent in a rather arduous task must have been entailed in the weeding out process. What will be done with the 200 rejected vehicles is hard to tell; probably there will be fewer of the emaciated scarecrows driving broken-down conveyances than has hitherto been the case.
We already know (see 9-9-33) when the first vehicle of the kind — a private one — was imported to the Colony: it was in 1874. The following appeared in the Hongkong Times (a paper that existed for a few years during the Seventies) in its issue of January 23, 1874: "A novelty was witnessed — a spanking new 'Jin-ricksha' from Japan brought down for Mr. Heinemann."
And in its issue of February 14, the same year, the paper stated: "We think the attempt to replace the chairs by jin-rickshas may not be crowned by success," and suggested that if the plan was to be made to pay, it should be undertaken by a company, preferably a Chinese one.
These comments give us a definite clue to the introduction of public rickshas to Hongkong: some time during 1874. Within six years or so there were several hundred, as we have seen, plying for hire, and restriction of Licences had already become necessary.
We might briefly consider the other means of conveyance. Chairs, of course, must have come into general use within a few years of the Colony being founded: probably within a few weeks, some form of sedan chair would have made its appearance for the use of a few officials or wealthier merchants, brought over from Canton or Macao.
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Page 26
A HISTORY OF CONVEYANCES
866
The recent reference to the coming of rickshas to the Colony and the gradual introduction of other means of conveyance (see 28-2-35) might be amplified by further extracts from the old chronicles.
I quoted Mr. Stephens → champion of the cause for the removal of the Clock Tower as stating that it was only after 1884 that the ricksha had been used in Hongkong to any ́extent: but I find he was out by several years, probably
due to having relied only on memory. Public rickshas must certainly have been commonly in use in Hongkong about the close of the Seventies, for early in the Eighties they were described as being already much the worse for wear. I quote the following from a contemporary comment dates May 2, 1883;.
"During the greater part of yesterday the approaches to the Police Station were crowded with those vehicles which are an eyesore to many individuals in this Colony. For a considerable distance lines of jin-rickshas stretched along Wyndham Street, Arbuthnot Road, Hollywood Road, up the roadway leading to the station, and into the compound. The new Ordinance transferring the regulation of these vehicles to the Police Department from the Registrar-General had come into force, and yesterday, the 1st. May, a month later than usual owing to the alteration, was the day for the licensing..
"We believe that the number of licences for Jinrickshas is now limited to 500, and as 700 applications were sent in a rather arduous task must have been entailed in the weeding out process. What will be done with the 200 rejected vehicles is hard to tell; probably there will be fewer of the emaciated scarecrows driving broken-down conveyances than has hitherto been the case.
#
We already know (see 9-9-33) when the first vehicle of the kind a private one - was imported to the Colony: it was in 1874. The following appeared in the Hongkong Times (a paper that existed for a few years during the Seventies) in its issue of January 23, 1874:- "A novelty was witnessed
e spanking new "Jin-ricksha" from Japan brought down for Mr. Heinemann."
And in its issue of February 14, the same year, the paper stated:- #
we think the attempt to replace the chairs by jin-rickshas may not be crowned by success," and suggested that if the plan was to be made to pay, it should be undertaken by a company, preferably a Chinese one.
These comments give us a definite olue to the introduction of public rickshas to Hongkong: some time during 1874. Within six years or so there were several hundred, as we have seen, plying for hire, and restriction of Licences had already be- come necessary.
We might briefly consider the other means of conveyance. Chairs, of course, must have come into general use within a few years of the Colony being founded: probably within a few weeks, some form of sedan chair would have made its appearance for the use of a few officials or wealthier merchants, brought over from Canton or Macao.
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