RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1971 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/z029vt43g 130 H. J. LETHBRIDGE Permanent Board of Direction was established by ordinance in 189352, the Tung Wah Hospital Advisory Board came into being in 189633, the Chinese Permanent Cemetery Committee in 1913 and the Chinese Temples Committees in 1928. Two other Chinese committees should be mentioned: the Chinese Recreation Ground Committee, established in 1890, contained the Registrar General and the Chinese unofficial members of the two Councils; and the Chinese Public Dispensaries Committee, formed in 1909, consisted of the Registrar General as chairman, the Chinese members of the two Councils and the Sanitary Board, the three chairmen of the annual committee of the Tung Wah Hospital and a number of other leading Chinese. In 1941, the official Chinese committees, inclusive of the District Watch, were eleven in number. Together their members represented a Hong Kong Chinese élite, in which such values as wealth, prestige and power, to use William Skinner's expressive term, ‘agglutinated’. Nomination to the District Watch Committee was a great achievement, but nomination to the other ten committees and boards was also regarded as an honour and an additional notification of a person's standing within the community. But Chinese appointed to these ten committees and boards exercised either a more specialised or more purely honorific role, primarily because these committees did not hold a constant or uninterrupted dialogue with the Registrar General/Secretary for Chinese Affairs. They met infrequently, sometimes only once or twice a year; and although they gave advice on occasions, the giving of advice was not their primary function. Much of the work of these committees centred on the allocation of charitable funds, the management of property and the supervision of accounts. The District Watch Committee represented the real locus of power: at its meetings the members formulated a Chinese point of view on government policies and general issues. The Committee acted as a permanently installed barometer for the government, giving it a clear indication of the state of mind of the Chinese bourgeoisie. It marked out for government how the élite felt on certain questions39. The same people were to be found represented on all the eleven committees and boards (although in slightly different combinations in each case) so that it is a little unreal to distinguish ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1982 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mk61z420p 17 officers would have to go through the same process as the previous year's officers. With a two-year term, the chairmen and the officers will be placed in a better working situation as they have a longer time to gain experience and get prepared for work. Another felt that, "The new two-year term gives a chance for the MAC officers to build up a good relationship with the residents. It also gives them a chance for the MAC to build up good connections with the officers of other MACs." Many officers felt that the one-year term was simply not long enough to accomplish anything. "In my committee, the election business takes two to three months. After all that, there are a few months left of an officer's term. How can he do his work?” As explained in a previous section, the procedure for electing a slate of MAC officers requires some months to complete. It is not surprising that many officers were pleased not to hold "complicated and troublesome" elections (as one described them) every year. "It [the two-year term] saves time in arranging for the elections annually and moreover, it simplifies the election procedures. Less time and energy is needed, compared with the one-year programme, and I think that the change was made for these reasons." Subcommittees During earlier research into the Mutual Aid Committees, I quickly realized that much more elaborate committees were found in the public housing estates (as opposed to those found in private housing blocks) where the larger population necessitated more complicated organization. Numerous subcommittees were added according to the desires of the residents and the particular needs of the building. The committees I visited at that time most often contained welfare, recreation, sanitation, women's section, and security subcommittees, while a few had added investigation, public relations, and general business subcommittees. What are the duties of these subcommittees? As originally described for 1977: The recreation subcommittee takes charge of the social activities provided by the M.A.C. It plans outings, making ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1982 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mk61z420p 19 welfare director, one women's section director, and adds two new subcommittees, one sanitation director and one football instructor. The same kinds of subcommittees are found in an additional three committees (those for Blocks #16, #19, and #23) but Block #19 has two additional categories of junior police call (three members) and security (nine members), and Block #16 adds that of hygiene. Block #17's MAC has recently formed subcommittees for recreation, general affairs, women's section, and public relations. What do these committees do? Are there any differences with the subcommittee descriptions given earlier? Take, for example, the recreation subcommittee. The MACs of Lok Fu Estate may participate in two kinds of recreational activities, those organized through the District Office and planned for the estate as a whole and those organized by the block itself. The latter are much less common, as many committees do not have enough enthusiastic members to do the organizing nor do they have sufficient funds to pay for the expenses. Picnics are popular in the summer and fall, however, and the residents of many blocks are enthusiastic about outings to local temples to eat vegetarian food. One committee provides summer activities for its resident young people (such as camping trips, chess playing sessions, and table tennis) and a few committees have obtained basketballs and footballs for residents to use. The women's section subcommittee of one block's MAC provides a special service by seeing to the needs of old women living in the block. For example, it helps to pay the electricity bills for those in need and gives general assistance to these older women. The functions of the other subcommittees are generally the same as described. One special subcommittee, that for security, is characteristic only of public housing estate Mutual Aid Committees. There, multiple entrances and exits make security a problem. It is true enough that private housing units also have security problems, often serious ones, but in my experience they rarely have patrol teams, relying instead on gates, an occasional watchman or two, or a company-hired professional security team. In the public housing estates, the security subcommittee is usually the one responsible for the neighbourhood security patrols, the regularly-rotating groups of committee members and residents who patrol ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1982 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/mk61z420p 27 Lok Fu Estate. I did, however, hear of such misuse during my earlier research in other districts. 17 It might be mentioned here that a number of MAC office-holders, most often the chairmen, are asked to participate on other community organizations, thereby representing the MAC and forming a link between it and the organization. The nature of such links varies from committee to committee, but membership on the Area Committee is common. For example, nearly all the chairmen of Lok Fu Estate MACS participate in the Lok Fu Area Committee. Participation on such outside organizations increases the duties of the office-holders, as they must carry back to the MAC information and announcements for dissemination. In a few committees, these items were purchased by the officers (usually the chairman) and donated to the committee. Other committees have applied to the Sir David Trench Fund. This fund, made up of a sports grant from the Council for Recreation and Sports, can be used to pay for sports equipment such as table tennis tables. Applications are invited once a year, usually in September or October. At that time, the District Office sends the temporary community organizer to each MAC, to ask the chairman if any equipment is desired. If so, the forms are completed and forwarded to the City and New Territories Administration by the District Office. The forms are tabulated and the committees are then informed of what they can buy. The committees then buy the approved items and are reimbursed. The Mutual Aid Committees are not unusual in their practice of inviting honorary members. Honorary members seem to be a part of many Chinese organizations, both traditional and modern. The position of honorary member is not based on sex; both men and women can be asked to be honorary members, although male honorary members are more numerous, reflecting the generally greater participation of men in the Mutual Aid Committees. Despite the popularity of inviting honorary members, the District Office does not encourage this practice, as it views the officers and the floor representatives as the functioning members. In addition, there is potential for committee conflicts if members cannot agree on who to invite as honorary members, and this should be avoided. The terms "honorary" or "ordinary" refer to the distinctions made by some committees. Actually, there is very little substantive difference between president and honorary president or consultant and honorary consultant. In a few committees, it seems that the titles of honorary president or honorary consultant confer a bit more prestige, but this is by no means certain. Each registered Mutual Aid Committee may request reimbursement of its essential expenditure up to a total of $2,000 per year, computed quarterly (that is, $500 every three months). This money is provided for the MACs from a special fund from the City and New Territories Administration and may be used to pay the costs of the initial setting up of the MAC office; to purchase supplies such as blackboards and notice boards, first-aid kits, and loud speakers; and to pay the monthly bills (such as rates or the cost of electricity) for the office. Sports equipment cannot be bought with this money. Newly-established committees that are setting up their offices can ask for a one quarter's advance, so that they can use up to $1,000 in the first quarter if necessary. However, if the $2,000 yearly allotment is insufficient for the committee's needs, or if special expenditure is planned, the additional funds must be collected from the residents, or donated by the honorary members. ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1984 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/5h73wh572 209 ed April 15, 1865. In the biographies roman figures, as above, will be used to distin-guish these committees. 2. Social Committees Despite the pressure of work during part of the year and in spite also of some claims that the treaty ports were a social and cultural desert, Shanghai could boast a fair number of clubs and charitable institutions. Below I give some elementary details about those that crop up more than once in the biographies. a. British Episcopal Church The official Anglican Church was very early established in Shang-hai; in 1847 the first Trinity Church was built, to be replaced by a new one in 1866-1869. b. Chinese Hospital Founded in 1846 by the London Missionary Society with non-mission funds; trustees supervised the activities of the hospital, which was for Chinese only. c. North China Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (NCBRAS) Originated in 1857 as the Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society, renamed the NCBRAS in 1859, temporarily suspended in 1861 to be resuscitated in 1864. d. Recreation Fund A fund that was formed in 1863 through the sale of the ground within the second racecourse (to the east of the new one at Bub-bing Well Road). In order to administer this fund a committee was formed. ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1984 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/5h73wh572 210 e. Recreation Ground J.H. HAAN Originated in 1860 when the ground inside the second racecourse was bought with the purpose of making it a Recreation Ground for other sports. f. Shanghai Library Established in 1849; the existing premises were found to be inadequate and in 1852 it was decided at a meeting of library-members that it was "desirable to erect a Building for an Exchange and Reading Room", to which end a committee was appointed. All plans came to nothing however and the Shanghai Library had at one time, during the 1860s, to rent space at the Shanghai Club. Affairs of the Library were managed by a committee that was annually elected. g. Shanghai Volunteer Corps The S.V.C. came into being during the Taiping troubles in 1853; at first it was a more or less private organisation until in 1870 control was handed over to the Municipal Council. h. Society for the Relief of Distressed Foreigners of All Nationalities Founded on June 6, 1865, in order to provide a temporary solution for the problem of foreigners who had come to China as mercenaries to fight the Taipings and who became unemployed after the ending of that rebellion. Biographical Notes ANTROBUS, Robert Crawfurd 1864-1865 Partner in Lindsay & Co. from May 20, 1852. Member Recreation Ground Committee;2 trustee British Episcopal Church 1863(?);3 trustee Chinese Hospital 1865;4 commanding officer of the Shanghai Volunteer Corps.5 Member Commit- ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1984 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/5h73wh572 212 J.H. HAAN CRYDER, William Wetmore 1858-1859, 1859-1860 Junior partner in Wetmore & Co.;23 from May 25, 1857 partner in Wetmore, Williams & Co.24 CUNNINGHAM, Edward 1852-1853, 1854-1855 Born 1823, died 1889. Mercantile assistant Russell & Co. 1845-1849; partner 1850-1857, 1861-1863 and 1867-1877;25 part of 1849 and in 1850 he stayed in Canton,26 United States Consul 1851-1854; Consul for Sweden and Norway 1853-1864.27 Member Recreation Ground Committee 1861;28 trustee British Episcopal Church 1863;29 member of the NCBRAS, as resident until 1870,30 as non-resident until 1877,31 Member Committees I, III, IV, VI and VII. Apart from his political functions, Cunningham's philanthropic attitude was praised from several sides. Cordier called him "one of the most public-spirited men Shanghai has ever known"32 and S.W. Williams dedicated the fifth edition of his "Commercial Guide" to "Edward Cunningham Esq. of Shanghai (...) as a mark of respect for his character as a philanthropist and merchant (...)". At the time of his return to the United States he took with him a large bell which is now in the possession of the Museum of the American China Trade, Milton.33 Later a street was named after him (Cunningham Road). Portraits. Author.34 315 DENT, Henry 1863-1864, 1864-1865 Partner in Dent & Co. from July 1, 1860.36 Consul for Portugal 1863-1865.37 Member of the Commission Provisoire that ran the French Concession 1865-1866.38 Trustee British Episcopal Church 1863, treasurer Recreation Fund 1863-1865;40 trustee Chinese Hospital 1865.41 Treasurer NCBRAS 1864,42 Member Committees IV and IX. ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1984 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/5h73wh572 213 FEARON, Charles Augustine 1854-1855 46 Arrived in China probably 1836; lived in Shanghai from 1846;44 at first partner in Fearon & Co.,* later in Aug. Heard & Co.; agent for Heard in London from August 1856. FORBES, Frank Blackwell 1864-1865 Born 1839, died 1908. Came to China as private secretary of the American envoy William Reed in 1857. 48 Partner in Russell & Co. from January 1, 1863. 49 Consul-General for Sweden and Norway from September 13, 1864.5 54 $1 Member of the Conseil Municipal of the French Concession 1868-1869, 1869-1870, 1870-1871, 1871-1872, 1872-1873. Trustee Recreation Fund;7 member of the NCBRAS 1864 until 1874 (as resident), until 1882 (as non-resident);53 Vice president NCBRAS 1872, president NCBRAS 1873 and 1874;5 member of a committee of the NCBRAS to study the "feasibility of establishing a Public Library", 1868;56 member of a committee of the NCBRAS “appointed for the consideration of the expediency of publishing a reprint of the Chinese Repository", 1868.7 Portraits.** Author of, among others, botanical works. GIBB, Hugh Bold 1857-1858, 1858-1859 $9 Authorized to sign for Gibb, Livingston & Co. from March 8, 1855;6 later he became a partner. 61 Trustee British Episcopal Church 1858.62 Unofficial member of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong 1860-1870, 1879.63 GRAY, George Griswold 1856-1857 64 Authorized to sign for Russell & Co. January 3, 1854, partner from January 1, 1855 till December 31, 1859.4 He took part in the Battle of Muddy Flat, April 4, 1854, and was reported wounded. 66 Portrait. 67 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1984 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/5h73wh572 219 161 Lived in Canton and Macau, 1841-1849, where he was a partner in Nye, Parker & Co. and Vice-consul for Chile. Later partner in Bull, Nye & Co. Buried at Shantung Road Cemetery. 162 ORNE, Charles W. 1857-1858 Mercantile assistant Russell & Co., partner from January 1, 1857. 163 PROBST, W. 1865-1866 First lived in Canton, then Shanghai. Unknown in which firm he was employed; Consul for Oldenburg 1861. Member of the Shanghai Society for Relief of Distressed Foreigners of All Nationalities, 1865. 166 Member of the Recreation Fund Committee; NCBRAS till 1870 (non-resident). 168 His wife died November 28, 1864 at the age of 28. 169 RANKEN, Andrew Archibald 1856-1857 member Partner in Smith, Kennedy & Co., May 1855 till December 31, 1858. 171 Trustee British Episcopal Church 1857; member Committee Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society 1858. 172 Portrait. 173 REID, David 1863-1864 174 He was among other interests a real estate agent; partnership with John George Dunn as Reid & Co. from January 1, 1864. Member of the NCBRAS 1873-1878 (last year as non-resident). Trustee Recreation Fund Committee 1872, 1873. Member Committee VI and VII. REID, Robert 1859-1860 Partner in Birley, Worthington & Co. 1862. 178 Page 240 Page 241 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1984 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/5h73wh572 Trustee British Episcopal Church 1852-1853,199 TALBOT, G.W. 1864-1865 In 1874 he was a partner in Olyphant & Co., Hong Kong. Member of the NCBRAS 1864.201 200 221 Active in amateur dramatics and in March 1864 he participated in performances of the Shanghai Volunteer Theatrical. TATE, Joseph Priestley 1861-1862 Authorized to sign for Jas. Bowman & Co. April 23, 1858,203 later partner in Blain, Tate & Co.204 Member Committee Shanghai Literary and Scientific Society 1858,205 member NCBRAS till 1873,206 member Recreation Fund Committee 1866.207 Member Committee I. THORBURN, William 1855-1856 Lived in Shanghai from 1847;208 partner in Hargreaves & Co. till May 17, 1856,209 in Blenkin, Rawson & Co. from August 4, 1856,210 later (1863, 1864) partner in Jarvie, Thorburn & Co.211 Member Committee IV. Possibly Thorburn Road was named after him. THORNE, John 1858-1859 Came to China as agent of Wells Fargo & Co.;212 later he acted as a broker. From its foundation in October 1867 till December 1871 he was editor of "The Shanghai News-Letter for California and the Atlantic States".213 Member Committee Society for the Relief of Distressed Foreigners of All Nationalities, 1865;214 member Committee NCBRAS 1865.215 TURNER, Henry 1862-1863 Manager Agra and United Service Bank 1862.216 ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1989 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/8336pm92h 90 kitchens, that each individual internee be allowed to order from Hongkong stores, etc. to the value of $75 and that the balance of $17.40 a head be paid in cash so that internees could purchase a few small items at the canteen. One internee was allowed to go into Hongkong to place the orders and he arranged with a neutral firm to fill them as best they could. As the money was placed at the disposal of the camp in $100 and $50 Hongkong notes which were subject to a heavy discount, the average purchasing power of the nominal $75 was reduced to $52. Great difficulty was experienced by Messrs. Habade not only on this account, but also on account of the rapid denudation of the market of foreign foodstuffs and the soaring prices. Parcels were accordingly slow in coming in, and when we left probably only about 600 people had been served. A number of us, including my wife and myself, had not received our parcels although three months had elapsed since the grant was made. Without wishing to minimise the value of these parcels (and for many their value was as much moral as physical) I must emphasize that these stores are quickly consumed, and that a windfall like this cannot be regarded as a proper substitute for proper rations regularly supplied. On the medical side: a hospital was improvised in the Indian bachelor warders' quarters, and doctors allocated to the different residential blocks. A dental clinic and a babies' clinic were also established. There was no shortage of doctors and nurses among the internees, but there was a severe shortage of medical supplies, — drugs, instruments, etc. Major operations (except for the most emergency character) and dental work had to be suspended for this reason. Even crockery and table cutlery were unobtainable. After three months pressure the Japanese agreed to allow patients requiring X-ray examination to be sent to the French Hospital in Hongkong for this purpose. Recreation: There is a good bowls lawn and lots of bowls were found on the premises, so this game was popular and regularly played. There was a certain amount of soft ball played but there was no enthusiasm for it. There were a couple of hard tennis courts, but nets, rackets and balls were worn out. Dances were held about once a week and there were occasional concerts and variety shows put on by internees. The Americans managed to bring in most of the books from their Club Library, and after the Americans left these books were placed at the disposal of a Committee for the use of the rest of the community. Apart from these, small libraries were formed in the different blocks, but the ================================================================================