Sessional_Paper_1897 — Page 237

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DISTRICT WATCHMEN.

A full statement of the revenue and expenditure for the year is given in Table VII A and the state of the force on the 31st December and other particulars will be found in Table VII B.

The District Watchmen were instrumental in bringing 169 cases before the Police Magistrate and the Committee is indebted to the Chinese Newspapers, the Tsun Wan Yat Pó and the Wai San Yat Pó for continuing to publish weekly lists of these cases for the information of subscribers to the District Watchmen Fund.

The contributions to the Fund for the year were $7,543.45 as compared with $7,552.20 for the preceding year. The actual expenditure was $10,262.24 as compared with $10,004.22. The balance to the credit of the Fund is $11,347.79. The loss on exchange, caused principally by the discount at which the Canton subsidiary coinage stands, was $120.64.

CHINESE RECREATION GROUND.

A statement of revenue and expenditure is given in Table VIII. The cooking-stalls were rebuilt at a cost of $802.51 and $251.74 were expendel on repairs necessitated by typhoons. The total expenditure for the year was $1,626.36. The revenue obtained from the rent of the shops, letter-writers' tables, &c., was $1,655.38. There is a balance of $869.13 to the credit of the Fund.

CHARITABLE FUNDS.

Tables IX and X give statements of account of the two Funds administered by this office.

STAFF.

Mr. WONG KI-CHо, Chinese writer, died on the 24th January. His place has been filled by the appointment of Mr. Au FUNG-CHI.

CHENG UN, another Chinese writer, died on the 15th February. He had been in the Government Service for 23 years. His widow was granted a charitable allowance by the Government and a sub- scription was raised on her behalf by the Chinese Community.

GENERAL.

The subjects which have probably attracted greatest attention among the Chinese during the last year are the Light and Pass System, and the enquiry into the Tung Wa Hospital.

With regard to the Light and Pass System, a strong objection seems to exist among many Chi- nese residents to carrying a light at night after dark, as required by the holder of a quarterly pass. Quarterly passes are now issued to the extent of 14 or 15 thousand, and, as there is no means of detecting the transfer of these passes to persons who are not really the holders of them, there appears to be a danger of the pass becoming a protection for rather than a safeguard against persons who are on evil bent. In the opinion of many the time has now arrived when the pass system might be with advantage abolished in ordinary times and enforced only on occasions of an unusual nature.

The Tung Wa Hospital has been the subject of an enquiry by a Commission appointed by the Governor. All the members of the Commission were unanimously agreed that the Hospital has done good work in the past and that the Committee of Management elected yearly is deserving of great praise for the time and attention devoted to the charitable work of the Hospital. The Commissioners, however, in addition to other recommendations of a minor nature, recommended that a Chinese doctor trained in Western medicine should reside permanently in the Hospital as Resident Surgeon and that the daily inspection of an officer of the Government Medical Department should be maintained. In accordance with the recommendations of the Commission, Dr. Cato, formerly House Surgeon at the Alice Memorial Hospital, has been appointel Resident Surgeon, and Dr. THOMSON, Visiting Surgeon.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient Servant,

J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Colonial Secretary and Registrar General.

His Excellency

THE GOVERNOR.