Sessional_Paper_1898 — Page 607

[xxx]

Mr. Wodehouse said-Gentlemen, you will remember that at the last meeting held to consider the application of G. H. Schwalm, you were pleased to grant an adjournment for the purpose of ascertain- ing the bona fides of the application and with a view to waking some inquiry into the character of the applicant. The result of the inquiry into the character of the applicant is shown in the following report from the Sergeant of Police who made the inquiries, and is addressed to the Captain Superinten- dent of Police, Mr. May.

The Magistrate then read the report, from which it appeared that about three years ago a woman, named Mrs May York, was a prostitute in No. 15 Graham Street. She left that place and went to Saigon, where she took up with G. H. Schwalm, who was then a soldier. They went together to Singapore, where he was pimp to the woman, who lived in a brothel in Malay Street. He got into money difficulties, was sued in Court and ran away, coming to Hongkong about eighteen months ago along with this woman, whom he passed off as his wife, with whom he is now living, and whose husband was a pimp in Singapore. Shortly after coming to Hongkong, this woman opened a shop at No. 15 D'Aguilar Street. She was afterwards employed as barmaid in the Stag Hotel. About May, 1897, Schwalm got employment in the German Consulate, and went to live at No. 18 Wyndham Street with the woman.

When the Consul's secretary returned his services were dispensed with. About three months ago he wanted to take over a coffee shop licence in Graham Street, but could not raise the money required ($150). From inquiries made at the German Consulate it had been found that he had no money there.

Mr. Wodehouse (continuing) said-Gentlemen, it is with strong feelings of indignation that I read this report to you. Your time and attention have been taken up with a deliberate attempt to impose upon you, and to take you in. The Ordinance under which consideration of these licences is given to the Justices is Ordinance 21 of 1886, and there is no doubt that the intention of that Ordinance is that the Justices shall make proper inquiry into the character of the applicant and shall satisfy themselves not only that the applicant is a man of good character, but also that he is not a man of straw, but is of substance and of some standing in the Colony. The Ordinance requires that before a licence is granted the applicant shall enter into recognizance according to the nature of the licence he requires. That recognizance contains a certificate in terms of the Ordinance, and also a certificate by householders that the applicant is a person of good fame and reputation, and fit and proper to be licensed to keep an inn or public house. The names of the proposed sureties on this occasion were Liu Kwong Shuù aud Leung Kau, and we heard last week that the condition of their surety was that this man, after he got the licence, was to obtain his aërated waters from them. Experience of most of these sureties and the assurances of the householders as to the good reputation of the applicant has also been found to consist generally in a were undertaking on the part of the applicant that if the licence be obtained liquors shall be obtained from these sureties. I think it is quite clear, gentlemen, that the present system of granting licences does not contain sufficient security that the men to whom we grant these licences are fit and proper persons to sell intoxicating iquors. A few weeks ago some resolutions were informally drawn up regarding the sale of deleterious liquors, and these were forwarded to the Government for consideration. The Government has now sent a reply to this communication which was made to them, and it is proposed in the course of some day next week to call a meeting of the Justices at the City Hall, when that communication will be read to them and their advice taken on the next step which will have to be made. In regard to this particular application, which has not been formally withdrawn, of course, there is nothing more now to do but to refuse it. I may also inform you that the applicant is at present before the Magistrate charged with having obtained $500 by false pretences, and that the German Consul has been a witness in that case, and has stated that when be took on the defendant so far from his depositing any money with him, the first thing he did was to ask a loan of $100 from the Consul, and that he bas never from that day to this deposited any money or had any in his possession. The Medical Officer in the Gaol now states that the man Schwalm is suffering from insane delusions, and I think that one of his insane delusions must have been the idea that he could, by bringing forward the bogus agreement that he showed us the other day between parties of the character of Hock Goon and himself, that he could impose on you by the were impression of a ten-cent stamp and the intervention of a solicitor. I am extremely sorry, gentlemen, that your time has been taken up to no purpose--I will not say to no purpose your time was taken up by such an application as this one, and instead of putting off the meeting, as I might have done, I thought it better to call you together and inform you of what has taken place in case any of you have any observations to make. I have only to add that in future the Justices will be convened to consider applications for licences at a particular time, instead of at the time any application is made and that the time will be the first Tuesday after the end of each quarter, at noon.