1881-07-07 — Page 2

A. S. WATSON & Co. WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DRUGGISTS;

GENERAL CHEMISTS,

AND

Manufacturers of the following ABRATED WATERS, viz: SODA, TONIC, SARSAPARILDA, AND POTASII, LEMONADE, GINGERADE, RASPBERRYADE, AND PITOSTITORIC CHAMPAGNE.

Deliveries in Town and Harbour from

7 A.M. to 7 P.M.

SHIPS MEDICINE CHESTS REFITTED, PASSENGER SHIPS SUPPLIED.

Prompt Attention given to Const Orders.

HONGKONG DISPENSARY,

HONGKONG. SHANGHAI PHARMACY,

SHANGILAL

CANTON DISPENSARY,

CANTON.

THE DISPENSARY,

Foocnow.

Notices to Correspondents. All communications should be addres. ecd The Editor "Hongkong Telegraph," 15, Wellington Street,

All letters for publication must be written on une side of the paper unly.

Correspondents are requested to for ward their names and addresses with all communications istended for insertion, not necessarily for publication, but as evidence of good faith.

Notice to Subscribers. Subscribers, who do not receive their newspapers within thirty-fice minutes after the time of publication will oblige

by communicating with the Editor..

Domestic Notices, if properly au thenticated, will be inserted free of charge.

BIRTH.

At Beaconsfield-arcade, on the 6th instant, the wife of Mr. William Schmidt of a son.

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH THURSDAY, JULY 7TH, 1881,

misleading and utterly valueless. We had a grave charge to bring against the China Mail, and we performed our duty without fear or favor. We have an equally grave accusation against the Daily Press, and although we could have wished to avoid what is a disagreeable duty, a thorough exposition is the only true way out of the difficulty.

cri-

our

got at"

nature will bear out the assertion Council, uttered the following words: that gambling has never been less generally prevalent that at present, was put in the hands of the Inspect- "Since the suppression of gambling and the Captain Superintendent of ors of Police, the numbers sent to Police can corroborate every word we gaol considerably swelled the total have written. What does this consist of prisoners"; but the Daily tant iteration as to the unsuitableness Press ignores all this and rushes of Chinese lukongs for gambling into print with statements of a most detectives mean? It is superlatively unjustifiable and equivocal character, childish, inanely ridiculous. Is the plainly proving that our contempor- Daily Press aware that a Governmentary must be terribly ignorant of what Order was issued on March 27th is actually occurring within the col- 1880, more than a year ago, which ony, or that he has been " placed the entire suppression of gambl by one of the many contemptible ing in the hands of the European busy-bodies, who apparently exist Inspectors of Police, and that since in Hongkong, for the sole object of that date no Chinese detective has propagating scandal and breeding been employed by government for mischief. that purpose? If not, their article in Saturday's paper is a disgraceful display of ignorance; if on the con- trary, they are palpably clearly guilty of worse than ignorance. When the gambling business was placed in the hands of Inspectors, each one was held responsible for his own district. The central district was divided into four sections, one officer for each section, so that a strict supervision over the whole dis- trict was ensured. The Chinese con- stables have nothing whatever to do The Carrying Trade of Japan. with this kind of work nor has it ever been entrusted to them. Now

It is not fair, it is not honest, it is not honorable to publish anony- mously an adverse criticism on any individual or on any section of indivi- duals, if you know that your author- ity is sailing under false colors. It is equally unfair, equally dishonor able, equally dishonest, to criticise adversely any particular subject, knowing at the time that

your ticism is unjust and uncalled for, un true in fact, or of which you are 80 ignorant, as to know less than no- thing. Are we to presume that the public press of this colony have fallen so low, in their wretched attempts to criticise the policy of the present Government, as to descend to common falsehood, or is it pure ignorance? We do not wish to sit in judgment, but will simply state facts, and leave the issue to the voice of public opinion, -adopting as motto "fat justitia ruat coelum " In the Daily Press of the second instant appears a short leader on the preval- o of gambling in this colony. We respectfully direct the attention of our readers, of everybody who has the common honesty to allow their judgments to be directed by incontrovertible facts, rather than by plausible mis-statements to this article. We are prepared to prove that the writer of this article either knew less about his subject than the commonest chair coolie in the strect, or he wilfully ignored facts, perfectly well-known throughout the colony, and wrote a tissue of con- temptible falsehoods to serve his own ignoble ends, whatever they may be. The convenient "correspondent" is of course introduced; but we are first informed that "not only do Fan-tan, Wei-Sing, and various other forms of gambling, as well as the new Chinese lottery, flourish here, but they seem to have a porfectly free course," "What are the gambling At Amoy, on the 2nd instant, Cap- detectives about asks the corres tain F. P. C. Goode, late of the steam-pondent. When do they over bring a case into court? Judging from the ship Albay.

records of the Police Court, there would appear to be very little gambl Pastoring going on in the colony. Every

one who knows anything of life in the Chinese quarter of the town is perfectly well aware that all forms of gambling are allowed without any check!

The gambling de- tectives cannot shut their eyes to what is going on." This is not merely a charge against the Govern- ment, it is a very grave accusation One of the most unpleasant tasks against a large and not uninfluential which can fall to the lot of any body of officers acting under the journalist, is the necessity, which direct orders of the Capt. Superinten- sometimes arises, for harsh criticism dent of Police. Let us give the on the expressed views of a contemp- Daily Press, writer plenty of rope, so orary. It is a matter of extreme re- that we may thoroughly understand gret to us that, during the first month the seriousness of his indictment, and of the Telegraph's existence, we what is not one whit less important, should have been compelled to strike the extent of his knowledge "We out straight from the shoulder as has would respectfully urge upon the been the case, at our morning and Government the necessity for taking evening rivals. However, necessitas some steps to keep this vice within non habet legem, and although our narrower bounds. If the gambling duty has not been an agreeable one, detectives are no use, or worse than we have not shrunk, nor shall we now no use (sic), let them be dismissed, nor at any other time, from standing and let their duties be performed by before our subscribers, and the public the European members of the police generally, as the staunch advocates force. There should, in our opinion, of fair play. In our issue of the 4th be no special detectives for gambling inst. we took our evening contemp- They are subjected to all sorts of orary, The China Mail, to task for temptation, against which only men one of the gravest breaches of of severe (sic), moral rectitude can journalistic etiquette we have ever make a firm stand. It is not fair or met with. The columns of any reasonable to make Chinese Lukongs newspaper, reserved for the expres- into gambling detectives." Now sion of editorial views, are surely this is all vory fine in its way, but it sufficiently powerful to cry down happens, unfortunately to be grossly any real or supposed abuses, without untrue. It is on record, and any per- the aid of outsiders, who, in nine, son who so desires, can satisfy himself casos out-of-ten, as-in-this particular on the pointy-that-nover since Hongnight upwards of a dozen gambl instance of the so-called Straits kong became an influential Britishing cases have been satisfactorily Journalist," foist on the public under Colony has gambling been at so low disposed of by the magistrates? It is false pretences, opinions which, hoan ebb. This is no-random state not so long ago since Mr. Tonnochy, nestly speaking, are practically ment; statistics of the most reliable at a meeting of the Logislative

DEATHS.

At the Berlin Foundling House, Hongkong, on the 3rd instant, Klitzke, aged 40 years.

THE

Hongkong Telegraph.

HONGKONG, 7th July, 1881.

may

The P. & O. Company's steamer Verona, which arrived here yesterday from Bombay, reports having spoken the American barque Freeman, in lati- from Cardiff to this port. The Freeman tude 9.4 N., and longitude 109.8 E, desired to be reported "all well.”

NEWS for the ENGLISH MAIL.

and from Hongkong and Shanghai, The Japanese carrying trade, to like a great many other useful de- velopments in that Empire, dates from the Formosa Expedition of

י

1874.

their original cost. Neither could they have been utilised by converting them into vessels of war. So that unless they were sold or turned mean while to some useful purpose it was only too plain that, before being again required for war purposes they would probably rot in the national dockyards.

for the results of the above order, At the time it was issued the city of Victoria was literally full of gambi ing dens, of every description. These places were strengthened in every conceivable way, with strong hard- wood doors, trap doors with spring After the adjustment of the diffi- locks, and other barricades to pre-culty that had sprung up at that vent the admission of the police. time between China and Japan, the On one occasion when we personally

latter country found itself in posses- happened to meet with a detachment sion of a considerable fleet of trans- of police, armed with crow-bars and ports, acquired at large cost while axes, in addition to their usual weap-

the expedition lasted, and for which ons of defence, on the way to break the government had no further use. up a gambling den, we accompanied It was obvious that, if sold at that them to watch their proceedings. In juncture, the vessels would have fail this instance the sentinel on guarded to realize anything approaching gave the alarm, the trap-door was let down, and although the police worked like slaves it took half an hour to effect an entrance, and by that time most of the birds had flown. However the cordon of watchful officers which had been placed round the suspect- ed districts soon commenced to show beneficial results. That there be a few gambling-houses in the Col ony is most probable; that they are of a paltry character is beyond question. At the present time there is not a strong spring trap door used in the colony, and an officer with a handful of men can execute a gambling war- rant without the slightest difficulty. On making reference to the records at our disposal, we find that since the Government Order above referred to, was issued, over 150 houses have been prosecuted and more than seven hundred persons convicted for gambl- ing. These figures speak in un- mistakeable terins of the manner in which the Inspectors have performed their duties, and yet our morning contemporary would have us infer that actually nothing has been done to keep gambling in check. The Daily Press makes a specialty of its Police Court reports. The cases of itinerant hawkers, and other criminals of a similar class, who are multeted in fines of 20 cents for selling their wares without licenses, or blocking the roadways, are detailed at full length in the expansive columns of our esteemed contemporary. Quan- tity not quality is evidently the eri de guerre of our friends at the top of Wyndham Street. But is it not strange that the seven hundred con- victions for gambling during the last sixteen months should have escaped the eagle eye of the old established morning journal? Is it not singular that a statement should be boldly made in a leading article, that nothing is being done to keep gambling in check, when a single glance at the records instantly shows that within the last fort

The Government of Japan accord ingly conceived the idea of utilising this fleet as a nucleus for the mer- chant marine of the Empire, which in time of war, would be again available as a useful adjunct to the Navy. To effect this, the vessels were turned over, under certain con- ditions, to Mr. Iwasaki of Tosa, and under his change the fleet did good service to the country, in giving a new impetus to its trade. Thus the Mitsu Bishi Company was formed, and so successful did the original idea of the government prove that it was soon found advisable to ex- tend the field of the operation of the company from Japan to Shanghai on the one side, and to Hongkong on the other.

time to fully organize, thus assuring ment arms. At that time the Mitsu the ultimate success of the Govern-e Bishi Company had already attained such efficiency that they were able to render this complete assistance to the government without disturbing their regular established lines.

Under sach circumstances, we do not wonder, that on the termination of the rebellion above mentioned, they should have decided to extend their service to Hongkong.

This last undertaking, however, which more immediately concerns us, was fated to experience greater obstacles than the Shanghai connec tion had done. In the latter, the Japanese had merely to follow in the track laid down for them by the Pacific Mail Company. Here, the field was entirely new and they had to contend against powerful and long established lines; on the one side, the Pacific Mail, and Occidental Oriental Companies; on the other, the P. & O. Messageries Maritimes and subsequently Holt's; all of which, in three parts, serve to connect direct- ly the producing districts of China and Japan with the consuming dis- tricts in Europe and America.

Up to that time these lines had

circumstances the Japanese Company virtually sufficed for all the require- ments of the trade, and under such

surplus freight as its rivals might e times be prevented from carrying for could only expect to obtain such

want of space, as well as such freight as the Japanese produce would nat urally prefer to send to Hongkong by the national line...

This being the position, it would seem, that there was only one way open by which it was possible for the Mitsu Bishi Company to derive the full benefit of the through connec tion to and from Europe and the United States via the Suez Canal, namely, by working in with one or more of the powerful lines already mentioned, and allowing through freight to be engaged at the highest rates obtainable in Europe-or Amer- ica, receiving such freight at Hongkong, as well as their propor- tion of freight money for the voyage hence to Japan; the Mitsu Bishi Company, on their side, likewise engaging through freight for Europe--- or America, transferring the same to the main lines at Hongkong, under a similar arrangement. By working skilfully on such a system the Japan- ese had good reason to hope that they might eventually gain the mon- opoly of the carrying trade as fully as they had already nearly succeeded in doing on the Shanghai lines.

.

ceeding in ballast to China ports with freight, and extraordinary low rates, would necessarily have been avoided.

For assuredly under such circums➡ tances, one or more of the competing lines to Japan would have found it impossible to oppose with advantage the national company. In addition to which, and what would seem to be of more importance still to the company, independent steamers would have found it unremunerative-.. to take through cargoes to Japan in In the year 1876 the whole fleet the face of an efficient and regular of vessels that formed the Shanghai through service to Europe and Amer- branch line of the Pacific Mail, ica, and thus the disturbance to the Company was bought by the Govern Japanese Southern Coast traffic, or ment of Japan, and transferred to casioned by these steamers discharg the Mitsu Bishi Company undering their cargoes in Japan and pro- terms similar to those by which they had acquired the Formosa fleet, The result of this measure, was the acquisition by the Japanese of Another difficulty which has lately almost the entire monopoly of a arisen, is the rapid development of carrying trade that up to that period the Coal mines of Kai-ping in Chih- had been in the hands of Americans. li, which if brought to a successful Neither was the field of the Mitsusage, is likely to affect prejudically Bishi Company confined to this ser- both the coal and carrying trades of vice. A formidable insurrection Japan, it is plain therefore that this broke out in the province of Satsuma, company must bestir themselves if in the following year, and it would they wish to continue to work their be difficult to say how the conflict lines with advantage, between the government and the insurgents would have ended, if the former had not had at their command the Mitsu Bishi fleet. With the aid of that fleet they were enabled to concentrato at the seat of war, five hundred miles from the capital, a force of some 45,000 men, which proved sufficient to hold the insur gents in check before they had had

Chinese. Immigration. Chinese Immigration has occupied the close attention of the British Government for years past, and it has long boon a matter of notorioty that the question in its various phases has caused our local Govern- ment a vast deal of anxiety and diffi