1938-03-16 — Page 7

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1938.

Personalities of Old Hongkong

LONDON "BOBBY" WHO CREATED HONGKONG'S POLICE FORCE

Monumental Task Accomplished

In Face Of

Criticism

(By T. Paul Gregory)

THERE is one of Hongkong's early settlers whose name should be known to every resident of the Colony who sponsors and upholds the cause of law and order.

This is Mr. Charles May, the London "bobby" whose genius for organisation was directly responsible for the Colony's present highly efficient Police Force; for it was through his efforts that the genesis of the guardians of public safety was speedily effected from a nondescript body of constables into an organisation that is on a par with any large city in the Occident.

Like everything else that is worthy of accomplishment, the beginnings must have been exceedingly difficult and even dis- couraging; for the Colony during the first two or three decades of its oxistence was so rife with lawlessness that the question of life and property was indeed a most momentous one.

During the years 1841 to of Mr. Charles May, the Superinten 1843, Hongkong was more or less gent of Police, all burglaries, rob-

was dismissed from office, and teft the Colony's shores on a persona non grata.

Mr. Caldwell became Mr. Muy's bitter enemy, and published a "Vin- dication" of the charges which had

been jointly laid against him by Mr. May and the now cashiered Attorney-

General. The scandal was intense, for Caldwell accused him of the same foul offences that had been made against him in 1857,

On

Affairs

enme to such a head that, In 1861, the Civil Service Abuse inquiry Committee, which had been appointed in July of the previous year, mude its report. The docu mentary evidence amassed by the Commission was inade public October 1, after it had been duly considered by the Executive Council. As regards Mr. May, the Legisla tive Counsell "unanimously

agreed that Mr. Caldwell had not only fall રો

to substantiate any one of his whatever to justify him in bringing there charges against Mr.

Mr. Charles May, Hongkong's

take

11

first Chief of Police,

RADIOK SHOES

BROADCAST

Ettore Pellegatti From

The Studio

GASTON D'AQUINO

Radio Programme Broadcast by ZBW on Frequencies of 845 k.e's. 0.52 m.c's per second. H.K.T.

12-12.20 p.m. Relay of Service of Intercession from St. John's Cathe- drol.

12.30 Jack Nylion and His Orchen- ira with Sam Browne (Baritone).

"Bitter Sweet"--Selection... Jack Hylton: A Little Bit Independent (Leslie and Burke); Gypsy Violin (O'Flynn and Betzner)

Sam Browne; You Give Me Ideas-Fox- Song Trot (From "Please, Teacher'); Of The Cello -Fox-Trot (From Please, Teacher') What's Good For The Jack Hylton; Good oose, 18 Sem For The Grander (Frlend)

Browne and Girl Friend with Two Plonos; May All Your Troubles Be Little Ones-Fox-Trot (From 'She Shall have Musle'); My First Thrill --Fox-Trot (From 'She Shall have Music). Jack Hylton.

1.00 Time and Weather 1.03 Spanish Music,

Alerte-

"Assistant Magistrate of Police, Sherif, Provost Marshal, Marshal f the Vice Admiralty Court, Coroner, and Colonlu Treasurer pro tem.

Spanish Dance No. 2 (Granados) However, Mr. May's state of health rendered it

it imperative that

should he

... New Light Symphony Orchestra Eugene Goossens; conducted by rest from his labours, and

Andaluza on May 22, 1879, he left the Colony Sentir Gilano-Cancion Impaired physical constitution, t on leave for England. Owing to his (V. Moro-T. de Aquino-L. Munoz

slight Arenillas); Un Barberilio hopes were held out for his ultimate Cancion (J. L. Media Villa-k. recovery, and it was no mutter of Prado) _ ....... Conchita Supervia, surt surprise that when the steamer Mezzo-Soprano with Orchestra:

Tango (Firpe); Bella frlends in the Colony of Espanola-Pasodoble (Blafore)..... the fact that Mr. May had died on Orquesta Tipica Roberto Firpo; board ship three days after saling Quisiera Olvidar Tus Ojos (Sando- Eres Tu-Bolero from Hongkong, and that he had val- Albeniz):

buried at sea,

Benianino (Miguel Sandoval) certe at

states

Buenos Norton- Gizli (Tenor); Mi

Aires Kyshe in his 'History of the Laws Querido Tango (From 'Cuesta Ab and Courts Hongkong, the Colony njo)... Orquesta Tipica Francisco lust its oldest and at the same time Canaro,

130 one of Its most valued offlelais."

under a state of martial law, but / beries, assaults, nuisances, and other charges, but that he had no grounds arrived at Singapore a cable apprised | Carcajuda -

of

matters connected with the duties of the Police, instead of being reported to the Chief Magistrate as heretofore, should in future be at once brought of the Police, at the Central Police Station, near the old Market Place

May."

to the notice of the Superintend the Council concluded In

the

from

The task of re-organising Polles was by no means an easy one,

considering the material which he had to choose it

malable how well he accomplisti- et it.

Was

at length upon the confirmation of the island's status as a Colony under the British Crown, it was felt that it was now high time that the semblance of a Police Force should be organised: for with the passing of military rule, it became exceedingly difficult to cope with the rising tide of disorder, which soon attained the proportions

a regular "crime wave!" Robberies, murderous assaults and acts of violence became so frequent citizens who anz so hard to cope with that the had been sworn Ja as a sort of vigilance ecmmittee were at a hopeless disadvantage. At length, however, the then Governor, Henry Pottinger, rightly decided that under such circumstances, the only feasible remedy would be the establishment

of # Police Force, and with thia object in view Ordinance No. 12 of 1844 was

Chinese constables were then prac passed, "providing for the ap- tically unheard of, and the employ pointment amongst other things, of a Superintendent of Police underent of indians was still in the most

Sir

the orders of the Chief Magistrate of Police."

It was with this object in view that Mr. May was invited to come out to the Colony and to undertake the task of creating a proper low uphold- Ing body which would be capable of handling the situation.

|

It must be remembered thut In was not an enviable one; for taking those days the position of constable into account the fact of the dangers of the average policeman's life it is wonder that any recruits were to

be found at all.

Frequently, it was the wont of the authorities to impress European sea- men who were ineidontally "doing time in the gaol for various offences, to serve as constables in time of EINERIENCY.

untbryonic state,

In view of all the irksome diff-

culties of his appointment, pusterity must admit, that Mr. May did ex- ceedingly well, and the Colony. may well be proud of the infty truditions which were instilled into the Police Force by such a enpable

organiser.

However, Mr. May was not with- out his crities, and his Independent soirit and bluff, hearty disposition did not go well at times with the administration. This was especially true during the time of Sir John Bowring's governorship. Sir John, to put it mildly, did not entertain a very high opinion of Mr. May, the

Mr. Charles Mny was Lorn In England about 1820-the date is more or less conjectural, as there is very little biographical matter available concerning his curly life. 1t in known, however, that he came from R family of policemen; for his father, John May, was Superintendent. of the "A" Division of the London reason being. as he put it, "'on Metropolitan Police, which appoint-recount of his lamentable ignorance ment he had held from the forma of the Chinese written or spoken tion of the Force in 1829,

language. Indeed, In Sir John's candid opinion such a deficiency was too glaring for words, especially for a man who was entrusted with the Superintendency of the Police.

The first that we learn of Mr. Charles May is that, ke his father, he belonged to the London Police, where he had served for a number of years previous to his appointment to Hongkong.

R. MAY arrived in the Colony on M

February 28, 1845 on the ship Oriental. He was accompanied by two ex-London "bobbles", Merses, Thomas Smithers and Hugh McGre- gor, who were to uld him in his task of "whipping the nucleus of a force into shapo,"

His appointment as Superintendent of Police was duly gazetted on March

up that he might have in certain matters, yet he had rendered such valuable cervice to the Colony that "his

removal from loss to the Colony." Government employ would be a great

MM M

FTER his "white-washing" by the Legislative Council, Mr. May who previously severed his connec- tion with the Police Force, WDS

had

appointed by the Governor, Sir Her- cules G. R. Robinson, on Jan, 24, 1861 to the short-lived office of Civil Commissioner of Kowloon, pending receipt

instructions from the

Home Government.

Governing The honour was but a temporary one: for on March 30, the appoint- ment was rescinded in view of the fact that the "district of Kowloon was declared to be part and parcel of the Colony of Hongkong"" hence such an offcial post us Com- und

missioner was rendered unnecessary."

Mr. May, however, surved

*The

Colony in various capacities; for in

dent of the Colony's Police, te addition to his work as Superinten-

temporarily filled on more than one occasion, such important posts

NEW DRUG

HAS 45

LETTERS

ES

-Call It 2020'

Its

LAWSUIT

OVER TWINS

New York.

If a husband admits the pat- ernity of one twin, then the other is also his child, ruled Judge Beck in a remarkable cnsc

in the Circuit Court at Lake Andes, South Dakota.

La

Reuter and Rugby Press. Weather and Announcements.

1.40 Impressions.. D'Halia G. Charpentier.

Played by the Orchestre Symphoni- que and conducted by Gustave Char- pentier.

2.05 Miliary Band Music.

Grenadier Du Caucase (Meister); Entry of The Gladiators (Fucik); La Reve Passe (Krler & Helmer); Officer of The Day (Hall)....Massed Bands of the Northern Command conducted by Bandmaster R. C. Hanney, L.E.A.M., A.R.C.A.

2.15 Close Down.

6.0 Chinese Programme.

7.0 Closing local Stock Quotations. 7.05 London Eclay-Take Your Choice.'

The judge quoted from Shakes-up peare's "King John":

Sirrch, your brother is legiti mate,

Your father's wife did after wedlock bear him:

And if she did pay false, the fault was hers:

Which fault lies on the hazards of all husbands

That marry wives,

At an earlier trial before another judge, the husband said that his wife admitted making the acquaintance of "a man ucross the hall.

Doctors

sale there likelihood that the twins had different fathers.

was

A

A new blood pressure raising got no ruling on the paternity of his The husband won his divorce, but drug-styled 2020 for short-children until Judge Becic awarded is described in the Lancet by the twins to their mother on the Adividual who readily took sides, Bartholomew's Hospital. MR. MAY, moreover, was an in- Dr. F. Avery Jones, of St. round that they could not be legally

Illegitimate if born in wedlock. and we consequently find him in full chemical name is: volved in one of the most monstrous series of accusations which were Trimethoxybenzyl – dihydrofml -

made by the then Attorney-General, doazol hydrochloride. Mr. Thomas C. Anstey, against the Registrar-General, Mr. Caldwell. Fine, and can be injected or taken

Mr. May perhaps, believed that

by the mouth. the Attorney-General

in the In the

Was

It is a distant relation of adrenn-

treatment of operation right, but at least he should have shock dreaded complication of displayed better judgment; for he surgical invention”-Dr. Jones says 18, when a Government Notifienflon brought a veritable hornets' nest that the drug was used with appeared stating that, in CODER- down upon his head, and barely admirable results in five cases, three quence of the arrival from England'escaped the fate of Mr. Ausley, who, of which were also given coramine,

AGA KHAN'S NIECE IS WEDDED

Glimpse of the Lavish festivities when the niece of His Highness the Aga Khan, League of Nations' ent and; one of the youthflext men bir dilrabörid, was married recently. In Bomber, India. The

Bibl-Mutook 1-In-front-di

“right-centre.-The- groom,~ Yusufu-Haroon,

Fide are cover se»

WHEN

COUSINS MARRY

FIRST

Secret Behind A

Tragedy

SON UNBALANCED

feature

A weekly entertainment presented by William-MacLurg.

Introduction'-The Singers with the Orchestra; 'Inspector Sharp takes the Case' by the Melluish Brothers; No. 4 The Light-headed League': 'Songs I Remember Ench week n well-known artist from the stage or music-halls will come to the microphone to sing for you; "The Spinner of Death'-Episode 11- 'Sitani's Man-trap. An adventure serial by Franklyn Kelsey, Introduc- ing Jim Travers and his friends, Terence O'Malley and Jeremiah and the sinister character, Mr. Sitani;.

Yours sincerely-Orchestra.

7.35 London Relay-Songs of The Seasons.

No. 3 'Autumn,' Ten minutes autumn-time musle with Jonet Lind, Bernard Cillion; The Three Graces Presented by WII- and The Band. liam MacLurg.

7.45 Mfusioni Comedy Selections. lier)....Frank Westfeld's Orchestra, The Lilac Domino (Charles Cuvil- Prince of Wales' Playhouse. Lewis-

ham; Anything Goes Selection. (Cole Porter)....Carroll Gibbons and the Savoy Hotel Orpheans with vocal chorits.

8.0 Local Time Signal, Weather ant.Announcements.

-8.03 Studio Ettore Pellegati! (Cello) and Lindsay A. Lafford (Piano).

Une Larme (Dunker); 2. Polo- nalce brilliante Op. 3. (Chopin); 3. Pavane Pour Une Infante defunte (Ravel); 4. Elude-Caprice (Golter- mann): 5. Orientale (D. Popper); G. Gavotte (D. Popper).

6.30 Mozart-Symphony In D (No 35).

Played by the Halle Orchestra conducted by Sir Hamilton Harty.

8.53 Organ Music. Larghetto (S. S. Wesley),...G. D. Cunningham: La Nuit (Eleri); Even-

The first-born child of a marriage ing. Song (Bairstow)....Harry Goss- between first coustus is more likely to: Custard (Organ of Liverpool Cathe- develop an unbalanced mind than dral),

children of parents who are not re- 9.07 Studio Gaston, D'Aquina

Inted,

This faci was mentioned, by

doctor at the Inquest on Mrs. Lizzie

(Tenor) and E. O'Nell Shaw (Plano).

Addlo Mignon- 'Mignon'

2. Il Sogno Manon'

Thomas Paul Gaston D'Aquino; 3.

Robinson and her twenty-seven- year-old son, John

Solo; 4.

On

Away Awake Bo-

loved (Coleridge-Taylor); 6.

Robinson, who were found shot dead Lovely Night (London Ronald);

at a farm near Wolverton, Bucks.

о

The verdict was that Mrs. Robin-Povera Paicinella (Buzz!-Pecela)... son was murdered by her son and Gaston D'Aquino. that he committed

The

suicide during 9.30 London Relay The Newa

9.50 Dance Records, Orchestra Ain't Misbehavin'

opposed her

son's

temporary Insanity,

mother marriage to twenty-four-year-old (Walier Brooks); Way Down Kitty Neal, of Stony Stratford, who Yonder In New Orleans (Creamer- sald she thought the reason for the Layton) Max Abrams & His opposition was that. Robinson was in

li better social position than she was.

Rhythm Mokers; Orchestra Blue Danube Swing (Arr. Sid. Phillips). Eddie Carroll & His Swingphonie Orchestra.

10.0 Landon Relay-'Muslo Hall',

£56 LEFT OF With The BBC. Variety Orches

NUFFIELD £100,000

Oxford Congregation has approved payment of a sum "not exceeding" £99,044, out of Lord Nugiéid's £100,000 gift, for the erection and equipment of a laboratory of phy- alcul chemistry/

--- About - 30,000 will be needed for: equipment.

tra, conducted by Charles Shadwell,

110 Close Down.

DAVENTRY · PROGRAMME ·

..

7.20 a.m. Toples of the Day...”. A talle by

Collin Brooks, 7.35 m31) The Glasgow Corporation Trans-

port Department Pipe Band. 7.55 .. Tact or Fiction-Unicorns, imam. Recital by the Barrington

Quartet, 640me News and Announcements

"Greenwich „Time dignal, at.. 1,43 a.m........ a "mubig. Bing:8wini Gerenacta erat, 10.30. mum. The London Mozart Orchestra” 11:19. am. Talk 18 America aprax

(Continued pil Page153.

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