1939-03-07 — Page 6

Life Begins at 8:01

A. S. WATSON à Ca Lid

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The

B

ETTER ABAN

DON Hongkong forthwith than, have it continue to be a liability to the British Crown.",

These are strange words to day, but less than ninety years ago they were the war-cry of a militant group. (in England who were deter-

the saloobion uniorbona ba

Teitur to var position in Chil occupation of such a wrich od aput brought rest diserdik upon sa.

--Parliamentury Report, Marein, 1947.

Majesty's 38th Regiment lost at Hongkong in 21 month, 257 men by death, 690

But in this and other regl ments, it is not merely the deaths which indicate disease and a per- nicious climate; it is the great number of men Invalided, and conatantly unfit for duty. One. half the men of a company are frequently unable to attend parade; out of 100 men there are

THIS WAS OLD HONGKONG

mined to force public brought great discredit upon opinion to realise that this us,' was the only rational courge.

Hongkong Telegraph. Sung to the tune of "Hail Colum-

'Phone 26615 March 7, 1939

*

☆

the

+

#

X

M

"These morbific, gases do not sometimes not more than five or arise from vegetable or animal six fit for duty." decomposition, ns the island does 85 miles per hour with excel-

Hot possess the one or the other.

AS IF NOT content with this lent top gear performance.

They even carried their agita THOSE IN favour of retaining "But decomposed mineral

damning summary of Hong- tion to Parliament, and the

the island as a Colony were substances yield an acriform

kong, its enemies sought to Independent front wheel. sus-House of Commons in the carly accustomed to quote the words poison, under some circum-

part of the year 1847 was seri- of Sir John Francis Davis, the stances of a more deadly nature local climate. Said an ex-army paint a further picture of the pension.

Qualy invited to consider the second Governor of Hongkong, than those produced by either officer during the 'forties: abandonment of the island, be- who said: "Mark my words, of the other kingdoms of nature.

"Military and naval men who cause it was causing positive in- gentlemen, Hongkong will some jury to Britain.

"This gas does not rise more have served in Africa and India day be the Carthage of

than a few feet from the earth; feel the effects of the gun in The agitation voiced by the East."

it slowly mingles with the sur- Hongkong in a manner never be- anti-Hongkong group was echoed The Colony's enemies at rounding atmosphere, and, when fore experienced. by the efforts of song-writers, Home, however, gave these pro- not causing immediate illness, "Even at Macao, only 40 miles who brought into existence a phetic words the veritable produces a depressing effect on west of Hongkong, Europeans number of ribald airs lampoon- "horse-laugh", and guilawed in mind and body, which under may walk about the whole day ing "the barren rock 'way out in reply:

mines and destroys the strong- in the month of July, when to that if Chiney," predicting

"Of course, Sir John Davis is est constitution."

do so at Hongkong would be at-

tended

almost Hongkong were not abandoned,

with

certain he's been an old China hand.. then Heaven would see to it that out in the East so long that the

death..... it turned out to be of no carthly

tropical sun has affected THE REPORT of the Surveyor- "The Chinese deem it a dan- advantage to the possessor. his head. He ought to know General to the Home Govern- gerous experiment to prolong One of these ditties, strange- better in any case, it is ment on August 25, 1843 was their abode in the island beyond ly enough, was written by a impossible to raise revenue from likewise held up as eloquent tes- a certain time. They have ever pirate convict in Victoria Gaol. such a place.

Limony to the effect that Hong- viewed Hongkong as injurious "The endeavour to squeeze as kong as n Colony was a dis- to health and fatal to life, bia," it had as its chorus the

"The Europeans who survive Wyndham St., Hongkong following malediction:

much as possible out of a poor astrous experiment. struggling settlement neces-- This official was quoted as a brief residence in this climate, “Some day pʻraps earthquakes sarily causes irritation.

saying: "The number of inter- generally get a lassitude of an irritability of her foundation

"How is one going to raise a ments has been so great (in the frame, and Will shake to its deep base in

at Wan- fibre, which destroys the spring

malign in- revenue when there is not one European graveyard the nea

A blessing Twill be to each respectable Chinese inhabitant chai, which was abandoned in of existence. A

in the island, and

has the 'sixties) that the enclosure fuence operates on the system all been?.

Indeed, no respectable is almost full, and the hill be in a most distressing manner, Chinese will live at Hongkong." hind it so rocky that it is im- which is not removed by a re- possible to dig into it, therefore turn to Europe; on the contrary, ere long it will be necessary to the sufferers frequently die in provide another place. But it England soon after their arri-

val." wisdom of the present methods of IT SEEMS absurd to modern

renders that there were SO IN ORDER to force the issue, will be difficult to select another dealing with defence from air-at-many people so rabidly opposed

the elique of malcontents in

cemetery, on account of the

✰ ✩ * tuck in seriously open to question. to possession of the Colony. England, who were determined

rocky and uneven nature of the ATE, however, decreed that An exhibition which is to open However, that was apparently that the Government should be

island."

the Colony which was once. at the Peninsula Hotel to-morrow the normal state in the fate made to rectify its "mistake" in

widely andl thoroughly will not lessen the disquiet that has forties and early 'fifties, and regard to the selection of Hong-

muligned should be retained as a been simmering in the public some of those afflicted with kong, would quote statements

chortled the dis British possession, and that the nind. Experience in a city "Hongkongphobia" attained for from those who had been out "SEE"

gruntled element in obvi- quondam straggling. eettlement less than a hundred miles away ja tinte considerable notoriety here when the Colony

ous glee, "if they can't find an- of Victoria, built along Queen's founded, and they singled out other spot to bury in, would it Road, should expand, and be from this Colony has shown that inland a large following,

the climate to prove their case. not be the best thing for Gov- come the vast city that it is to- thickly populated areas, deep shel-

Imagine some one nowadays ters are the only certain defence making a statement such as this

The following is a description ernment to adopt our policy day, thereby fulfilling the ardent against bombs. Where deep shel-anent the Colony in which we of the rainy season of Hong and abandon the blessed place hopes of its founders, who so 0000€ | ters

kong, taken from the pen of a lock, stock, and barrel." are not used, as in China, live:

fervently declared that "somo Colony in casualties have been heavy. In "I have devoted twenty years man who left the

"Besides," they added, as they day, Hongkong would contain a 1844: Spain, and particularly Barcelona, of my life to the investigation of

towards the end of solemnly shook their heads, "the population equal to that of an- where subterranean shelters were the Colonies of England," said

destruction of life since our cient Rome, and, moreover, constructed, casualties werg re- Mr. Robert Montgomery Martin, May, and throughout June, July, occupation of Hongkong has would be the Tyre of the Far duced to almost ail and the danger H. M. Treasurer for the Colonial and August, and part of Sep- been so enormous. of panie was eliminated.

and Consular Service in China, tember, the rain descends in tor- Hongkong's geographical position speaking in March 1847 to the rents, with a force of continu-

of Commons. "An India, Africa, Australasia, or,

FITS INTO THE SMALLER HOME WITHOUT.

EITHER DWARFING THE

OF

REST THE FURNISHINGS OR ITSELF LOOKING A "MINIATURE"

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Ho

[ONGKONG, by an accident of geography, is peculiarly vul- nerable from the air, and the

mition

When she's crush'd to Efericity."

*

الله

never

*

Wis

**

50

East."

"Last year (1843) the deaths

makes this Colony the most vulner-Parliamentary Committee of the ance, such as is never seen in among the troops in the island T. Paul Gregory

able part of the British Empire House:

ONE-EYED

I SWALLOWMED the bait-

hook, line and sinker.

in the event of war in the Pacific examination of Hongkong-in-its-any-other-part-of the world.... "The clouds pour down one involving Britain. But our topo- most favourable aspect, Induces

washing vást sheet of water, graphy makes it possible for us to me to entertain the opinion...

that Hongkong will never be away hills and rocks, surround- purchase comparative immunity for| almost the entire population at a come a commercial depot; that ing the island with deep ravines, fraction of the cost to cities which it is unsuitable for a Colony by and saturating the soft, porous, have no hills into which tunnels reason of its rocky site and bar- putrescent strata, to the extent ren structure, and incapable of of many feet, with daily renewed producing food for one day for moisture. Hongkong has been too bear

"In the intervals of rain, a backing the flats. its inhabitants; . . . and from to aerial warfare to delude itself every point of view I consider nearly vertical sun acts with an There he was, sploshing about that the existing Air Raid precau- the selection of Hongkong as the intense evaporative power, and bare-footed in the dirty puddled clad, blue with tions are by any means adequate. most unfortunate step that has a noxious steam or vapour arises mure, scantily

can be burrowed.

Our initial encounter occurred when 'exercising a yapping! terrier on the waste ground

SAM By N. B. W.

with his general demeanour, We have seen a succession of vast been taken with regard to our from the foetid soil, yielding cold and misery in the drizzling.AM'S excellent English, coupled and intensive nir bombardments position in China. The occupa- gases of a most sickly and deity worn to Hongkong February at even in his pitiable and Insufficient worst, the blustering wind which rags, seemed to point to possibilitins shocking and devastating in their tion of such a wretched spot has terious nature

sweeps that dreary, seemingly end for redemption from his apparent Jess. road searching into every woes.

effect less than a hundred milesi

from our own city; we have had

living men and women torn and

mangled even in our own territory. GRIN AND BEAR IT

Our weakness lica in our un- educated population, and our enemy's advantage will surely le In attempting to smash the morale of those people. Only one thing can prevent any threat to that mornle and that is the knowledge by the masses that real security lies in our Colony: tony. Given

that deep sheltera

ក Rive

It: shallow makeshifts certainly cannot-there le

reason why Hongkong should not he as safe as elties a thousand miles further from the scene of conflict, Besides, common humanity and the need to protect even our humblent citizen from unnecessary shock and sulfer- ing dictate that we should adopt the most effective method of defence. The Only Way

FOR

no

OR THE thickly populated, val- nerable areas the deep shelter is the only safe defence. In Hongkong we are fortunate that we can dig herizontally into mountain-sides In- stend of verilaally into the bowels of the earth for shelter.

Government is calling for thou- sands of volunteers to man the vari ous passive defence forces that are being formed in this Colony, Volun teers should demand, as a quid pro quo, that Government seriously take into Hand this question of tunnels, in order to give safeguards for women and children that all the auxiliary Are-fighters, decontamination' squads, auxiliary nurses and other voluntary organisations will not be able to pro- vide.

“Testing, 1—2—3, teating,

By Lichty

'well-clothed anatomy.

crevice of oven my comparatively At the time needing a house-coollo I pondered upon the feasibility of One bleary eye regarded me with creating for one at least a far, far what I took to be anxious entreaty: better world: crussly giving no the other was roughly swathed in thought to what might be Sam's own filthy cotton, his fleshless paw grasp-ideas of aggrandisement. ing a bottle of lotion.

Eventually I took him upstairs,

A greying, bent ald Bgure, he told showed him round (sleeping quar me in almost faultless English that ters, etc.,) and foolishly disregarded he had been a tailor, that falling the scowls of the already existing eyesight had lost him his' job. and domestle.

could I do this or could I do that? Given $10, he was shooed out to I did that, whereby I seemed to get a bath "chop-chop" and decently Lave provided myself with a pen-it himself out. rioner-but not for life, as things No doubt the sequel has been forn- Wonder at turned out.

seen. Sam levanted. the mentally which could spurn de- CAM MADE it his business to discent security in favour of a squalid and miserable semi-existence was .cover the hours of my congmingled with despondency at my out and my comings-in, and stationed failure in "plasing God" and the himself at the entrance to the fats. breakdown of my foncfed talent in

And ten cents become his dolly the devinction of character. portion.

And I could but smile ruefully at

It was (unworthily but naturally) some comfort to me later on that his the "Of course!" and the "I told you. so!" attitudes of my obviously, more damaged eye was really a genuine discerning friends.

affliction.

I sent him to hospital, whence he returned cleanly and expertly band-

SERIES of small-hour burglaries

nged and hugging a new, bottle of incensed the occupanti: of the medicament.

block, scarcely a tenant who had not- Where he lived between the haunt, suffered.

ing of my doorstep I had no idea.. It was patent that the Intruder The first inkling things being enterai, via the. flat roof, a tour of rather other than they acemed hap- Inspection revealing, neatly slowed pened one, day when 1. caught sight away beneath the wafer-tanks, an of Sam (on the other side of the admirably complete equipment or Horbour) in much better trim and good, stout ship's roping, a comfort- In animated, not to say belligerent able, well-made swing Boat-pl conversation with a mob of not too shipshape and Bristol fashion. prepossessing-looking Individunis- This paraphernalia was handed not of the coolie or beggar, type, and over to the polico-the nightly difficult to place. However, my per-visitations continued.

ceptive faculties being still dormant, A further tour unearthed a fully, I procured through a kindly-hearted, replaced apparatus, Probably secret- Chinese medical friend a letter of ed during the day to be called for admission to an efficiently adminis at nightl tered hospitalove's labour lost, or Omicinis questioned", the teaints. will appear.

(Continued on Page 6.)