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April 25, 1895.|
THE NEW BRITISH DOLLAR AND
THE CHOPPING SYSTEM.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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299
hands of the Chinese and foreign interests for nearly three weeks in conse-reading an extract from the report of the would be represented perhaps solely by the quenco of a dispute between foreigners and Commission, which was as follows:- That steamship agencies. But the trade in foreign Chinese in reference to payment in broken "the Medical Officer should be adviser to the goods would be largely increased and the silver. Foreign firms had succeeded in esta- “Government on all sanitary matters through beneficial effect would be felt both in Eng-blishing the custom of payment in clean dol- the Sanitary Board, to which he should land and in Hongkong.
lars or bank notes. All went well for a time, "be attached, and on which he should oc- but at last the Chinese determined to make
cupy a seat. He should have no vote, his an attempt to force their chopped dollars on
"duties on the Board being purely of an the European importers, by which the latter "advisory nature, it being undesirable that would be losers and the former gainers to the
he should enter into discussion on the Mr. T. JACKSON deserves the thanks of the extent of one per cent. And unfortunately point on which he should be called upon mercantile community for the remarks he the attempt succeeded for a time, owing to to advise, his duties being of a similar made at the meeting of the Chamber of want of combination amongst the European
nature to those laid down by the Corpora Commerce on Friday in reference to the firms. The system of payment by bank notes,
"tion of the City of London." The question chopping of dollars. With the advent of the cheque, or clean dollars has since been re- of whether the officer should have a vote on British dollar it was hoped that the chopped established, but history has a way of repeating the Sanitary Board or not is of secondary Mexican would disappear from circulation, itself, and with a mutilated currency business importance; the important point is that his that the colony would be in possession of a is liable at any time to be brought to a stand. recommendations to the Government should clean and respectable currency, and that every still by disputes between buyers and sellers eb made through the Board and that he dollar would be what it purported to be and as to the medium of payment. The standard should carry out the directions of the Board. would not be subject to a discount on account coin of a acountry ought to admit of no
The Commission recommended that his of an absurd and wasteful defacement. Mr. dispute as to its value, and the dollar cir duties should be of a similar nature to JACKSON says, however, that in order to culating in Hongkong, ought to be relatively those laid down by the Corporation of the meet the special requirements of this as reliable a coin as the gold sovereign of City of London. The Ordinance does not colony, as they say at home, the Go-vern Great Britain. The Chamber of Commerce carry out that recommendation. Every one ment to allow the British dollar to be on Friday passed a resolution requesting the knows what the duties of Medical Officers of chopped and still remain legal tender. Government to legislate for the protection Health at home are, and the duties of the If that decision should be carried out it would of the new coins from the foolish practice of officer in Hongkong should be similar, that be an unfortunate thing for the colony, as chopping and defacement. The Government is, he should report to and advise the the opportunity would then te lost of will do great injury to the interests of the Sanitary Authority aud carry out the direc- putting the currency on a proper basis. The colony if it fails to comply with the request. tions of that body. It is intended, however, mutilation of the coins places the currency
that Surgeon-Major WESTCOTT shall be in- dependent of the Sanitary Board, although himself a member of that body, and it will be incompetent for the Board to give him any directions:
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·
TARY BOARD.
(19th April.)
of Hongkong at a discount as compared THE GOVERNMENT AND THE SANI. with that of Japan and the Straits, where chopping is not practised, and in the ordin ary retail transactions in the colony itself the possessor of a chopped dollar on paying The Legislative Council passed the Medical Certain duties and responsibilities are it away is liable to be mulcted in a discount Officer of Health Bill on Wednesday and thrown upon the Sanitary Board by law of a cent or two. The objections to chopping so perpetrated another absurdity. The and if those duties and responsibilities are therefore not founded on merely HON. HO KAI made a very sensible are to be properly_discharged the Board sentimental considerations. Payments in speech in opposition to the Bill, in must have a sufficient and competent settlement of large commercial trans-which he urged that the officer should staff of officers. A short time ago it was pro- actions are now usually made in bank exercise powers delegated to him by posed that the offices of Secretary to the notes or by cheque and the incon- the Board, instead of being endowed Board and Sanitary Superintendent should vience of chopped dollars is therefore with independent powers. The Sanitary be separated and that a new appointment not so great as it was in the earlier days of Board, the bon. member pointed out, is the should be made as Sanitary Superintendent. the colony. It would appear, too, if Mr. existing authority in the colony for sanitary It was, however, agreed after discussion that GRANVILLE SHARP is correct--and he is an matters, and the inspection of houses and if a Health Officer was appointed a authority on the subject that the practice everything pertaining thereto was placed separate officer as Sanitary Superintendent of chopping is itself going out of fashion. under the Board, and solely under the would be unnecessary, but that was on the "The Chinese," Mr. SHARP says," are in no Board; but the present Ordinance gave assumption that the Health Officer would way in favour of chopping dollars. Every power of inspection to another man, namely, be an officer of the Board. Now that it is "hong occasionally chops a thousand dollars the Medical Officer of Health. The Colonial seen the Health Officer, however valuable ns a sort of demonstration in order to be Secretary in reply said he had en his services may be considered by the Go- "able to say We always chop our coins, deavoured to find in the hon. gentleman's vernment, will be of no direct assistance to "and if you want us to exchange a bad remarks some cogent reason for not the Board, possibly the former proposal will: "dollar you must show us our mark upon passing the Bill, but in vain, We trust be revived, and if carried into effect it will "it.' The practice is now fast going out, the speech he made on Wednesday is not mean that the colony will have to pay for "and you may now go into Bonham Strand a fair sample of the debating power of our two officers where one would do. The Co- "and that district without hearing the chop-new Colonial Secretary. The hon. gentleman lonial Secretary says he does not see how any "ping bammer being used. There is now must be aware that when new measures are collision could occur between the Medical "very little of it, and I feel sure that introduced it is the duty of those introduc- Officer of Health and the Sanitary Board. "if Mr. Jackson and other bankers were to ing them to show reasons why they should Well, there may not be collision, but will "adopt a plan of disconraging this method-be passed, not to introduce them without there be co-operation, which is the important "we should have a clean currency, and any statement of reasons and then ask the thing? Not so long as the arrangement "save thereby four-fifths of the trouble opposition to show why they should not be now decided upon continues. The Me- "of shroffing." If this is a correct state-passed. But in the present instance not a dical Officer will have no control over the ment of the present position it would be espe- word was said directly in favour of the Bill, Sanitary Board's staff of Inspectors, and cially foolish for the British Government presumably because nothing could be said, what good he can effect without the assistance to favour the perpetuation of a discredited and the Colonial Secretary's reply to the of such a staff we fail to see. As the Hon. system, which is itself gradually dropping Hon. Ho KAI was feeble, illogical, and, so Ho KAI remarked, the officer ought to take out of use. The new British dollar if pro- far as a question of fact was involved, inacca-charge of the inspecting staff and see that perly treated has every prospect of success, rate. Some time ago a Commission was they carry out their work in a proper man- but if it is subjected to mutilation it is im-appointed to enquire into the working of ner. But as he is not to be himself an officer possible to say what may be its fate. It is the Medical Department. That Commission of the Board, the Board cannot give him au- slightly inferior to the Mexican in weight consisted of Deputy Inspector-General thority over its staff, and the appointment and the destructive process of chopping KNOTT, of the Royal Navy, Surgeon-Colonel of Surgeon-Major WESTCorr seems likely, will therefore be relatively mere de- PRESTON, of the Army Medical Staff, Dr. therefore, to serve no useful purpose. The leterious to the British than to the Mexi-CANTLIE, the Hon. A. MCCONACHIE, and appointment has evidently been made in a can dollar. If it should happen that a Mr. THURBURN. The Colonial Secretary said spirit of hostility to the Board and under large quantity of the dollars chopped to such that the views expressed in the Commission's conditions intended to carry out the dis- an extent as to reduce them below the legal report were similar to those embodied in astrous policy hitherto pursued of endeavour- limit of "least current weight" should ac the Bill under consideration, except that ing to cast heavy responsibilities upon the cumulate in Chinese hands some concerted the Commission considered that instead of Board while refusing it the necessary means attempt would no doubt be made to palm the Medical Officer having a seat and a vote of carrying out its duties. It has not been them off on the foreign merchant and let at the Sanitary Board he should only have stated to what department Surgeon-Major him bear the loss. In 1887 business in a seat with a consultative voice. That WESTCOTT is to be attached, but he is not to the cotton and yarn trade was stopped was answered by the Hon. A. MCCONACHIE belong to the Sanitary Department. Will
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