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only from the " quarantine blockade." The junk trade is not affected by that and will therefore show no diminution from that cause, but the effect on foreign shipping will, it is to be feared, prove as serious as if the disease were really raging in virulent epidemic form, It is not the plague but the quarantine that ships fear and to them it makes little or
no practical difference whether the circumstances justify the imposition of quarantine or not. We may therefore look for a scusible diminution in the tonuage entering the harbour and a consequent falling off in the various branches of business in any way dependent upon shipping.
46
no
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
mistaken in fact as it is faulty in con- struction. In the first place there was "Property Cabal in the case at all, and in the second place, there is no reason to suppose that had the district been burnt there would have been one case of plague the less in the colony So far as property owners were concerned, their personal and pecuniary interests lay in the total destruction of all the houses. To those who owned property in the area the resump- tion by the Crown gave them a return for their holdings that they could not have obtained in the open market, and property owners outside the area benefited by the demand for house accommodation on the part of those who had been turned out of Taipingshan. The agitation for the partial improvement of the condemned area instead of its total demolition and recon- struction rested therefore on an entirely unselfish ground, namely, the saving that would thereby have resulted to the public purse, a matter which affects the general population much more than the landlords, for it is on the tenants that the burden of the rates falls. The agitation failed, how- ever, total demolition being decided upon, but the Government, seeing nd advantage to be gained by burning, elected to sell the material of which the houses were composed. What amount is expected to be realised by the sale we do not know, but it cannot be very considerable. The saving of the whole area would have been a matter of seven or eight lakhs of dollars; the sale of the material is one of a few thousands only, and it is open to question whether it might not be advisable to yield to ignorant prejudice so far as to refrain from the sale of the portion still re- maining and dispose of it otherwise, burning the woodwork and dumping the bricks somewhere under water. It would not make one particle of difference so far as the plague is concerned, but it would be some advantage to allay apprehension. In another column it will be seen that the material com- posing thirteen houses in Tank Lane is adver- tised for sale on Friday next. At the present time, when a few sporadic cases of plague are occurring and the colony has been declared infected, the sale of this material might create an unfavourable impression and cause needless alarm, and as the pecuniary side of the question is now really not worth consideration it might be advis able to cancel the auction.
If it were not for the consequences to trade the occurrence of sporadic cases of plague in the colony, so long as adequate precautions are taken against the spread of the disease, would not be a matter of much more serious consequence than a few cases of measles or smallpox. Under the circum- stances, however, very energetic measures to stamp out the disease and to prevent the introduction of any cases from the adjoining | mainland are called for. Measures have been taken all along for the segregation of the inhabitants of houses where cases of plague, have occurred, the limewashing of houses has been made compulsory, and at its meeting on Thursday the Sanitary Board ordered a house to house inspection of the Central and Western-districts. The by-law under which the resolution was passed is No. 22 of the by-laws made under section 13 of Ordinance 15 of 1894, and it provides that "In any neighbourhood affected by "such diseases and within such limits as shall frour time to time be de- "fined by the Sanitary Board, the officers "of the said Board" duly authorised in writing may make a house to house "visitation for the purpose of inspecting the sanitary condition of any premises so visited and of all and every part thereof, "and of ascertaining whether there are any persons in or upon the said premises at- "tacked or affected by the said diseases or "who have died thereof. If the premises visited or any part thereof shall be found in a dirty or insanitary condition in the opinion of the officer making such visita- tion, he may forthwith take steps to have "the same thoroughly cleansed and disin- "fected by the staff of the said Board or by "contractors or others specially appointed "for that purpose,” etc. The house to house visitation is an unpopular measure and can hardly fail to be attended with more or less annoyance and possibly in some cases with substantial hardship. It is, however, a necessary measure under the circumstances, and we must trust to the discretion of the officers engaged in the work to make the annoyance as small as possible. If the powers possessed by the Sanitary Board and its officers are energetically employed we may reasonably hope in a very short time that the colony will once more be able to issuc absolutely clean bills of health.
"
"
CL
THE SALE OF BUILDING MATERIAL FROM THE TAIPINGSHAN PLAGUE DISTRICT.
Error dies hard. The China Mail of Saturday evening once more refers to the efforts made to save the Taipingshan area from destruction and says that "the gain to the colony which would have accrued had "the condemned district heen properly and promptly dealt with at the time, but for the "frantic efforts of the Property Cabal, no "doubt can now be raised." The sentence is as
DIRECTORS AND THEIR FEES.
|
The question of directors' fees is at present exciting some interest in the colony. When the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank twelve months ago increased the amount payable to the gentlemen constituting the Board not a word of dissent was uttered at the meeting at which the decision was arrived at, but some outcry was raised afterwards, and the same thing has occurred in connection with the increase in the fees of the directors of the Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Co. de- cided upon the other day. It would be more satisfactory if the dissentients would attend the meetings at which such questions are raised, argue out the point, and endeavour to give effect to their views, instead of writ- ing anonymous letters to the press afterwards. It would also be more satisfactory, when an increase of fees is in contemplation, if due and formal notice were given of the resolution intended to be proposed, so that shareholders might have an opportunity of considering the matter beforehand. Such matters ought not to be carried by a surprise vote question, and, if the truth were known, it is probably
[March 4, 1898.
more the manner in which the increase is given than the actual increase itself that excites hostility. Directors are a necessity, they have duties to perform, they incur legal re- sponsibilities, and it is only reasonable that they should be fairly remunerated. Each case should be judged on its own merits. The dollar is now worth only half of what it used to be in sterling, and where the business of a Company has largely increased and the profits can afford it it seems not un- reasonable that the directors should be willing to take something in the way of exchange compensation, like Government officials, though the increase may not be called by that name. In the case of Consulting Committees the circumstances are rather, different from those of Companies managed by a Board of Directors. The functions of a Con- sulting Committee are more or less nominal and the legal responsibility rests upon tile General Managers. Members of Consulting Committees cannot, therefore, expect to be treated on quite the same footing as directors. For our own part, however, we would be glad to see the principle of payment by results introduced into public companies all round. Let the fixed fees be low, just sufficient to give some tangible remuneration for the time and trouble expended, and a percentage of the profits be given when the dividend exceeds a certain amount. When shareholders have to go without dividends or with only very small ones it is natural that they should look with all unfriendly .eye on the figures in the accounts representing the cost of management, but when a Com- pany is paying dividends at the rate of twenty-four per cent. it seems a little un- gracious to carp at the more liberal re- muneration of directors. It is not merely the directors' time that has to be paid for, but their business skill and judgment.
QUARANTINE IMPOSED AT
SINGAPORE,
Telegraphic information was received by the Government on the evening of the 27th Feb. that the Singapore Government has declared Hongkong to be infected owing to bubonic lague, and that quarantine regulations are. in force at Singapore identically the same as published in the Official Gazette of 19th May,
1894.
We understand that the P. & O. Company have received a telegram from their Singapore agency, in reply to an inquiry with reference to the Ravenna, which left on Thursday, to the effect that ships may pass through Singapore without quarantine if there are no Chinese on board, but if there are Chinese the regulations will be enforced. At Colombo the regulations are the same as before and no Chinese will be allowed to land there.
The following is the quarantine notice issued at Singapore in 1894:-"Information having been received that a contagious disease, namely, bubonic plague, has broken out at Hongkong, it is hereby declared by the Governor that the port of Hongkong is infected. Under the regulations made by the Governor in Council under The Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance, 1886,' all vessels arriving from Hongkong will be put in quarantine and thero detained for nine days from the date of departure from Hongkong, or from the date of the last case of the said disease on board, or until released by the Health Officer."
Snow fell at Foochow on the morning of the 15th February, from six to eight o'clock, but as it was followed by rain and subsequently by a bright sun all traces of it soon vanished ex- cepting on the hill tops. There has been snow but once in Foochow during the last forty years' and that was in January, 1893.—Echo,
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