June 18, 1896.]
of the prisoners' legal rights, which is quite wrong. The truth is that the prisoners in Victoria Gaol are a very well cared for and healthy body of men, well fed and well lodged and not over worked. Our contemporary says that he has always been in favour, and is still in favour, of corporal punishment in fitting cases; that being so the question seems to resolve itself into one of detail, not one of general principles, and any excitation of popular feeling in England on the subject is, we think, to be deprecated, We look to the people to decide great questions of principle in the affairs of the state, but microscopic questions of detail are too small for them to take hold of. The "people of England" may safely leave the administration of Victoria Gaol to local control. Our contemporary some time ago remarked upon the good that might be accomplished by an exchange of views between the different papers upon public questions. It is in that spirit that we have taken up this question, and we trust our contemporary will not construe our remarks into a "wilful misrepresentation of "the scope and object of his writings." What we have dealt with is not so much the scope and object of the writings as their probable practical effect, which seems to us to tend towards an unhealthy popular agita- tion without any sufficient ground or justi-
fication.
THE JAPANESE AS COLONISERS.
Perhaps it is too early to pronounce a de- finite opinion on the subject, but appearances certainly seem to favour the conclusion that the Japanese are less adapted to colonisation
that are the Chinese. The sons of Han can adapt themselves to all climates and all conditions. They can labour in the tem- perate climates of Canada and the southern provinces of Australia as well and as success- fully as they can in the tin and gold mines of the tropical Malay peninsula and in the tobacco plantations of Sumatra and sugar fields of Demerara. So long as he is permitted a fair field and no favour the Chinese coolie will thrive in almost any part of the globe. flourishing where others would almost Indeed his capacity for
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. increasing by degrees. Later on attention was directed to Hawaii as a field for the employment of Japanese labour, and Japa- nese steamers have in recent years carried a good many thousands of Japanese labourers to Honolulu, where they soon obtained remu- nerative employment on the sugar planta- tions, being heartily welcomed there as a set-off to the ever increasing Chinese popu lation. This emigration has proved fairly successful, and large sums have been re- mitted to Japan by the emigrant labourers. But neither in Loochoo not in Formosa do the Japanese as yet seem to have made much impression. In the former island no doubt. the native population is sufficient for all. wants, and beyond the establishment of a few traders and agencies the Japanese have made no effort to overrun the islands, and the natives are left in peace so long as they obey the new laws imposed upon them.
When Japan acquired Formosa much in terest was felt as to how she would handle her new possession, what she would do with it. Geographically the island undoubtedly forms a part of the chain of which. Yezo and the Kuriles are the northern terminations. The aborigines are, too, allied to the Malayan types found in the Philippines, &c., and from whom the Japanese are be- lieved to have partly sprung. Formosa never was in any sense a Chinese island, but the pirate KOXINGA found it a fair and fruitful country, and he succeeded not only in dislodging the Dutch settlers, but he continued to occupy it and bring the western half more or less under cultivation. The malarious swamps of Formosa were no impediments to Chinese colonisation, and as time went on the hardy settlers widened
their boundaries and encroached ever more and more on the aboriginal preserves in the hills. The fever was fought by the aid of opium and the aborigines by treachery, and the dogged perseverance of the Celestial bade fair to more or less conquer both, at least to the extent of becoming acclima- tized to the one and to effecting the gradual effacement of the other, when the island passed into the hands of Japan. Can the Japanese make a permanent con- subdued the Chinese, and may without any quest of the island? They have practically
starve has led to his exclusion from coun- very great straîn continue to hold them tries where the Caucasian working man has down. But can they make Formosa a had to contend against his competition. In Japanese island, and render it a loyal por the United States and the Australian tion of the Mikado's dominions? It is Colonies the influx of the Chinese was re-stated that the climate is already making garded with jealousy and in some cases with sad havoc with the few Japanese who have alarm lest the yellow element should in time settled in the island, and that the mortality swamp the white and ruling race. It is among both civilians and military is very very doubtful whether there was ever any serious. So far, too, there has been no real cause for this apprehension, for the attempt made to promote Japanese trade or Chinese when emigrating to distant coun- industries in Formosa, and, beyond the admi- tries always leave their families behind and nistration of the Government by Japanese hasten back to their own land so soon as officials, practically no change has occurred they have acquired a little capital. But either in the north or south of the island. the American and Australian would not be Unless the Japanese agriculturists and content until they had legislated in such mechanics can be induced to emigrate to almost entirely exclude the thither until in course of time they out Mongolian, who still, however, finds many number the Chinese there is little prospect outlets for his superabundant energies. of the island becoming Japanesed, and if The Japanese, until very lately, have paid this process cannot be carried out, it is no attention to this problem, chiefly because difficult to conceive of this new possession they had no appreciable surplus population. ever proving much of a prize to its new Like the French, they not only loved their owners. country but remained in it, and it is only since the rise of their rapidly growing mercantile marine that they have given a thought to emigration. The first movement in this direc- tion was to encourage migration to the Hokkaido in order to promote the develop ment of its resources, but even this project was not very popular, and the great northern island is still very sparsely in- habited, though its productions are now
wise as
We alluded; in a recent issue, to a strong re- vival in the kerosine industry in Echigo pro- vince, and we now find a note on the subject in a vernacular contemporary. 1t appears that the Meiyei Kerosine Company distributed to for the half-year ended in March. The sum its shareholders a dividend of 8 yen per share paid up on each share is 10.40 yen, so that this dividend represents 153.8 per cent. annually.- Japan Mail.
497
THE PAROCHIALISM OF THE COLONIAL OFFICE.
Referring to the ambiguous telegram re- specting the Secretary of State's decision as to the appointment of additional unofficial mem- the Straits Times says: bers to the Hongkong Legislative Council,
(4
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66
To-day's telegram "does not enlighten us as to the tenour of "the despatch that has been sent. There can be little or no doubt, however, that the "desire of Hongkong for an unofficial majority in the Council will be denied. "There are many constitutional reasons, "that we have frequently reiterated, which "make such a concession impossible from an Imperial point of view. The Colonial Office is Imperial in its policy, not parochial. But Hongkong conceivably may obtain a Municipality." If the colony obtained a municipality it would afford. cause for sincere rejoicing, but we fear that is too much to hope for at present. What we wish to draw attention to, however, is our contemporary's peculiar remark that the Colonial Office is Imperial in its policy, not parochial." A more fallacious state- ment could hardly be made. The thirst Office, as represented by its permanent for power and patronage in the Colonial
officials, lends it to hang on as long as possible to every little rag of parochial authority it ever possessed, and the incum- Crown Colonies with which it concerns brance of the parochial affairs of the various itself prevents its taking that broad Imperial view which is so desirable but is so often absent. True Imperialism has nothing to do with parochialism, but the Colonial Office wants to retain in its own hands all parochial powers, thereby diminishing its Imperial usefulness. In Hongkong we cannot even put up a lamp-post without incurring a possible veto from the Colonial Office. There is not much Imperialism about that.
seems
see it.
.
THE QUEEN'S STATUE, The dissatisfaction with the Queen's statue to grow greater in proportion as
deserving of the encomiums lavished upon familiarity with it increases. The statue itself when closely examined seems hardly
it at first, and it fails in its main purpose of keeping the presentment of the Queen pro- minently before the people because it is so completely enclosed in a ridiculous canopy that one must go almost up to the steps to points of view it is the canopy alone that is seen and a stranger looking at the singular object would be lost in conjecture as to what it could possibly be. The canopy might - come in useful for a drinking fountain or something of that kind, but the sooner it is removed from the Queen's statue the better. It is disappointing to see so much money wasted, but there is no disguising the fact that the canopy is a mistake without a single redeeming feature and that its removal, now that we have got it, would be well worth all the expenditure it would entail. We would then have the statue disclosed to view, and although it falls somewhat short of what was expected, it would nevertheless be a public adornment and would better answer the purpose for which it was erected.
At a little distance and from certain
Mr. McLeavy Brown is insisting upon a real control of the department whose supervision he has been charged with in Seoul. The ex- Finance Minister, In Yozen, disapproved the newcomer's methods, and himself came to
grief, and now niue subordinates have unwill- ingly followed their late chief into official exile. -Hyogo News.
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