Adort € 1897:1
body called the “Increased Armaments Committee has recently been called istence for the express purpose of endes g to stifle our setion. Of course, no who has any knowledge of naval affairs, or who has made a study of our position, would the smallest attention to the statements of
but, after all, the bulk of our country- | men are at the present time absolutely ignorant regarding the actual strength of our fleet, and course they have no notion of its strength as compared with those of other nations.
"
You will have seen the correspondence in the Times of November 21st and on several preced- ing dates entitled "Comparative Sea-Power and there is no doubt that we shall have more work still to do in refuting the fallacies put forward by the “ I.A.P.C.”
My idea is that we should collect the opinions of all our Branches and publish them in our Journal, which is now increasing its circulation, and its opinions are being quoted in the London dailies, as well as in the Service papers.
Whenever a strong statement issues from the "LAP.C." it will be our endeavour to nail it to the counter. You will find on page 11 of the November Journal a resolution passed by the Executive Committee of the Navy League, which was widely circulated throughout the Press
It is important that whatever action you can see your way to take in this matter should be taken with as little delay as possible. We are arranging for a large number of meetings in different parts of the United Kingdom, in order that the country may speak in no uncertain voice on this subject, as it did at the end of 1888, when by so doing it secured the Naval Defence Act of March, 1889, which added 75 new ships to our fleet, and this in spite of the fact that the First Lord of the Admiralty in December, 1888, informed the House of Commons that the navy was adequate for all purposes.
Trusting that you will accede to the request of my Committee and that you will let me know what action, if any, you propose to take.-I remain, dear sir, yours very truly,
H. T. C. KNOX,
Hon. Secretary to the Navy League. The Hon. Secretary, Hongkong Branch.
P.S.I am much obliged by your letter of 27th October giving an account of your annual meeting.
Mr. H. E. Pollock, Hon. Secretary of the Hongkong branch of the Navy League, writes us as follows :----
雪碧
At a Committee Meeting of the Hongkong Branch of the Navy League held this morning (31st December) it was resolved to call upon all the British subjects in this colony to sign the following expression of opinion, copies of which will be extensively circulated for that purpose :--- The undersigned British residents in Hong- kong, having regard to the recent Admiralty return of comparative naval strength, view with apprehension the alleged intention of the Admiralty to omit provision for the construc- tion of new battleships from the forthcoming Navy Estimates, and therefore urge on Her Majesty's Government the necessity of taking suoli steps as will restore the predominance of the British Fleet as regards battleships and officers and men.”
The enclosed cutting from the Navy League Journal for November with reference to the Mediterranean fleet clearly demonstrates, when taken in connection with the Admiralty return above alluded to, the pressing necessity which exists for a liberal expenditure being made upon the Navy.
(Enclosure.)
|
Richard Temple should read his Navy nal before he addresses Conserva
nen, and should shan injudicions leism. He has just been telling the ng men (1) that "our line of formed a perfect girdle round being able to hold its own against
thất might reasonably.
***How about Sierra Leone, olose to the French colony "hich supports a small army? Falklands, without a gun P (2) |
be
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORTA
at that place. The cares at and i factory the disease in neighbourhood.
He asserted that “the British Fleet in the Mediterranean was more than equal to any force that the French had there, even in alliance with the Russians.” Now what are the facts P In the Mediterraneau we have twelve battle- ships (two of which have been temporarily sent home), two coast defence ships, two first-class, The Secretary, Sai five second-class, and four third-class cruisers, seven torpedo gunboats, rams, or depôt ships; and fifteen torpedo boats or destroyers. We give a short table of the French and Russian forces-
00 - 3
5
2 12
4 2
1
5 1
2
France Active Squadron.. Reserve Squadron In Reserve Under Trial
Russia Mediterranean Squadron 2 Black Sea Fleet
5
'...
7 50
1 2 5 31
24 1 5 30 89
before they make such statements as these,
Our public men should look at facts and figures
ber.
HONGKONG - SANITARY BOARD.
The fortnightly meeting of the Sanitary Board was held at the offices on the 31st Decem- Hon. F. A. Cooper (Director of Public Works) presided, and there were also present Dr. Ayres (Colonial Surgeon), Dr. Clark (Medical Officer of Health), Mr.-N. J. Ede, and Mr. H. McCallum (Secretary).
PLAGUE AT BOMBAY AND TAMSUI. Reports showing the progress of plague at Bombay and Tamsui were laid on the table.
THE OUTBREAK OF SMALLPOX.
The following reports of the Medical Officer of Health concerning the outbreak of smallpox in the colony were considered and it was resolved to forward them to the Colonial Secretary for the information of His Excellency the Governor:-
Sanitary Board Offices, Hongkong, 28th December, 1896. Sir, I have the honour to report, for the information of the Board, a small outbreak of smallpox among Europeans and Chinese in No. 1 Health District. On the 15th inst. I saw the dead body of a Chinese boy, aged 11, whose death had been registered as due to phthisis, at 14, Jardine's Bazaar, and I certified that death were, however, heard of in that district until I had resulted from smallpox. No further cases received information from Dr. Rennie on the 26th inst. of two European cases at the Chins Sugar Refinery and one European case at the ice factory at East Point; these cases were duly removed to hospital and the premises disinfected and cleansed. In consequence of a statement made by the houseboy at the Sugar Refinery that there were several cases of smallpox among the Chinese in Jardine's Bazaar, I obtained from the Hon. the Captain Superintendent of Police the services of three Sikh policemen from 8 a.m. yesterday morning and having stationed them at the exits from the street I made a house. inspection, acting under section 2 of Ordinance 9 of 1895, and as a result of this inspection I discovered two additional cases of smallpox,
one an old man who had died some few hours
man Was em-
|
Officer of Health Board
Sanitary Board Offices, Hongkong, 28th December Sir, I have the honour to rep information of the Board, a small outl smallpox in the Western district of The death occurred at 2, Pokfulum Road, of a Chinese male child, aged 7 years, on Decem ber 10th, which proved to have been from smallpox. On the 22nd inst. the dead body of female child, aged about 6 years, was found by an Indian police constable upon the Reclama tion near Wilmer Street, and the child had also died from smallpor. On December 25th two Chinese cases were reported, one from 364 and the other from 381, Queen's Road Wes (these houses are about 200 yards apart) and one European case was also reported on this date in the person of a sergeant of Police stationed at No. 7 Police Station. On the fol
lowing day a European case was reported from the Sailors' Home. The a sergeant of Police was on patrol duty on the 10th and 11th inst. on the 12th he executed. an opium warrant at Nos. 1 and 3, Lan U Lane, and on the 13th inst, he was on leave for 24 hours. He attended divine service at the Sailors' Home in thỏ morning and spent the rest of the day in his quarters and his evening at the Hongkong Hotel, where he probably met the men from the Wanchai Sugar refinery who have also developed smallpox. The first patient from the Sailors' Home arrived in the colony from Ta- coma on December 8th and went straight to the Sailors' Home, but slept out for two or three nights. He was taken ill on December 22nd and removed to hospital on the 25th. It is impossible to ascertain, except from the man himself, where he slept on the night of the 10th inst., but he probably contracted the infection upon that date and presumably from some Asiatió. The second patient from the Sailors' Home arrived there on November 19th and left on December 21st to join the barque R. R. Thomas, now lying in the harbour. He came ashore this morning, was seen by Inspector Fisher before he had time to enter the Sailors' Home- (whither he was bound), and was taken to hospital. I immediately informed the Health Officer of the Port of this case and he has doubtless taken the necessary precaution respect to the remainder of the crew. I have the honour to be, &c.,
FRANCIS W: CLARÉ, Medical Officer of Health. The Secretary, Sanitary Board.
THE Chinese passengers act AND BRITISH SHIPPING:
The China Association has published for the information of members of the Association, pending the appearance of the annual report in February, the correspondence that has passed with reference to the Chinese Passenger Aot and British Shipping and the transit duty question. The following letters give the result of the agitation on the first of these Zubjec GENERAL COMMITTEE TO SHANGHAI AND
HONGKONG. COMMITTEES,
Ships
persevered with; Mr. Cham erlain feeling
dent that the Association will discountenance any overcrowding
(Signed) B. S. GUNDBY
31, Lombard Street, 12th June, 1896. previous to my visit and the other a lad of sixteen, who was sent to the hospital. I gathered that the old
Sir-In pursuance of my letter of the 6th ployed at the Sugar Refinery and had March, I have the pleasure of transmitting been ill for about a month, while the lad had copy of a letter from the Colonial Office been ill for some five or six days and was said | tion of Chinese Passenger
that the proposed legislation to have come from the mainland some ten days ago. The fourth European case was reported to me yesterday evening by Dr. Maclean, of the Naval Hospital, the patient being a sick berth attendant. He developed the disease on the 25th inst. and was removed yesterday by the Naval authorities to their hospital ship Midgė. On Sunday, the 13th inst., he attended & prayer | COLONIAL OFFICE TO CHINA ASSOCIATIONE meeting at Miss Johnstone's home, West Point, at which a number of men from the Sailors' Home were present, and although neither of the two men who have since developed small- por was at that meeting, yet I am inclined to at- tribute this man's attack to infection contracted
Hon. Seo. China A
Downing Street, Sir,-Referring to the letter of the 27th of Febr Mr. Secretar having con. "anoe
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