304
TH HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[April 22, 1897.
the difference between the ideally perfect subsequently it leads to the ment a successful conclusion the long protracted
negotiations for the opening of the West River, and for having completed and signed the Con- vention, now awaiting ratification, embodying that among other valuable concessions.
They have also to express their extreme gratification at finding that Your Excellency. approves of and is giving effect to the sug- gestion so frequently made in the past by the British communities in China that Her Majesty's Minister should occasionally visit the Treaty Ports and hear, see, and investigate for himself; and the Members of the Association most earnestly hope that this may not be the last time they shall see you in Hongkong en your way to and from the Southern Ports, but that it is only the first of a regular series of visits to be made periodically by yourself and your successors at Peking.
has in the first years of your residence in China It is of happy augury that Your Excellency brought to a successful issue so many questions of importance so long under consideration, and the Members of the Association feel assured that the result of your exertions in opening up the trade of South China will be as satisfactory to the mercantile and trading community as it must be to Her Majesty's Government.
of manufactories, so much the better, but the assumed improbability of its doing so is no argument for not proceeding with the work. It may be pointed out, however, that the advantage of roads
not to be measured is
solely or principally by the use made of them for the carriage of goods, but rather by the facilities they offer for passenger traffic. We may take as an example the road to Hunghom, which is not used at all, or very slightly, for the carriage of goods, but the immense advantage it is to the village may be gauged by the amount of foot and 'ricksha traffic to be seen upon it. The wonder is how the village got on so long without the road, and it is not surprising to be told that since its construction property there has increased three times in value. Possibly other circumstances as well as the road have contributed to this increase in value, but the road, we opine, has been the main factor. A road round the south side of the island, though it might not increase the value of land there to the If the Association may be permitted to add to their congratulations and good wishes one same extent as the value of land at Hung word of suggestion it would be to submit for bom has been increased, would tend in that Your Excellency's consideration that until direction. We agree with Mr. DANBY some arrangements have been made for the that the work is one to be executed by the immediate investigation on the spot of all. Government rather than by public sub- disputes and difficulties that may arise in con scription, but we think the Jubilee Com- nection with the West River trade, either by mittee will fail in giving effect to the desire the establishment of mixed tribunals or other-i of the community if they do not take ad-wise, and for a speedy settlement of all claims
locally, the trade cannot he conducted - as. smoothly and as profitably as it ought to be, and will fail to expand in anything like dhe proportion to the
extent of country nominally opened up.
Wishing your Excellency every prosperity, we remain, your Excellency's most obedient humble servants,
(Here follow signatures.)
PLAGUE AND RESTRICTION OF CHÍNESE IMMIGRATION,
and the practically possible. The desidera tum is a level road by which the occupants of a carriage, starting from say the Club, could drive out westward and return to their original starting point from the east, via the Shaukiwan Road. But, as Mr. DANBY points out in his letter published in another column, there are two sections in the pro- posed road, one of 0.47 of a mile in length and the other of 1.13 miles, which would be too steep for horses to trot up and down. Then, we would say, let them walk. Anyone who has enjoyed the pleasures of coaching in the English Lake District will remember the exceedingly steep gradients of some of the roads, which necessitate the passengers getting out and walking in order to relieve the horses; but who would forego the pleasure of the trip on account of the disadvantage of having to walk a bit here and there? It is true that in the summer clinate of Hongkong walking up hills would be considered rather a more serious matter by carriage pas- sengers than it is in England, but still we think the universal verdict of the community will be that if we cannot have an absolutely perfect carriage road we should at least have the best we can get. And after all the gradients would not be so ex- cessively formidable. The Pokfulam Road, though in places it may not be safe for carriages to proceed at a trotting pace, is nevertheless quite practicable for a walking pace, and that without the passen-vantage of the opportunity to make the gers dismounting. The proposed new road, strongest possible recommendation to the according to Mr. DANBY's figures, would Government to put the work in hand forth- not be quite so steep on its greatest gradient with. The recommendation would probably as the Pokfulam Road, the latter in its not be unfavourably received, for although so 'steepest part being one in ten, whereas the far as is known no formal decision has been new road in its steepest part would be one arrived at by the Government, we believe we in twelve. Mr. DANBY says the Pokfulam are correct in saying the construction of Road is impossible for bicycles, but there the proposed road is "as good as settled " are various riders in the colony who would in principle. An urgent recommendation dissent from that statement, seeing that the by the Jubilee Committee would probably whole distance has been covered without help to expedite the translation of principle dismounting. The vast majority no doubt into action and result in giving us the road have to push their machines up a good part now instead of some ten or twenty years of the road, but that does not deter them hence. from using this route as a variation to the Shaukiwan and Happy Valley Roads, and there can therefore be no doubt that they would accept the proposed road round the island as a great hoon and make extensive use of it, notwithstanding that in one portion of its length they might have to negotiate, either by pushing or pedalling, a gradient of one in twelve. From the pleasure point of view, therefore, the arguments are all in favour of the new road. Turning to the strictly utilitarian side of the question, the arguments are equally strong. Mr. DANBY says he has no wish to throw cold water on the scheme, and, in fact, instead of having done so, he has advanced what seems to us one of the strongest possible arguments in favour of promptly carrying it out. He says that any Inspector of Police who has been stationed at Stanley during the south west monsoon will tell us that during the greater portion of this period all the villages on that side of the island (east of Aberdeen) are practically deserted by junks and fishing boats owing to the strong gales and heavy seas blowing right up the bays, making it almost impossible for vessels of any kind, to anchor. If, then, com- munication by water is difficult during a great portion of the year, surely every endeavour should be made to improve the communication by land. This argument alone ought to determine the Government
-
carry out the scheme. As to the opening up of manufacturing sites, it seems hardly necessary to labour that point. The road is required to meet existing conditions; if
-
!
A Gazette Extraordinary was issued yester- day afternoon containing the following procla mation by H.E. the Governor →
Whereas by section 1 of Ordinance No. 5 of 1895, entitled An Ordinance to enable the Go- RESIGNATION OF THE GOVERNOL-vernor in Council to restrict the immigration
GENERAL OF THE PHILIPPINES
We are indebted to Senor de Navarro, the Spanish Consul, for a copy of the following tele- grami received from Lieutenant-General La- chambre, Acting Governor-General of the Philippines:-
Manila, 15th April, 1897.
The resignation of General Polavieja on account of ill health having been accepted, he embarked to-day, handing over the command to
me.
i
ADDRESS TO SIR CLAUDE MAC-
· › DONALD BY THE CHINA
ASSOCIATION.
Sir Claude MacDonald met the. Committee of the Hongkong Branch of the China Associa- tion on the 20th April when the following ad- dress, which was subsequently circulated for signature by the general body of members, was presented to His Excellency: To His Excellency Sir CLAUDE MAXWELL MACDONALD, K.C.M.G., Her Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pleni- potentiary in Ching.
+
Your Excellency, The Members of the Hongkong Branch of the China Association desire to avail themselves of the opportunity afforded them by your passage through Hong kong to offer you their most hearty thanks for your exertions in obtaining from the Taungli Yamen the very explicit and very satisfactory declarations as to the rights of British subjects conveying goods under Transit Pass into and from the interior of China, recently made public in the Proclamations of the Provincial Authori- ties of the Kwangtung and Kwangsi provinces, and to congratulate you on having brought to
of Chinese into the Colony and for other pur- poses in connection therewith, it is enacted as follows "Whenever the Governor in Council shall be satisfied that the bubonic plague, cho- lera, small-pox or such other disease as may from time to time be notified in the Gazette, is prevalent or exists in any other port or place, and that there is danger of the introduction of the same into the Colony unless measures are taken to prevent the influx of Chinese; the Go-
vernor in Council may from time to time by proclamation under his hand, published in the Gazette, prohibit or regulate the immigration or importation into the Colony of any Chinese from any such port or place for such time as be shall think fit, and may from time to time by notification in the Gazette renew or revoke such proclamation."
And whereas the Governor in Conncil is sat-
isfied that the bubonic plague is at present prevalent at Swatow or its immediate vicinity and in the Island of Formosa, and that there is danger of the introduction of the same into this Colony unless measures are taken to prevent the influx of Chinese from Swatow and the said Island of Formosa,
Now, therefore, I, Sir William Robinson, Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Co-- lony of Hongkong and its Dependencies, and Vice Admiral of the same, in pursuance of the powers vested in me in Council by the said-sec- tion, do by this proclamation under my hand in Council prohibit from this date and until fur- ther notice the immigration or importation in- to this Colony of all Chinese from Swatow and the said Island of Formosa.
F. J. BADELEY, Acting Clerk of Councils.
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