970
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND subject to the Government by other Chambers enabling the Courts to punish forgery more of Commerce..
INVITATION TO JUBILEE BANQUET. IN LONDON.
Read letter from Secretary, London Cham- ber of Commerce, inviting Chairman of this Chamber to attend a banquet proposed to be given to the Colonial Premiers when they are in London in June next in commemoration of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee.
A reply was sent by last mail thanking the London Chamber for the courtesy shown, but regretting the inability of the Chairman to accept the invitation, PROPOSED BOUNTY ON RAW SILK
PORTED FROM JAPAN DIRECT.
EX-
A circular letter from the Yokohama Cham- ber enclosing copy of a letter addressed to the Doyen of the Diplomatic Body at Tokyo on the subject of a Bill passed by the Imperial Diet on the 24th March (but which has not yet received Imperial sanction), providing for pay ment of a bounty on all raw silk exported from Japan direct, and asking for the Cham. ber's co-operation in making an energetic protest against such action, was read and considered.
After some discussion it was resolved to reply Foreign Ministers in Japan to take up, and the Committee hope that they will act promptly and energetically to prevent such a violation of the spirit of the Treaties. This Chamber heartily sympathises with the Yokohama Cham ber, and will, should diplomatic resources fail, join in any protest it may be decided to make, MEDICAL INSPECTION OF VESSELS ARRIVING FROM FORMOSA IN JAPAN. Read letter of date from Colonial Secretary enclosing copy of telegram from H.B.M.'s Minister at Tokyo to the effect that medical in- spection would be enforced against vessels from Formosan ports arriving in Japan.
to the effect that this was a matter for the
The Secretary stated that copies had been
sent to local Press. PROPOSED TAXATION ON IMMIGRANTS IN SINGAPORE.
The Vice-Chairman drew attention to the proposal being now made by the Straits Settle- ments Government to levy a capitation tax of $1 per head on Chinese immigrants into those Bettlements.
severely."
The Committee are therefore desirous of learning from you as much as possible as to its operation and would therefore ask you to be so good as to favour them with any information on the following points-Its advantages and) or disadvantages, whether much availed of or not, the cost of administration and how provided, whether and how it has interfered with goods registered at home or their importers, and any other particulars bearing on the question now
before the Committee.
fully.
Thanking you in anticipation,-Yours faith-
ALEX. F. GUNN,
Secretary. The Secretary, Hongkong General Chamber of
Commerce, Hongkong.
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce,
8th May, 1897. Alex. F Gunn Esq., Secretary, Singapore
› Chamber of Commerce,
1
Dear Sir,-I am in receipt of your letter of the 3rd ult. stating that your Committee have been called upon by the Straits Government to consider the policy of passing in the Straits Settlements an Ordinance for the registration of Chinese trade marks, and asking for informa- tion as to the operation of such a law in this colony.
1. The introduction of such an Ordinance would undoubtedly necessitate general registra- tion, which obtains here and has done so for
some years.
2. The working of the Ordinance has so far been successful; and only a limited litigation has ensued during its operation.
3. The privilege of registration has been pretty generally availed of by British and Foreign firms and patentees, and to a moderate extent by Chinese. The latter have chiefly resorted to it for the purpose of protecting chops of tea, preserves, &c.
[May 12, 1897,
THE DIAMOND JUBILEE MEMORIAL.
The following correspondence has been for warded to us for publication:-
THE SECRETARY OF THE JUBILEE COM- MITTEE TO THE GOVERNOR,
Hongkong,
3rd May, 1897 Sir,-On behalf of the Jubilee Committee I have the honour to forward herewith for your Excellency's information a copy of resolutions passed at a meeting held on Monday, the 26th ultimo, and to express a hope that they will meet with the approval of the Government.I have
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Honorary Secretary.
&c.
His Excellency,
Sir William Robinson, K,C.M.G.
&c., &c., &c.
RESOLUTIONS,
(1).-That the most useful and most befitting manner of permanently commemorating the completion of the sixtieth year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria will be to erect a Hospital for women and children and the train- ing of nurses, to be handed over to the Colonial Government, who have undertaken to maintain it in conjunction with and on the same footing as the Government Civil Hospital, and to `sub- scribe towards the completion of the carriage road round the island, the former to be called "The Victoria Jubilee Hospital," and the latter "The Victoria Jubilee Road," or such other names as may be thought more appropriate by the Committee,
(2).-That this Committee take immediate steps to raise funds from all sections of the community of Hongkong for the purposes men- tioned in the preceding resolution, and for local celebrations.
with an equal amount promised by the Colonial (3). That the money so collected, together 4.-With reference to the cost of-administra-Government, be deposited at interest in the tion, this has been purely nominal in this colony, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation the work being effected in the Colonial Secre- in the name of the Jubilee Committee, and be tary's Office without the provision of extra disbursed by them after paying for the local assistance. The chief source of expense is the celebrations--one half towards the erection of necessity for employing legal assistance and the Hospital for women and children and the training of nurses and the other half towards advertising the trade mark.
the construction of the first section of the carriage road from Kennedytown to Aberdeen which the Government undertakes to commence forthwith and to carry on the remaining portion of the road until completed.
5. I cannot learn that registration locally The proposal was generally regarded as a has in any way interfered with registration retrograde step, but it was resolved to inquire of goods at home or with the importers. Home further into the matter before taking any action.registration must certainly have priority over
HONGKONG AND THE POSTAL SUBSIDY. The report of the Sub-Committee on the pro- posal of the Imperial Government to increase this colony's contribution to the subsidy paid to the P. & Q: S. N. Co. for the Eastern mail service was read.
Decided to circulate it among the Committee for further consideration.
(Correspondence.) .
REGISTRATION OF CHINESE TRADE MARKS.
Chamber of Commerce,
Singapore, 3rd April, 1897. Dear Sir, The Committee have been called upon by the Government to consider the policy of passing in this colony, an Ordinance for the registration of Chinese trade marks,
2.-The application to the Government comes from one or two of our leading Chinese im- porters of Chinese goods, chiefly tea and silks, who allege that forgery of Chinese marks is common here and is on the increase; that in the absence of registration there is great difficulty and expense in proving the right to, and the piracy of marks, and owing to the usual poverty of offenders seldom any chance of recovering damages.
3.-The Committee apprehend that the in- troduction of such an Ordinance would quickly necessitate general registration and thus cause great inconvenience and expense, with but little compensation, to our European importers, whose experience hitherto has led them to rely, with preference, on the existing laws for the pro- teotion of marks registered in England.
4. It is stated in support of the above application that the registration of Chinese trade marks in your colony "gives protection and causes no annoyance and that forgeries are ~ not so common as here, the fact of registration
MAN OF THE JUBILEE COMMITTEE.
local registration, but the latter is regarded not only as confirmatory but as affording pro- tection to trade marks. A further advantage | THE COLONIAL SECRETARY TO THE CHAIR- that may be claimed for local registration is that in cases of dispute it would be considered prima facie evidence of ownership. In one or two instances applications for registration here have been refused on the ground that the trade mark sought to be protected was a colourable imitation of one already registered.
My Committee are of opinion that the law is on the whole beneficial to trade and neither costly nor inconvenient.-I am, dear sir, yours faithfully,
R.
1
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX,
Secretary.
LIGHT DUES.
1
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Hongkong, 5th May, 1897. Sir,-In reply to the letter of the Honorary Secretary of the Jubilee. Committee of the 3rd instant forwarding for the information of His Excellency the Governor a copy of resolutions passed at a meeting of the Jubilee Committee held on Monday, the 26th of April, I am directed to state that the resolutions meet with the approval of the Government.—I have, &o..
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Colonial Secretay. Honourable C. P. Chater, Chairman, Jubilee
Committee. From Soochow comes the news that a strong | Leith Chamber of Commerce, Incorporated, band of Hunanese and other Kolao Huis having
Leith, 5th March, 1897.
recently joined the notorious pirates and salt Chatterton Wilcox, Esq., Secretary, Hong-smugglers of the Tahu Lake, near Soochow, kong General Chamber of Commerce, made a sudden attack last week on a Salt Pre- Hongkong.
ventive station at Chuching, not far from the month of the lake, and killed eight of the soldiers there. The station was then set on fire and destroyed, as well as a Yangtze gunboat lying off the place. The raiders had not gone far on their return journey when they met a squadron of three gunboats cruising in the vicinity after the salt smugglers. The superior numbers of the pirates again carried the day and captured two of the gunboats, together with a quantity of Martini rifles. The military authorities of the preventive service have peti- tioned Governor Chao of Soochow for a supply of four Gatling guns and 200 stand of Martini rifles. With these they expect to make short work of the pirates when they get to the latter's haunts.-N. O. Daily News.
-
Dear Sir, I beg to acknowledge receipt of your favour of 28th January with enclosed prints with regard to the light dues now levied and proposed to be levied on vessels entering the port of Hongkong. These I had an op- portunity to-day of laying before my Directors, who are much impressed with your statements and the injustice of the excessive light dues pro- posed to be levied, and I am instructed to say that this Chamber is disposed to join in any suitable representations on the subject which may be made to the Secretary of State by other Chambers of Commerce and shipping.-I am, dear sir, yours faithfully,
D. W. BEATTIE, Secretary.
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