July 1, 1897.]
~CHINA ÖVERLAND TRADE’REPORT.
had made strong representations to the Imperial Colonial Office, with the result that the Governor of the Straits Settlements had been requested to report fully on the matter complained of, and to suspend action with regard to the re sumption of the land.
When all is erected we shall thereby be prepared the Queensland Government, the Agent-General for any calls for current likely to be made on us for some considerable time to come. It was not found necessary to call up the remainder of the capital quite so soon as foreshadowed at last year's meeting, but the time is now approach- ing when the additional funds will be required and the final oall of 82 per share will be made shortly after this meeting. Gentlemen, these are all the remarks that occur to me to make, but if there are any questions shareholders may wish to pat, I shall be very happy to reply to them the best I can.
There were no questions and the CHAIRMAN moved the adoption of the report and accounts,
Mr. VEITCH seconded,
Carried.
Mr. VEITCH moved and Mr. GERSHOM STEWART seconded the re-election of Messrs. H. L. Dalrymple and C. S. Sharp as directors.
Carried.
Mr. EZEKIEL proposed the re-election of Messrs. G. Stewart and A. Contts as auditors.
CAPTAIN FARQUHAR seconded. Carried,
The CHAIRMAN-That is all the business I have to bring before yon, gentlemen. Dividend warrants will be ready on Thursday morning. I hope that the prosperity of the Company will
continue to increase and that we shall come before you this time next year with an equally good if not a better report. (Applause).
KAUB AUSTRALIAN GOLD MINING
COMPANY, LIMITED.
The third annual meeting of the Raub Gold Mining Company, Limited, was held at Bris- bane on the 28th May. There were forty-six shareholders present, Mr. De Burgh Persse being in the chair.
The
Mr. Gaden seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously.
The retiring directors-the Hon. R. Philp, Messrs. De Burgh Persse, James Forspty, and G. F. Scott+were re-elected, and Mr. T. A. Bond was re-elected auditor at the same remu- neration as before.
A hearty vote of thanks was passed to the officers and staff of the company, Mr. Bibby being specially mentioned.
THE STRANDING OF THE " TOKIO-MARU.”
Kobe. 15th June.
The N.Y.K. steamer Tokio-maru, Captain Barstow, which left here for Australia via ports shortly after noon yesterday, with three hun- dred emigrants on board, got ashore about one o'clock inside the beacon at Suma. She is now lying less than a cable's length from the Hirase
beacon.
As soon as information reached Kobe, the Nippon Yusen Kaisha sent down the Yoko hama-maru to her assistance, and both the Sagami and the Totomi afterwards assisted in the operations. All efforts made to move her yesterday proved unsuccessful, however, was moved about seven and though she o'clock this morning, she simply drifted a few yards and again became hard and fast. It is reported that her propeller is smashed, renders her helpless to assist the efforts being made to get her afloat. She lies stern on to the shore opposite the Taki-no chaya, and has a very bad list.
Lighters have been sent down this morning with the view of taking out the cargo and thus lightening the vessel,
which of course
During the operations the Yokohama-maru got close inshore, and vessels which passed this morning report that she appears to be in difficul- ties herself
Kobe, 16th June.
The N.Y.K. steamer Tokio-maru, which ran upon the reef close to the Hirase beacon at Sums, was got off last night at half-past seven o'clock, and she arrived at Kobe about mid- night. The ship appears to be but little damaged beyond the breaking of three blades of her propeller. Some of her plates are also indented, but we understand there is no leakage of importance. The Yokohama-maru, which was reported yesterday to have got into a some- what dangerous position whilst trying to tow off the Tokio, fortunately met with no mishap and is now in port.-Chronicle.
SMALL FEET IN DISFAVOUR.
The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, heartily congratu- lated shareholders on the steady development and growing value of their property. It was becoming every year more and more apparent that in the Raub concession they possessed not mine, but a goldfield, and it was difficult to forsee the expansion of which it was cap- able. At the last general meeting, and at the extraordinary general meeting held in December, the question of increased crushing power had been very fully discussed. matter had since then engaged the most careful attention of both boards, and it had been finally decided to add a 40-stamper battery to the ex- isting plant, the whole to be worked by electri- city. Circumstances had arisen removing to a very great extent the objections with which this method of generating power was surrounded. The plant would be erected under an absolute guarantee from the manufacturers of efficient working and maintenance for a term of years, while it would, moreover, be arranged in such a way as to permit of ready ex- pansion if it answered expectations. The outlay on capital account which this new departure would involve would necessarily be considerable. Mr. Bibby's original estimate was, in round figures, £24,000, and though he now thought the work might be completed for 25 per cent. less than he at first calculated, allowance had always to be made in undertak- ings of this nature for that most important item, "unforeseen expenditure." In order to provide funds the board had decided to sell the 10,000 unissued shares by tender, obtaining about £12,000. If the present average of crushings was maintained there would be no difficulty in accumulating the balance of the contemplated outlay from the mine itself, though contributing shareholders might have to miss a dividend. A difficulty, which at one time threatened to be serious, had been created by the superintendent of Ulu Pahang selling a portion of the Raub concession for township sites. Such action could only be characterised monstrous piece of injustice. The Singa- pore board and Mr. Bibby both pointed out that it was quite unnecessary to trespass on the Com- pany's ground, there being plenty of other posi- tions available for selection, but their protests were disregarded. Even were the proceeding legal which they were advised it was not it was manifestly, a breach of the spirit of the agreement under which they held Ranb.. Under instructions from | Daily News.
According to a leading article in the Sinwen pao exhorting its readers to taboo bound feet in women, and strongly advocating natural feet for the next generation of women in China, it appears that a large number of influential mem- bers of the literati and gentry in Kwangtung province have also written against foot-binding, and several anti-binding societies have in conse- queuce already been established in that pro- vince. "Hence mothers need not fear now that their daughters cannot marry well with natural feet, as the members of these. societies have agreed to let their children in termarry. As all the members, so far, are either men of high literary standing or wealth the natural-feet girls will be able to marry into the best of provincial families." In the pre- fecture of Shaoch'ing, Kwangtung, the people of over eighty villages never bind their daughters feet. Indeed, young women with bound feet there are always concubines, while the wives proper have natural feet-a reversal of the order of things in this Empire. This antipathy to foot-binding found its origin the Taiping rebellion. When the rebels got to Shaoch ing they killed all the women with bound feet, while those with natural feet all escaped.-N. C.
19
TAXATION OF NATIVE OPIUM IN CHINA.
According to a memorial of the Board of Revenue recommending a new system of taxing native-grown opium, the chief opium producing provinces in China are stated to be Szechuan, which will produce this a year crop of 120,000 piculs; Yunnan, 80,000 piculs; Kueichou, 40,000 picula; Chêkiang 14,000 piculs; Kiangsu 10,000 piculs; Kirin 6,000 piculs; Anhui, 2,000 picals; Fukien 2.000 piculs; and the provinces of Kansa, Shensi, Shantung, Shanai, Honan, and Chibli, an aggregate amounting to 60,000 picals, or a total of 334,000 picnls from 14 out of the 21 provinces which constitute the present empire of China-not including Outer Mon- golia and Tibet. The memorial further states that according to the above estimate which the Board has reason to believe to be quite ac- curate, having been compiled by Sir Robert Hart at the Board's request, the duty on the native opium this year should amount to at least 20 million taels, at the ordinary tax of Tls. 60 per picul; but, so far, not a third of this amount has found its way to the Imperial exchequer, the rest having gone to enrich the provincial authorities and their tax collectors. It is now proposed to begin with the provinces of Kirin, Szechuan, Yunnan, and Kiangsu, for the collection of native opium duty which is to be handed over to the 1.M. Customs at Shan- haikuan, Chungking, Mêngtze, and Chinkiang, respectively.-N. C. Daily News.
HONGKONG.
The Diamond Jubilee was duly honoured in Hongkong by a thanksgiving service at St. John's Cathedral and special services at other places of worship on Sunday, 20th June, and by a round of general festivities and im- portant ceremonials on Tuesday and Wednes day, 22nd and 23rd June, both these days being proclaimed as public holidays. The complete record of the celebrations will be found elsewhere. and it will suffice to say here that a greater demonstration of loyalty on the part of the residents of all nationalities could not have been desired. Fortunately the two days' festi- vities were not marred by a single accident. Coming on the top of this jubilation the news of the wreak of the Aden off Socotra and the loss of so many lives was a great shock to every- body and deep sympathy was manifested for the sorrowing relatives of the departed. The Legislative Council met on Monday, and on Tuesday the shareholders in the Hongkong Electric Company, Limited, held their eighth yearly meeting. Much rain has fallen during the week and Tytam reservoir is now full to overflowing.
Tytam reservoir is now overflowing. This is the first time the reservoir has been full since the dam was raised.
The 28th June being Coronation Day the men- of-war in port were decorated and at noon a royal salate was fired,
Owing to the unfavourable weather and the bad state of the course the Jubiles Gymkhana
postponed to Saturday, 11th July.
is
A
The death rate last month was, for the British and Foreign community, civil popula tion, 27, and for the Chinese community, 19.2.
The C. N. Co.s steamer. Changsha, which arrived on 21st June from Australia, had a death on board during the voyage. Mr. C. Pass, passenger from Thursday Island, died at 1 a.m. on the 20th January of cancer in the stomach and was buried at sea the same day at 8 a.m.
During the hearing of the appeal case on Tuesday Mr. Rboinson, in the course of his argu- ment, said that when a witness was being closely cross-examined he watched counsel like a mouse watched a cat. This is perhaps exactly what the learned counsel meant to say but the cat would not like to be told so. We believe that usually the mouse runs and the cat chases.
Peroy Vincent, the godown keeper employed by the Canadian Pacific Company at Wanchai, arrived here on Tuesday from Shanghai by the steamer Choysang in the custody of Detectivo Sergeant Holt. The prisoner is charged with misappropriating two trunks and various articles of the value of about $12, belonging to bis em. ployers, about the 12th May last. He will be brought before the Magistrate this morning.
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