August 12, 1897.1
Capital account:
LIABILITIES.
6,000 ordinary shares at Tis. 100... 600,000 200 founder's shares at Tis. 100..
20,000
620,000
Less'unpaid on final call due 1st
May, 1897
128,760
Sundry creditors
Profit and loss account:-
Balance at credit of this account
Tis.
491,250.00 3,351.07
14,916.64
Tis. 509,517.71
EXPLOSION AT SHANGHAI.
[SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE “DAILY PRESS."
SHANGHAI, 9th August.
Later.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
British, American and German Ministers, bas been successfully put through upon the terms set forth at length in our issue of the 12th ult., with one or two modifications, since arranged by telegraph between Peking and Brussels.
THE CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER AT SHANGHAI.
.
In the Supreme Court at Shanghai on the 5th August Richard Henry Ryan, quartermaster on the P. & O. steamer Shanghai, was charged before Sir N. J. Haunen and a jury with the manslaughter of Ko Chuang-ping by pushing Wilkinson (Acting Crown Advocate) prose- him into the river on the 16th alt. Mr. H. P. cuted, the prisoner being defended by Mr. E. The magazine at the Arsenal Camp ex Nelson (Messrs. Johnson, Stokes and Master). ploded at 1 a.m. to-day It is reported that
The case for the prosecution was that the twelve persons were injured and two killed.
deceased, who was a cargo-boat coolie, lost his Twelve Chinese were killed and four danger-life through the action of the accused in push ing, or shoving, or laying his hand upon him, ously wounded. It is supposed that. a high whilst he was upon a beam crossing the river wind blew down a rotten watch-tower, which from the pontoon at which the Shanghai was fell on the small magazine. The magazine was filled with powder and percussion capped cart lying to the bank, and that in consequence of the accused's action the deceased fell into the ridges. Numerous buildings were destroyed. river and was drowned. The Crown did not The large magazine happily escaped.
accuse the prisoner of having caused the man's death with malice aforethought. Although the body had not yet been recovered Mr. Wilkinson said there would be no diffiealty in proving that the deceased was a living being on the 16th of July, and that he was drowned where he was said to have lost his life.
THE NEW CHINESE LOANS. The N. C. Daily News of the 2nd August says-It is reported that, the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank and the Deutsche Bank, with possibly a third institution, are negotiating a gold loan of £16,000,000 to China at a low rate of interest, the price of issue to be something under 85, and the security what remains of the Customs and the salt gabelle,
The Mercury of the 3rd says:— The Chinese Government is just now in active negotiations with representatives of foreign syndicates at present in Shanghai, for the loan of Tls. 100,000,000, out of which it is proposed to clear off the war indemnity, and the arrange ments are so far gradually assuming something like tangible shape. It is reported that two of the syndicates may combine to handle the loan
between them.
Seven Chinese witnesses gave evidence in support of the case for the prosecution.
Before calling witnesses for the defence Mr. Nelson submitted that there was no evidence of death and therefore an acquittal should be directed. In support of his contention he quoted cases, one of them being very remark- able. The mother and reputed father of a
have carried out the living infant; and upon this ground the jury, by his direction, acquitted the prisoners. In the case now before the Court they had a man falling into the water where there were sampans and chains, and he (Mr. Nelson) contended as the body had not been found that the man might be alive. Therefore he asked his Lordship to direct an acquittal.
bastard child were observed to take the child to the margin of the dock at Liverpool, and, after stripping it, cast it into the dock. The body of the infant was not afterwards seen; and, as the tide of the sea flowed into and out of the dock, the learned Judge, upon the trial of the father and mother for the murder of their child, The China Guzette of the 2nd has the follow-observed that it was possible the tide might - ing :-
The conditions of the loan, which is DOW almost completed, are exactly as we stated this day week-85 issuing price; interest 4 per cent., secured by the remnant of the unappro- priated revenue of the Imperial Maritime Cus- toms, the lekin tax and salt gabelle. In con- nection with the latter two sources of revenue, we are given to understand, highly important
Mr Wilkinson having replied his Lordship and radical changes in the mode of collection said he did not think the body was bound to be are being discussed in Peking, and upon the produced in either manslaughter or murder cases, satisfactory agreement of the Chinese Go-and he thought it must be left to the jury to vernment to the terms proposed, depends the of the loan, which moreover, is, we be- lieve, only one of a series of large loans which the Imperial Government hopes to raise on the security of its internal taxation. But the latter
success
say whether the evidence proved that the man
was dead or not.
Mr. Nelson then addressed the jury and said his witnesses would prove that the coolie alleged to be drowned slipped off the beam into the water,
185
THE SHANGHAI COLTON MILLS.
A
The four foreign-owned cotten mills are just now experiencing the legizing cl what may become a serious labour e fenlly in the future. The machinery put up is already happily found to be inadequate to meet the denend for yern, and the high quality of the goods has invited a flood of orders, which cannot be fulfilled fast enough. The employees seem to be pretty well seized of the fact, for women who are chiefly employed are now standing out for and getting 28 cents and 30 cents a day for their labour, which only a few months ago was to be had for 18 cents to 20 cents. It is reported that emis- series from one mill entice the workers to another for the consideration of a cent or two a day increase; in a word "poaching" is practised. · Where this will end it may not be difficult to predict, but at the outset it does not promise well for the new industry, in which so much foreign capital has been placed.—Mercury,
MACAO.
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Macao, 6th August, H. E. Senhor Galhardo, the Governor, arrived last Wednesday about half-past one on his re- turn from Japan. He was received as usual with a guard of honour, saintes, éto.
As reported in my last, invitations were sent to all the capitalists of the colony to form a syndicate or company to undertake the work of reclaiming the ground from Macao to Green Island. The meeting took place last Friday at the Inspector da Fazenda's office and the attend- ance was principally Chinese. The result is that the project is again below zero and as cold as ever. How could the Harbour Improvement Com mittee expect such men as those present at the meeting to do anything to help the Govern ment or improve the colony? They are the men who farm the monopolies and who look only for their own benefit. Their object is to kill all the general trade in order that they may have everything in their own hands. They offered the Government money to undertake the work by itself and pay interest, and they think that in them making such an offer they have conferred a great favour. I am certain, however, that the Government would have no difficulty in securing a loan at very reasonable interest and it would be much better to deal with ordinary financiers than with such people as the monopolists, who always work for their own ends.
The Government and the Harbour Improve- ment Committee should abandon altogether the idea of getting private people to undertake this great work, and should carry it out entirely on Government account. I am sure that the project would ultimately yield a good income. In the reports on this subject written ten or eleven years ago by Senhor Loureiro, engineer, in conjunction with the Inspector da Fazenda, a financial statement was given show. ing that the Treasury could expend $150,000 &
must be put upon a satisfactory footing without the prisoner not being near him at the time, / year for barbour works. Since then the income
rousing the provinces into a state of re- bellion. Herein lies the difficulty. The high provincial authorities have all been communicated with by Peking to give their views by telegraph upon certain important reforms suggested in the manner of the col lection, control, and final disposition of the internal taxes; but we only anticipate that unfavourable replies will reach Peking from the provincial capitals. The suggested reforms have created something like consternation
The first question for the jury was whether the man was dead or not. After all the man might have got out of the water, with all the people there, and might be in hiding. The possibilities were that the man was not drowned, and that for some reasons of their own his relatives had instituted the present proceedings,
Several European witnesses for the defence having been called, his Lordship summed up.
The jury, after five minutes' consideration,
has been increased in many ways. Monopolies have been created, a heavy tax has been placed on gamshu, and houses outside the city that formerly paid no ground rent now have to do so without exception. Altogether it may be said that
Timor at that time could draw on the Macao $60,000 has been added to the colony's revenue.
there being no fixed limit. but now our subsidy treasury as the Governor of that island pleased,
to Timor is fixed at $60,000 annually, so that
amongst the provincial officials who see therein returned a verdict of not guilty and the prisoner the amount available for local improvement;
their present fattest prizes endangered by the anxiety of the Central Government to raise money abroad, which will be remitted to Peking direct, leaving a large share of the responsibility of paying back principal and interest upon the shoulders of the provinces, while proposing at the same time to restrict the sources of profit upon which the provincial mandarins grow fat. But the immediate necessities of the Central Government for money will probably out-weigh all other considerations, and we expect to see the Bank secure the loan upon terms which are probably unprecedented in the case of a country, which, after all, owes scarcely any debt when its resources are taken into con- sideration. As we maintained all along the Belgian loan, despite the silly protests of the
.
was discharged.
A fatal accident occurred a few days ago to the east of Fung-tai, on the Peking-Tientsin line, resulting in the death of an old woman and child. It appears, says the Peking and Tientsin Times, they were crossing the line when the train knocked them down. The Failway Com- pany have generonsly defrayed all funeral ex- penses. Deaths on the line are not infrequently reported, as, with characteristic lack of caution, the Chinese frequently make use of the line for sleeping purposes, pillowing their heads upon the rails. As Celestials have a rooted aversion to figuring in the next world without their heads, however, it is rather surprising how rock less they are in this instance.
can now be more accurately estimated. Ac·· cording to the last financial statement a balance of $143,701 remained. If the Govern
h Joan of $500,000 for ment contracted harbour improvement. the above sum of $143,701 would be more than sufficient to repay the loan in five years with interest. But the whole of the money would not be required to begin with; $250,000 might be raised at first and the other $250,000 later on.
The ex Colonial Secretary is still here, draw- ing his monthly pay and doing nothing. This has continued now for several months and the position is becoming ridiculous. Thus is the public money wasted.
No Portuguese was included in the proposed syndicate to raise money for the harbour works, This seems disgraceful, but the fact is that Por-
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