340
[November 4, 1897.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
At Bombay, as at Hongkong, the occur- | opinion that a scheme of the character now rence of the plague has led to a movement in contemplation, requiring persistant and for sanitary reform and a scheme has been long-sustained effort on systematic lines, put forward there which contemplates the involving so many varied purposes with the calling into existence of a new and more prospect of an almost infinite number of healthy city. The execution of this scheme, questions of detail both in management and it is estimated, will entail an expenditure execution, and in which, moreover, large of no less than fifty million rupees, and proprietary interests of Government will be it is to be carried out by a Trust, on involved, is essentially one that should be which the Corporation will be strongly entrusted to a small" administrative body, represented. In this body will be vested with special powers to raise funds, acquire the control of all vacant lands belonging property, and execute the necessary works. to the Government and the Municipality It is proposed, therefore, to constitute a within Municipal limits. On these lands Trust consisting of twelve members, buildings at low rents will be erected for six of whom will be nominated by the the accommodation of the poor who are now Government, while four others will repre- crowded in insanitary dwellings. The lay- sent the Corporation, and the remaining two ing out of new streets in the densely-popu- the Chamber of Commerce and the Port Trust respectively. Here is a hint which might be adopted with advantage in Hong- kong should any operation similar to the Taipingshan resumption ever again have to be carried out. Had the administration of the condemned area in Taipingshan been entrusted to such a body as the Bombay Trust the work of reconstruction would, we ven- ture to say, have been carried out more economically and with less delay and fewer mistakes than has actually been the case. The work, it must be admitted, has in the ultimate result been well done, but it has been very costly and has occupied an un- conscionable time.
easily be met by a contribution being granted from the Imperial Customs towards certain provincial expenses. The great difficulty lies in Chinese conservatism and the indisposition of the Government to abolish an institution in which the Court have so close and personal an interest.
Nor is the dual Customs system the only evil arising from the practice of the Imperial and provincial Governments seeking pari passu to draw a revenue from the people. The Imperial Government takes toll from them first, and contributes nothing to their support. The provincial administration then has to secure à maintenance, and un- fortunately its wants are many and it is not easily satisfied. Even for purposes of const defence the provincial Government has to raise funds, and many are thelated part of the native town is an important shifts and expedients to which it is part of the scheme. Careful surveys for often driven to replenish the exchequer. this purpose have been in progress for some Owing to the expenses entailed by the late months past, and as more than two and a war the Canton Government are now creating half crores are allotted to this part of the much dissatisfaction by increasing the tax- enterprise, it will be carried out upon a scale ation, more especially on the necessaries of of great magnitude. A crore and a quarter life. Fuel of all kinds is heavily taxed, and is proposed to be allotted for reclamations most articles of consumption have gone up at Colaba and Walkeshwar, the Trust enjoy- in price owing to the taxes levied upon them ing the rents of these reclamations free for when in transit. The Chinese of this colony the first twenty years. It is calculated are much exercised by the advance in prices that the scheme will involve an addition to all round, which they ascribe mainly to the the Municipal rates of two per cent. augmentation of the lekin charges. The on the assessable value of the property. system of taxation is, of course, essentially The Government of India, after a rotten, and cannot readily be revised, but careful consideration, have expressed the most glaring anomaly, the' existence of their favourable opinion of it, and two separate Customs services, could un-preparations for giving it legislative shape doubtedly be eliminated if the Imperial Government had any earnest wish for re- form. It is to be feared, however, that there is no genuine desire on the part of any of the Chinese officials to inaugurate any changes which would have for their result the reduc- tion of squeezes. Now and again, it suits one of the Censors to denounce some special form of corruption more glaring than usual, but nothing is done to remove it, and the conscience of the Censor is then relieved. He has performed the work he was appointed to execute, and he rests satisfied with hay ing directed the Imperial attention to the evil. The document is then carefully filed and consigned to the archives until some other eager aspirant for fame re-discovers the abuse.
SANITARY REFORM IN BOMBAY AND HONGKONG.
The Governor in his recent speech in the Legislative Council referred to the sanitary progress made in the colony during the period of his administration. The main drainage has been practically remodelled, thirty-six miles of sewers have been laid, not including the drains constructed in connec- tion with the redrainage of houses, and His Excellency is informed that Victoria may now be regarded as one of the best drained cities east of Suez and that its domestic sanitation will compare favourably with that of any of the large cities in England. By- laws have also been made for the compulsory concreting of ground floors in dwellings, for the prevention of overcrowding, for the re- gulation of bakehouses, laundries, opium- smoking divans, offensive trades, and animal depots, for the regular periodical cleansing of tenement dwellings, and for the no- tification of communicable diseases, and these are being quietly and steadily en- forced. All this is very satisfactory on the surface, but the colony is still waiting for the report of the Insanitary Properties Commission, which, if rumour speaks truly, will show that the sanitary condition of the colony is far from perfect and that much still remains to be done.
are in active progress. Bombay is, the Times of India says, one of the lightest taxed cities in the world and can well afford to meet the addition to its local taxation.
THE POLICE AND THE BRIBERY SCANDAL.
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A serious allegation regarding the admin- istration of the police is made in Friday's issue of the China Mail, namely, that the When the plague broke out in Hongkong Captain Superintendent having in his pos and the lamentable sanitary condition of the session conclusive evidence of the guilt of two colony was brought so forcibly to light the sergeant interpreters in the matter of re- Government tried to throw the responsibilityceiving bribes, the men were made aware of for the existence of such a state of affairs on that fact, and it is stated that they wisely to the Sanitary Board, a body that had next entered their resignations. It would appear to no executive power and no funds at its from the paragraph that the resignations disposal, but which had been doing its best were accepted, and that the matter is at an with its limited powers to effect improve- end so far as those particular men are con- ments. The Bombay Government, if it had cerned. But if, as alleged, the Captain Sup- wished to make a scapegoat, might in the erintendent bad in his possession conclusive same way have turned on the Municipality, evidence that they were guilty of a criminal and perhaps with more reason, for it seems offence it was clearly his duty to prosecute to be generally admitted that there have them, and some explanation of why that been shortcomings on the part of the Cor- course was not'adopted seems called for. The poration. This, however, is not the course men, it would appear, have not even been dis- adopted. The Government recognises the missed, but have been allowed to resign. If good work done by the Corporation and, this is so the inequality of justice with which excuse for the members of the Force alleged to be im- instead of trying to find an
out of existence, desires plicate in the gambling scandal have been kicking it
treated becomes still more glaring. In the its co-operation in carrying out the great scheme now advanced. The reasons why first place Inspector WITCHELL was pro- the scheme is not entrusted entirely to the secuted criminally and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment. It was ex- Corporation are courteously set out in the Government's letter to that body. The pected that the other men would have scheme, it is stated, is as entirely beyond a similar fair and open trial, and, if the financial means of the Corporation as it found guilty, be punished in the same is outside the range of duties for the dis-degree, or, if found not guilty, be acquitted. charge of which the provisions of the Bom- bay Municipal Act have been specifically de- signed and adapted. The Municipal Execu- tive admittedly have a sufficiently burden- some task in administering the general affairs of the city, and it is felt, the letter goes on to say, that for the mea- sures now in contemplation it is imperative, both for general management and prompt executive action, there should be a special agency with a separate staff.at liberty devote their entire energies to the particular task before them. The Governor in Council fully recognizes the success of municipal administration in Bombay as exemplified, for instance, by the magnificent water-supply works, which constitute an achievement of which any city might be proud, but he is of
was
Instead of that they were dealt with depart- mentally and several of them against whom no charge of bribery could be proved were dismissed with disgrace and loss of pension for what termed neglect of duty in not reporting gambling houses of the existence of which they were, so far And as appears to the contrary, unaware. now we are told that two men against whom clear evidence of guilt exists have been allowed to resign. The statement appears in a paper which may as a rule be regarded as the mouthpiece of Mr. MAY, but it is scarcely credible that this particular state- ment cau have been made on that gentle- The important point, man's authority. however, is to know whether the statement is true. If so a grave a miscarriage of jus-
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