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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND the Bill will pass with the words "during the period of six months during the previous twelve months.'
Council resumed.
The Bill as amended was read a third time and passed.
THE VAGRANCY BILL,
clause. It is all very well to say you will watch the working of the Ordinance with a great deal of care, but cases have happened before where great injustice has been worked on residents of this colony, so much so that one person was sentenced to imprisonment for two lives and twenty years for attempting to practice it. Now we don't want any répetition HIS EXCELLENCY said he did not propose to of that, and I stick to the principle of the Eng-take the next item on the orders of the day, lish law that it is better ten guilty men should Committee on the Bill entitled An Ordinance
to amend the Law relating to Vagrants. escape than that one innocent man should suffer. When in Canton I had a talk with the Consul on the matter, and I think the point has not been sufficiently considered. I regret that when commuications were passing with the Consul the representatives of the Chinese were not com- municated with, for then we would have been able to give our advice, instead of being spoken to only at the last moment. I have spoken to several leading Chinese and also the British Consul at Canton, and I think this point re- quires the serious consideration of the Govern. ment.
H. E. the GENERAL-Will you not make a motion ?
Hon. Ho KAI-Yes, I move that the words The "immediately prior to" be struck out. sentence should be altered to read in this way, The person accused has not resided in the colony more than six months during the twelve months previons to the date of his so being brought before the Magistrate," that is, if he can prove that during the twelve months he has resided in the colony continuously and has only left for
a month or two, then in that case the Chinese Government would
their extradition in have to secure
the witnesses down old way and bring the from Canton, but if the man has not resided in the colony six months during the previous year depositions might be received.
H.E. the GENERAL-I second that.
Hon. C. P. CHATER-I think the Attorney- General will probably be able to accede to the hon. member's alternative resolution, not the first one simply omitting the words "im mediately prior to," but his second or alterna- tive proposition, making the period of residence six months in the previous year.
I
THE INTERPRETATION BILL. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL-I beg to move the third reading of the Bill entitled An Or. dinance to consolidate and amend the Laws relating to the Construction of Ordinances, to further shorten the Language used in Ordin- This Bill ances, and for other like purposes. bas been passed by the Law Committee without alteration and I think it will be a very useful statute on our books. I feel much obliged to our learned Chief Justice, who drafted this Ordinance.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded. Bill read a third time and passed.
ADJOURNMENT.
The Council adjourned until the 29th Nov,
FINANCE COMMITTEE.
A meeting of the Finance Committee was held after the Council meeting, the Colonial Secretary presiding.
The CHAIRMAN said he had only one minute to place before the Committee and that was one in which H.E. the Governor recommended a vote of $650 for the purchase and repair of police boats,
Vote recommended.
THE GOLD STANDARD FOR THE STRAITS.
THE DOLLAR A SUBSIDIARY COIN.
[SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE "DAILY PRESS."]
Singapore, 4th November. The report of the Committee of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce appointed to consider the currency question will recommend the adoption of a Gold Currene, with the covereign as the unit and token dollars good for twe shillings.
THE WEST RIVER.
The ATTORNEY-GENER L-Personally would rather the Bill remained as it stands. but I do not propose to make any special objection to the amendment. But I may mention to the Council what the objection is. There are, ac- cording to the Viceroy, certain Chinese crim- inals who make Hongkong their head quarters and who return to Hongkong immediately after The provisional regulatious for trade on the committing their robberies on the mainland. West River having now been published by the Canton Commissioner of Customs some general These are the people who are intended to be
comments might not be ont of place. They are got at by this Bill. But if you say all one of these men has got to do is to apparently framed on the basis of those regulat- reside here for six or seven months, then being trade on the Yangtsze, and while in a few can do what he likes on the mainland dur ing the remaining fire months of the year, Because the difficulties under the old system are so great that extradition is hardly ever de- manded. You cannot devise any scheme that is free from objection. In Europe depositions are used universally, but here depositions have not been used at all hitherto, because it was thought they would be liable to abuse. This Bill provides three safeguards; first, that the depositions must be taken before the Consul, and the Consul must certify that there has been no force or compulsion used in obtaining them; then there is the safeguard of the residence of six months; and there is the further alternative specified in the objects and reasons. Then there are only a certain class of cases in which extradi- tion can be applied for; they cannot make up any bogus crimes. The crimes are only crimes of violence, murder, manslaughter, piracy, bar- glary, housebreaking, or robbery with violence. My own personal view is that it would be better the Bill should be left as it is. the same time, if it is the wish of the Council it should read "six months during the preceding twelve months," it may be so, but as I say, any one who wishes to commit crimes in China will only have to 'reside here for six montbs and then he will be free to do as he likes. H.E. the GENERAL-But that evil is some- what less than that suggested by my hon. friend opposite, and therefore I am strongly in favour
the motion brought forward by him. The ATTORNEY GENERAL-In view of the "generaf feeling of the Counell I do hot oppose the motion of my hon. friend on my left and
At
[November 10, 1897.
tions would probably be raised against the col- lection of duties by the Chinese Customs in the barbour, but in order to facilitate and further British trade such objections should be over- come, especially when we know that the head office of the Imperial Maritime Customs, which controls the Kowloon Custom-house and Stations, is and has been for years established in Queen's Road.
However, there is little doubt but if Sir Robert Hart, the Inspector-General of Customs, were approached-he is always willing and anxious to assist trade-arrangements could be made for cargo to be examined and duty paid at the Kowloon Customs (Lai-chi-kok) and where This transit passes could also be obtained. station is only about a couple of miles soross the Hongkong harbour and cargo could be sent and brought back without much delay. This, of course, refers to outward cargo only. The im- ports to Hongkong from ports of call, which after all are of small importance, could remain ander the present arrangements. What is wanted in the first place is that British goods should arrive at the required market by the quickest ronte and at the lowest cost. Paying the import duty into China and transit duty should free the cargo of all farther payments to its destination. At present the amount of import duty at ports of call is uncertain and as no transit pass can be obtained the lekin charges are still more so.
-
It is provided in the Regulations that steamers only are permitted to land or ship passengers and cargo at ports of call on the West River. Here again is a rule which applies to the Yangtsze, but to anyone acquainted with the Sikiang it can only be looked upon as an in-`. justice to many traders. The difference is this: on the Yangtsze a large business is done by lorchas and other sailing craft which take as long as two months sometimes between Shanghai and Han- kow, and it would be absurd to allow vessels of this discription to call at wayside stations to trade, seeing they are so long away from control of the Customs. On the other hand, the West River is so well sheltered by high and mountain- ons banks that constant and uninterrupted trade is carried on by steam launches of every dis- cription, and thus an opportunity is afforded for small sailing vessels to purchase steam power in the shape of a tow. Many such vessels are trading regularly on the West River which would be in a position to earn more if they were allowed to make use of the ports of call. So long as vessels are under the control of steam and making rapid and continuous trips they should be allowed all the privileges accorded to steamers. The narrow bed of the West River would not admit of sailing vessels beating up against the current.
are saved in
Instead of the Yangtsze being taken as a basis for framing_regulations by, such rivers as the Jumna, Ganges, Brahmapootra, and Irrawaddy, whose general features are more like those of the West River, might be an ex- ample. In these instances steamers leaving Calcutta or Rangoou have in tow two cargo- boats, one on each side, locally known as flats, laden with cargo. The steamer takes the passengers. At the first wayside station or one of the flats is dropped port of call and probably another is taken in tow, which has been dropped by the previous steamer, and thus time and expense landing and shipping cargo and passengers. The steamer proceeds to her destination with little delay and the flat is left in the hands of cargo coolies to discharge and unnecessary rush and almost load with no
This is only an example of no expense. what might be done on the West River, but which would be practically impossible on the broad and rough waters of the Yangtsze. If there is any sound reason why registered foreign sailing vessels should be debarred from getting a cheap tow from a regular passenger steamer it is difficult to understand, but the regulations distinctly say that should this be done the tow- ing steamer is not allowed to carry passengers or cargo. Such towage, then, under the cir-
instances some of the rules might apply, the features of the two rivers are so unlike it is a pity that special and well considered measures were not adopted suitable to the requirements and situation of the West River. It is stipulated that, in addition to the Treaty ports (Samshui and Wuchow). Kongmoon. Kumchuk, Shiu hing. and Takhing are established as places of call, which means that vessels trading on the river are premitted to stop and land or ship passengers and cargo. The fact, however, has been forgotten that on the Yaugtsze vessels are trading between one Treaty port and another and cargo bound to a port of call can be examined at the port of shipment, where it pays daty, and in return the owner obtains a duty paid certificate, which frees his cargo from import duty at its destination. On the West River things are entirely different. where cargo is shipped from Hongkong to a port of call or from a port of call to Hongkong. In this instance both the import and export duties are collected by the native anthorities, instead of by the Imperial Maritime Customs. and although the former are under the supposed con- trol of the latter and provided with the neces- sary forms, &c., it is very doubtful to say how far the Customs tariff will be adhered to. The simplest and easiest way out of the difficulty would undoubtedly be to ask the Imperial Cus.cumstances, is impossible. Mr. E. B. Drew, the toms to establish some place in Hongkong where cargo could be examined and duty paid on all cargo bound to ports of call on the West River and a duty-paid certificate issued similar to the custom followed on the Yangtsze. Bong- kong being a British free port certain objec
Commissioner of "Customs in Canton, who is understood to be more or less the framer of the provisional regulations ́is inclined to be in favour of passenger steamers towing vessels holding national registers, but no instructions to that effect have reached Mr. H. M. Hillier,
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