Page
June 18, 1898.]
ANNUAL LIST OF ANIMALS SLAUGHTERED FOR THE PAST TEN YEARS, FROM
Year.
1888 to 1897.
Cattle. Sheep.
1888
15,972
9.420
1889
17,863
10,110
1890
18.519
10,091
1891
18,218
9,673
1892
18.180
11,571
1893
17,866
11,770
1894
16.898
1895
1896
1897...
10,937 19.218 12.592 19,546 14.693 20,094 14.226
Total
182,374 115,083
*
Swine. 117,432 119.856
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
his 24 years' experience he bad never seen rifles impo ted in anything but wooden boxes.
Lo Nam, recalled, said that for four or five! days he saw wooden boxes in Meyer's godown being unpacked and the rifles they contained being taken out and packed in mat bags.
123,833
Yesterday Mr. Grist, for the defence, said 122,942
Ng Yu, who was a licensed dealer in arms at 126,766
276, Queen's Road Central, claimed the rifles. 131.298
His firm owed Messrs Meyer a considerable 125,725
amount of money, and it was arranged that the 129,035
rifles, which had been stored in ever's go- 129.103 down, should be sold and the money tuns raised 137,748
devoted to wiping off the debt They were to be sold by auction by Mr. Brewitt, 1.269,738
A MA DROWNED AT WAT. I.- FALL BAI.
4
Some commotion was cansed on board the steam launch Shun Lee as she was returningfrom Waterfall Bay on Sunday night by a man named Menzies, formerly engineer on the steamer Hanoi but latterly unemployed, jumping overboard. The launch was immediately stopped and a mau wearing a life-buoy at once jumped into the water with the object of effecting a rescue. iHe was, however, unsuccessful Menzies being lost sight of. The body was picked up near the Meante on Wednesday.
SEIZURE OF ARMS IN THE HARBOUR.
A FINE OF $25 IMPOSED. At the Magistracy on 'l hursday, before Com- mander Hastings, a boatwoman named Leung Tsat Mui was charged with unlawfully having in her passession 320 rifles without a licence from the Governor on the 9th inst. Mr. Grist appeared for the defence. The case had been remanded from the 9th instant, when the following evidence was taken:
To Nam, an informer, said that at 11 p.m. on the 8th instant he went to Praya East and watched there. At a quarter to six on the following morning he saw defendaul's boat alongside the Praya, and a number of coolies were carrying mat bags similar to the one produced to the boat from Messrs. Meyer's godown. Each of the two mat bags produced contained eight rifles. He subsequently sent his foki for the police. Originally he intended to watch Meyer's godown from the Praya, but found there were too many people on the look
out for intormers to make it safe to watch ou
the Praya. Before he sent his foki to call the police a man noticed him on the Praya and called out to the coolies, "These things had better be taken back to the godown; the steamer has gone away." At that time three large packages were being carried towards defendant's boat. When the police appeared the coolies dropped the packages and ran, and defendant and some children were the only ones who re mained.
The foki to the previous witness gare corro- borative evidence.
Inspector Cuthbert said that at a quarter to six on the morning of the 9th iust. be was called by the foki, whom he followed to Praya East close to the end of Herbert. street. Close to the sea wall he saw a mat package lying, and just abreast the Praya he saw defendant's boat made fast to the Praya wall. In the boat were a number of packages similar to the one lying on the Praya. On opening the packages he found they contained rifles. He telephoned for Inspector Hanson.
Paul Brewitt, auctioneer, s.id that on or a1ont the 9th inst. he received & communication from Meyer A Lo. with :eference to certain rifles. The letter was in German, and was signed by H. Ebraer, Messrs. Meyer's chief clerk. The following is a translation :— I will let you have to-morrow 216 Manser and 104 Enfield rifles and ask you to sell them at the best possible market value-86-75 for M. repeaters $540 for M. single shooter-$3.55 Enfield; but I do not bind you to this price. The man owes us money and, therefore, the goods should be realised at the best price. Please sell them if possible this week. No hurry about them." Continuing, witness said he never received the rifles mentioned in the letter.
Inspector Hanson said that at half-past nine on the evening of the 8th inst., in consequence of information received, he sent the first and second witnesses to watch Meyer's godown during the night. The following morning, in consequence of his receiving a telephone message from Inspector Cuthbert, he went down to Praya East, where he found several mat bags containing 208 breach- loading rifles and 112 muzzle-loading rifles. Defendant had no permit. He afterwards went to Meyer and Co's godown and found there six large mat tags similar to those he had seen on the Praya with the knots of the breach blocks pro- trading through the matting. He saw wooden cases of rifles standing in the godown. In all
By the Magistrate-He had been in the colony 20 years, and had been familiar with the trade in arms nearly all that time. He bad never had any experience of rifles unpacked and not in cases. When rifles had come to him they had come in boxes before, and when he had sold any of them he had sold them in boxes.
Ng Yui, licensed dealer in arms at 276, Queen's Road Central, said he owed Messrs. Meyer & Co. 8ome money. The rifles which had been seized were his property. They were stored in Messrs. Meyer & Co.'s go- down. On the 9th instant he ordered them to be brought down from there to Mr. Brewitt, auctioneer, to be sold by auction, intending that the money thus realised should be paid to Meyer & Co. He sent his coolie for the rifles. By the Magistrate-The rifles were sold at oue time, and he ordered them to be put in mat bags so that they could go to Macão. They, however, did not go to Macao, as he was pro- hibited from sending them there.
The foki to the previous witness said that on the 9th inst. he went to Messrs. Meyer's godown to obtain delivery of some rifles, he being in- structed to bring them to an auction room. He hired defendant's sampan for the purpose. He put the cases on board but he did not go aboard himself. He instructed defendant to bring the rifles to Pedder's Wharf, where he was going to meet her.
Mr. Grist dealt with the points brought out by his witnesses. He said the rifles were being removed by cargo boat instead of by road to
save expense.
Commander Hastings said he remanded the case for a week to see who was morally respon
sible. The old woman was no doubt legally responsible. She would be fined $25.
FIREMEN REFUSING DUTY.
A TRIVIAL EXCUSE.
At the Harbour Office on the 10th June, before Commander Rumsey, Charles Stewart. William Chalmers, A Black, and Jo n Taylor, firemen on board the British steamer buyle, were charged at the instance of William Peart; master of the said vessel, for disobeying the lawful commands of complainant and refusing duty on June 1st on the high seas on board the said ship. Mr. Master (Messrs. Johnson, Stokes, and Master) appeared for the prosecution and Mr. Looker (Messrs. Deacon and Hastings) for the defence.
489
came to him and asked for their breakfast. He told them it Was in the galley, They replied that they could not eat the break- fast which was there. He said the engineers and the officers were eating it, and surely if they could eat it the firemen could, Charles Stewart said that until he got breakfast he would reinse duty. Subsequently the others said the same, and they had not been to work since
By Mr. Looker--On the 31st they had hushed meat for breakfast. They had fresh meat for dinner and for tea they had hash again. The day before they had bash or curry and rice. They had curry and rice twice a week. He fed the men far better than the articles required them. It was not a fact that for five days these men had nothing but pork for breakfast, dinner and tea. There were two Mabommedan firemen on board. They, would not have pork; they had salt beef and eggs.
Captain Peart said that just before noon on the 31st ult. they were at anchor near Bangkok when Charles Stewart came to him and said he could not eat the pork supplied for the meals, adding that he was not quite an alligator." Complainant replied that if he had told him the day before he should have been glad to get some salt beef, but pork had been ordered for the following day, and it would have to be eaten. At eight o'clock the following morn- ing, when the vessel was at sex, defendants
A. E. May, the cook, then gave evidence with regard to the food. In reply to Mr. Looker, he said he ate the pork and enjoyed it.
Mr. Looker admitted that in refusing duty the men did wrong. They did not complain of the quality of the pork, but they had had pork so continuously that their gorge began to rise. When the men asked him for a change the captain did not tell them he had arranged for a fresh diet, and as he held out no hope that there would be a change they said they could not work any more.
Commander Rumsey said he had had many cases of refusal of duty, and he had had many excuses, but he did not think he had ever heard a more lame excuse than that brought forward in that case.
The men were each sentenced to imprison- ment for three weeks with hard labour.
UNLICENSED DRINKING AT WATERFALL BAY.
At the Magistracy on 15th June before Com- mander Hastings James Edwards and five Chi- intoxicating liquors without a licence at a cer- nese boys in his employ were charged with selling tain mat shed at Waterfall Bay. Mr. Gedge appeared for the defence.
P. C. Grant said-On the 13th instant I left Pottinger Street Wharf at 5.15 p.m. by defen- dant's launch for Waterfall Bay, which was reached at about 5.45. P. C. Kent was with
me, and we were both in plain clothes. We went to defendant's mat shed, an acquaintance of mine accompanying ns, and found people stand. ing at the bar just the same as in an ordinary public-house. I called for a bottle of German beer and two whiskies and ginger. I tendered a $5 note in payment to one of the boys-I think it was to No. 1 boy-and received $4.48 change. P.C. Kent then called for a couple of drinks and some sandwiches, tendering a $5 note in payment. Several other people were there. They were calling for drinks-spirits and beer -as if it was a public bar. Mr. Edwards was there, going about, as if he was in charge of the place. He came down in the launch. After having a batbe we signalled for Inspector Moffat and the other officers who were in waiting. This was about a quartertoseven. We then went to the mat shed again and P. C. Kent called for two more drinks beer and whisky-for which he paid 40 cents.
In reply to Mr. Gedge, witness said this laune sailed o Waterfall Bay every day. He believed she made a couple of trips on Sunday.
Don't you know that it is a bathing olub which goes out there? There was a placard on the launch which said " Victoria Bathing Clüb," and there was a notice stuck up in the mat shed bearing the same words.
Was Janes Edwards there when you were having the first drinks P-He might have been. He was there when we asked for the third drinks and asked me if I belonged to the police, and I said I did.
Did he not say you had no right to have these drinks ?—He did not.
Did not he say you were not a member of the club and had no right to have a drink?—I never heard such a thing as a club mentioned. You paid your dollar and went and got what drinks you chose to pay tur.
Were yon thero when James Edwards was detained ?—Yes.
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