496
to call a meeting of the members and submit the offer to them and allow the matter to be discussed.
:
Ishall be glad to receive a reply to this letter stating what course the Committee propose to take.
I reserve to myself the right to publish this letter and any further correspondence which may take place, seeing that the proceedings of the Committee at their meeting held on the 1st instant have been published and further on the ground that the subject is not one affecting the Committee alone but the members of the Chamber and public generally.-I am, dear sir, yours faithfully,
G. C. C. MASTER.
Hongkong Chamber of Commerce.
Hongkong, 8th November, 1898. Dear Sir,-Your letter of the 14th inst. ask ing the Committee to reconsider the decision arrived at by them at their last meeting with regard to the offer of the Government to ap- point a Commission of three members of the Chamber to conduct the suggested inquiry into the working of the Post office has received their attention.
In reply I am instructed to say that, after considering your letter, they adhere to their original opinion, that the Government are best qualified to conduct an investigation into the working of the Postal Department; but they have no desire to deprive the members of the Chamber of the opportunity offered by His Excellency the Officer Administering the Gov. ernment should the members themselves wish to embrace it. At the same time, the Commit- tee do not see that the occasion calls for a
general meeting, as the views of the members can be more readily attained by issue of a circu- lar asking each member to record bis individual opinion, and, if in favour of investigation by the Chamber, whether willing to serve. event of the members proving favourable to such a course, the Committee will then request the Government to be good enough to renew their offer.
In the
This correspondence will be published, as usual, with other letters.-I am, dear sir, yours faithfully,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX,
Secretary.
G. C. C. Master, Esq.
WESTERN HARBOUR OF REFUGE,
Hongkong, 2nd November, 1898. Sir.-I am directed by the Committee to hand you a copy of the reply of the Government to the Chamber's letter of the 10th September endosing your suggestion for the construction of a Western Harbour of Refuge for small craft. You will observe that the Government question the accuracy of your estimate as to the acreage of deep water in the area behind the suggested break-water.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
|
which the Government propound several ques- tions to this Chamber.
In reply, I am instructed to state :- 1.-The question as to how a breakwater 400 yards in length could furnish a deep water re- fuge of some eighty acres has been referred to Mr. Leigh, a copy of whose reply is appended herewith, together with a chart having the re- spective deep water areas at Causeway Bay and inside the proposed breakwater at Slaughter House Point coloured in red.
2.-The Committee are of opinion that the cost of this Refuge should be paid for out of the general revenue of the colony. The work would be primarily for the benefit of Chinese boat-people, and should come out of the taxes to which the Chinese population largely contri- bute. The Committee would strongly deprecate any proposal to provide the funds by the im- position of any special tax on shipping, which, us a threatened renewal of the attempt to destroy the freedom of the port, they could only regard as a retrograde movement, cal culated to prove injurious to the interests of the colony.
8.-With regard to the influence the forma- tion of this Refuge might have on the property of the adjacent Marine Lotholders, the Com mittee have not made any special inquiries, but they see no reason to auticipate objection on the part of the lotholders, whose property would not, they think, be adversely affected by its erection. This is, however, rather a matter for the Government to consider and ascertain, since, if the work be undertaken, it would be carried out under their superintendence. I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX,
Hou. T. Sercombe Smith, Acting Colonial
Secretary.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 1st December, 1898.
December 17, 1898.
to
The question was duly considered at the monthly meeting of the Committee on the 6th instant and it was decided to address a letter the British Minister urging him to take steps to protest against the Taotai's decision, a copy of which I now beg to enclose I am, dear sir, yours faithfully,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX, Secretary.
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce,
Hongkong, 8th December, 1898. - Sir, The attention of the Committee of the Chamber has been drawn to the judgement. recently given by the Taotai of Shanghai in the case of the Bank of China, Japan, and the Straits, Limited (in liquidation), versus certain Chinese shareholders. The effect of this judgement (a copy of which, I understand, has been forwarded to your Excellency), if upheld, cannot fail to prove most disastrous to foreign interests in China inasmuch as it practically absolves the natives from all responsibility with regard to the unpaid liability on shares subscribed for by them in British limited joint stock com. danies, and, as a consequence, seriously impair, the security of such Companies' reserve liabilitys
Moreover,should the T'aotai's ruling be allowed- foreign shareholders in joint stock undertakings would be placed at a most unfair disadvantage vis-à-vis native shareholders. The logical out- come of suc. injustice would also recoil on the Chinese in excluding them from the roster of all foreign companies where any liability is at tached, but that perhaps is not an argument to which the Chinese Government will pay much attention.
The Committee trust that your Excellency will be able to convince the Tsung-li Yamen of the injustice and folly of the Taotai's decision, pointing out the fact that Chinese subscribers to foreign stock do so with their eyes open to Sir. With reference to your letter of the that you will insist upon the legality of enforc
the liability on the shares they take up, and 9th November last, and to previous corresponding such obligations. I have the honour to be, ence on the subject of the construction of sir, your most obedient servant, harbour of refuge west of the Slaughter House, am directed to acquaint you for the informa Governor regrets that, owing to the heavy tion of your Chamber that His Excellency the expenditure which the work would involve, he is unable for the present to recommend to the Secretary of State for the Colonies that such an undertaking should be entered upon.-I have LOSS OF A JAPANESE STEAMER the honour to be, sir, your most obedient ser-
vant.
T. SERCOMBE SMITH, Acting Colonial Secretary.
To
(Signed) R. M. GEAY,''
Chairman. His Excellency Sir Claude Macdonald, K.C.M.G., K.Č.B., H.B.M.'s Minister in China.
}
COLLISION WITH THE P. AND⋅ 0.
"
STEAMER BRINDISI."
A telegram has been received at the P. and
R. Chatterton Wilcox, Esq., Secretary, Hong-0. Office to the effect that early on Tuesday
kong General Chamber of Commerce.
THE BANK OF CHINA CASE.
Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce,
Shanghai, 14th November, 1898. Dear Sir, I am directed by my Committee It would probably facilitate the object in view to forward you a copy of the letter addressed to if you were to supply a sketch pian of the pro-H.B.M's Minister on 31st albo., on the sub- posed harbour of refuge, which would afford the Government the information they desire. I am, sir, yours faithfully,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX, Secretary.
R. K. Leigh, Esq., C.E.
Hongkong, 8th November, 1898. B. Chatterton Wilcox, Esq., Secretary, Hong-
kong Chamber of Commence.
| ject of the judgement delivered by the Taotsi recently in the case of the Bank of China, Japan, and the Straits, Ld. (in liq.), versus Certain Chinese Shareholders. As this is a matter that seriously affects in various ways the business relations between foreigners and Chinese, and may have far-reaching effects if allowed to pass without vigorous protest, my Committee hope that your Chamber can see its way to support the action taken by them.-I am, dear sir, yours faithfully,
DRUMMOND HAY,
Secretary.
ber of Commerce, Hongkong.
Dear Sir-In reply to your letter of 2nd in- stant giving cover to copy of a letter from the Colonial Secretary dated 22nd Oct. I forward you herewith a chart of the harbour on which | R. Chatterton Wilcox, Esq., Secretary, Cham- I have shown the proposed Western Break- water, colouring in red the area which in my opinion this breakwater would protect, and in support of. that opinion I can only say that during a residence of 19 years there has not been a single gale from a direction that small craft would not have been quite safe in this area with such a breakwater.—Yours faithfully,
R. K. LEIGH.
Hongkong Chamber of Commerce,
Hongkong, 9th November, 1898. Sir, I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter (No. 1962) of the 22nd ult. regarding the proposed formation of a Harbour of Refuge for amall craft west of the Slaughter House, and in
Hongkong Chamber of Commerce, Hongkong, 8th December, 1898.' Drummond Hay, Esq., Secretary, Shanghai
Chamber of Commerce.
Dear Sir, I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 14th ult. în which you intended to enclose a copy of the letter addressed on the 31st October by your Chamber to H. B. M.'s Minister at Peking on the subject of the judgement delivered by the Taotai of Shanghai in the case of the Bank of China, Japan, and the Straits. Ld. (in liquidation), versus certain Chinese shareholders, and asking for the sup- port of this Chamber it the action taken.
morning the Japanese steamer Yayeyama ool lided with the P. and O. steamer Brindisi while the latter lay at anchor at Bakan, near Moji. The Yayeyama sank almost immediately but no lives were lost, whilst the Brindisi escaped with a little damage to her bows.
NEWS FROM THE PHILIPPINES.
CIVILIANS VERSUS MILITARY,
MORE CREDIT FOR HONGKONG ENGINEERS.
REPORTS OF AMERICAN GENERALE.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Manila, 6th December. The last few days have witnessed unusual activity at the headquarters of the insurgenth at Malolos. The long drawn out deliberations of the Peace Conference in Paris, and tae numer. ous cablegrams appearing in the Manila papers, combined with the excitable reports circulated by the Spanish Club or Casino, are proving a severe strain on the Filipino diplomatic and military men. It is a hard enough task to organize and equip an army composel of men the greater number of whom are total strangers to life in arms, but to hold them together with- out unusual incentives and at least occasional fighting, is a labour well worthy of all the energies of the able men that Aguinaldo has gathered about him.
Considerable feeling has been aroused over the publication of several excitable articles in the Filipino papers of Manila. One of these papers, the Independencia,
has
always been looked upon by the people in general as reflect,
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