Page
540
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
December 31, 1898.
THE VICTORIA RECREATION OLUB and criticised, the regatta prospects exercis ever the site may ultimately be found,
AND THE REGATTA.
we would venture to draw the
(Daily Press, 29th December).
ing almost as great a fascination as the howeven of Sir HENRY BLAKE to the re-
annual race meeting at Happy Valley, attention But us the bath gradually silted up a and
. At the distribution of the Regatta prizes became unpleasant, while at the same timarks of Sir RICHARD MAODONNELL in
though that Club on its formation
opening the swinning bath and to suggest on Saturday Captain HASTINGS remarked the ever increasing number of steam for His Excellency's consideration whether that this year's regatta was the forty-second launches brought bathing off the beaches of the time has
not arrived when, instend of held under the auspices of the Victoria Stonecutters or Sywan within the reach of grunting a site for a swi Recreation Club. The statement is cnl.
a swimming bath to any so u.any, the Recreation Club became more particular Club, a public bath should not culated to lend to some misapprehension, and more deserted during the summer be provided that should be open to any- Inasmuch as the Victoria Recreation. Club months by certain sections of the com- one who was willing to pay such fee as might was not in existence forty-two years ago, munity and the interest in rowing aloue be necessary to provide for the up-keep. proved insufficient to draw them back wheu Admission to membership in the Recreation the bathing season ended. The Club also Club is tolerably open, but an attempt was became year by year less and less "select," made a few years ago
Lo render it less SO, à very literal interpretation_having been and the colony has now reached a stuge given to Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL'S re- when Government grants to private clubs commendation on this point. At the same should cease altogether. The community time other competing forms of recrea- is a fairly wealthy one and if small sections tion were being introduced. In the wish to form exclusive clubs old days the only forms of exercise own, as they have a available in the
riding | do, they should do so atas
summer were
•
of
right
their
own
absorbed the organisation under whose auspices the regatta had previously been held. The original Victoria Regatta Club was formed in October, 1849, and was reconstituted in April, 1861, having apparently been moribund during a portion of the intervening period. The Victoria Recreation Club was established in 1872 and sprang from the amalgamation of three pre-existing Clubs, namely, the Rowing Club (or Regatta Club), the Swimming Club, and the Gymnasium. The Swimming Club may
be regarded as the real .parent of the present organisation, as it was that Club that secured the site (or a portion of it) on which the Recreation Club's premises now stand. The opening ceremony of the Swimming Club was pre- sided over by Sir RICHARD MACDONNELL on the 1st November, 1866, and the report of ground in those days. Now we have polo, all means let us have all the recreation
"
the proceedings is interesting at the preseut day for its reference to the social question, which has of late years so much exercised the Club. His Excellency said:-"I would, however, remind the Committee that in giving the site and entrusting its manage- ment to them I have made them trustees "for no individual interests, but rather for "the general public, and I therefore hope "that so far as subsequent experience and "the state of their funds may admit they ** will take a liberal view of their duties and "render the establishment as widely bene- "ficial as possible." In 1872 the boat-house was erected and the Victoria Recreation Club formed, and from that time to the présent the regattas have been held under the auspices of the organisation as it now exists, but, it must be confessed, with diminishing popularity, especially during the last eight or ten years.
▾
or driving aud aquatics, with walking thrown in of course, but Kennedy Road was not then made, not to speak of Bowen Road and the walks at the Peak, and with practically only the Shaukiwan Road avail- able both riding and walking were somewhat monotonous amusements. In the winter there was cricket, but only for the members of the Hongkong Cricket Club, there being. no Happy Valley Recreation
expense and not at that of the public. The recent grant of Deep Bay to the Golf Club, for instance, was a transaction to
hich no Government should have been a arty. Sir HENRY BLAKE can hardly ope to escape similar applications during his term of office, but it is to be hoped he will draw the line where it is drawn in Great Britain and der line to give any private club exclusive rights over public Innd. By
SUPRE E. COURT.
23rd December.
CRIMINAL SESSIONS.
cricket, golf, football, hockey, tennis, and grounds and swimming baths that we can cycling, with the result that the Victoria get, but if they are to be provided at the Recreation Club with its muddy swimming public expense. let them be open to the bath and its boating is only one amougst use of the public on the same lines as many institutions formed for recreation the parks, recreation grounds, and public and exercise, and hardly the most attrac-swimming baths at home. tive. There is even a competing boating club, formed, not as Captain HASTINGS seemed to suggest on Saturday, for the con- venience of the Kowloon residents, but by a number of men to whom the social tone of the Recreation Club bad ceased to be agreeable. The result of all these causes combined is that the Club's regatta now en- joys but a faint shadow of the glory that surrounded it in the old days when the course for a large portion of its length was lined with gaily decked lighters, each with its own party on board; when the intervals between the races were filled up by the in- terchange of visits, the water being alive with gigs and dinghies; and when the Re-countant in the Sanitary Department, and Lo gatta Ball wound up the carnival. The meeting still affords an excuse for a couple of balf-holidays, but far more people make use of the welcome cessation of business to
indulge in golf, tennis, or other games than in going to see the regatta.
Various theories have been advanced to account for the diminishing popularity of what used to be our great aquatic carnival, each of which probably has some element of truth in it, for many causes have contri- buted to the result. What strikes us, however, as one of the principal causes, has hardly been touched upon. With Rowing, however, is still the favourite rowing swimming used to be closely form of recreation with a large section of the associated, but with the silting up of the youth of the colony aud it merits encourage- foreshore the bath has become an undesir-
ment. Although the Victoria Recreation able place for bathing, the water generally Club does not enjoy the same social stand- being more or less filthy, so that the ex-ing as it did formerly, yet from a public point pression made use of by Sir RICHARD of view, which is the point of view that MACDONNELL, merses profundo pulchrior ought to be adopted by the Government, evéhit, would be quite inapplicable to any it probably serves a more useful purpose present day bather; and the deteriora- than ever before, by placing facilities for tion of the bath has led to the disuse recreation and exercise within the reach of the Club by many who formerly of many who might not be able so patronised it. The Recreation Club in conveniently to find them elsewhere. the seventies and early eighties used to Exception must be made to this statement be the great gathering place for the Eu-in so far as regards the swimming bath, ropean community in the summer afternoons after business hours; taipans might be seen there disporting themselves quite freely in the water with their juniors, and those who did not go to swim went to gossip. As the summer waned and the evenings got cooler the interesti in the rowing department quickened and when the training for the regatta commenced the crews as they went out and returned were closely watched
the site no longer being suitable for that purpose, but it is hoped that a new site inay be secured before very long where bathing may be enjoyed in water that will be clean at all states of the tide, It was hoped that the new site might be arranged in conjunction with the Naval Yard re- clamation, by favour of the Naval authori- ties, but there appears to be some doubt now whether this will be feasible. Wher
BEFORE SIR JOHN CARRINGTON (CHIEF JUSTICE).
THE CHARGES AGAINST SANITARY, BOARD OFFICIALS,
A CONTRADICTORY WITNESS. —DEFENDANTS
DISCHARGED.
Frederick Howard Kew, chief ulerk and ac
Wing, chief messenger in the same department, were each charged (1) with attempting to obtain a bribe as a public servant with a view to ins fluence his conduct as public servant, (2) at
tempting to obtain a bribe as a public servant
with a view to incline him to do an aot contrary tempting to extort money under colour of office. to the rules of honesty and integrity; (3) at
Both prisoners pleaded not guilty. The Acting Attorney-General (Mr H. E. Pollock), instucted by Mr. H. L. Dennys (Crown Solicitor) appeared for the prosecution, Wilkinson and Grist), appeared for Kew and Mr. Francis, QC. (instructed by Messrs.
A. M. Brügmana, M. J. Patell, John Suther The following composed the jury-Messrs. J. land, J. W. Bolles, J. M. H. Meier, John Lysaught, and Thomas Meek.
The Acting Attorney-General said the de- fendants in this case were charged in effect. with attempting to obtain a bribe of $15 from was the manager of the Kwang Hing Bakery a certain Chinaman called Au Ping Kwan, who at 157, Hollywood Road, on the 8th November. Inspector Phillips, who was an inspector of nuisances, went to the Kwang Hing Bakery at about half-past two accompanied by a Chinese interpreter, and said he was going to summon the master for having the premises or the tor then left the shop, and shortly afterwards baking tins in a dirty condition. The Inspeo-
Board office called Chau Hing came to the a messenger who was employed at the Sanitary shop and delivered a certain message there, and in consequence of that message Au Ping
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