176
We have heard it remarked that the con- sumption of water at the Penk is insignifi- cunt in comparison with the total consump tion of the whole colony, but we fail to see what bearing that can have on the question, for the same remark might with equal force be applied to any other particular group of houses. If the colony is put on short allowance of water, we cannot gee any reason why the Peakites should be treated differently from any other section of the population.
SHANGHAI AND THE PENNY PONAGE SCHEME,
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
in another column, The Government states that Dr. DOBERCK's action was unauthorised and that a renewal of the Manila storm warnings has been requested. A disagreeable incident is thus closed, and it is to be hoped there may be no repetition of such conduct on the part of the Director of the Hongkong Observatory
TH
1.
KOWLOON EXTENSION.
INFLAMMATORY PLACARDS
POSTED
H.E. THE GOVERNOR MAKES REPRESENTATIONS TO THE VICEROY.
4th April.
Some commotion was caused in the city on Saturday night and Sunday by the criculation of a rumour that serious trouble was brewing in the Kowloon hinterland, and that in conse. quence two or three gunboats and a portion of for coping with any disturbance which might the Hongkong regiment were kept in readinees take place.
Last week Government officials were busily engaged in the new territory surveying main roads and arranging for matshed accommoda- On Saturday morning tion for the police, etc. they found that the district in which they were then engaged had been placarded, the inhabitants being called upon to prevent the British from doing this, that, and the other, and later in the day some of the inhabitants seemed disposed to be awkward, for they assembled about the officials and asked them to desist or there would be trouble. The matter was at once reported to Hongkong and at Canton asking for an audience. Late ou H.E. the Governor telegraphed to the Viceroy
Saturday night an answer came from the Viceroy stating that he would be pleased to see His Excellency the next day.
(Daily Press, 4th April.) The N. C. Daily News thinks that Hong- kong ought to bear the cost of giving Shanghai the benefit of over-sea penny postage. The charge for a letter from Shanghai to England is ten cents per half- ounce, and from Hongkong four cents. It has occurred to some Shanghai residents, therefore, to post their letters under cover to Hongkong by the Chinese Post Office at charge of two cents and to have them re-posted here at a charge of four cents, making in all six cents, instead of ten cents, as would be the case were the letters posted from Shanghai direct. "A Taxed Britisher" writes to the N. C. Daily News complaining that Captain HASTINGS will not lend himself to this little dodge, and he encloses the following note which he received from that official : "Doubt "less the 10 cents rate is evaded largely by the method you have adopted sending etters under cover into the "colony-but to expect the officer in charge "of the Post Office to connive at and ac- "tively assist auch evasion you must per-
ceive is improper. Your letters "have been taxed." The N. C. Daily News says this is "the most preposterous thing
we have ever read."
It seems to us pre- posterous that Shanghai should expect Hongkong to pay for the carriage of its correspondence. The four-cent rate is not a paying rate, and the loss will have to be made good by the Hongkong taxpayers. If Shanghai wants four-cents postage or six- cents postage, no doubt it would be able to arrange the matter if it were prepared to in- clude a vote for the service in its municipal budget, but to expect to get the service at the expense of Hongkong is unconcionable. It is rather presumptuous, too, for any Á Shanghai resident to dub himself
Taxed Britisher," seeing that the Shanghai residents escape all charges for Imperial burdens, whereas we in Hongkong DEPARTURE OF A PUNITIVE FORCE. have to pay a heavy military contribution.
·
+
"
DR. DOBELOK AND THE MANILA OBSERVATOKY.
Accordingly on Sunday morning at five o'clock His Excellency and the Hon. J. H. Stewart Lockhart and staff got aboard the t.b.d. Fame, and in four hours and a half-a record trip-reached Canton. The Viceroy had made every preparation for the reception of His Excellency, the streets being lined with troops. In replying to His Excellency's representa tions, the Viceroy promised to do what he could to discover the parties responsible for the in- flammatory placard and to instruct the military commander at Kowloon city to place troops at the disposal of the British officials for their
protection.
The Fame returned to Hongkong at teu o'clock on Sunday night.
THE HON. F. H. MAY AND PARTY STONED.
INFURIATED VILLAGERS BURN THE POLICE MAT-SHED.
5th April.
Considerable commotion was caused in Gor- ernment circles on Monday night by the arrival of a messenger from Captain-Superintendent May, who had gone to Taipo, a village near (Daily Press, 5th April).
Mirs Bay, bringing word that a serious distar. The Government is to be congratulated bance had taken place and asking for relief. on the prompt action it has taken with Accordingly about three o'clock yesterday reference to Dr. DOBEROK's unjustifiable morning the military commander at Kowloon attack on the Manila Observatory. In con- City was pulled out of his bed and, accompanied sequence of representations made by Dr. by about a dozen “Braves,” taken on board the DOBERCK to the Weather Bureau of the torpedo-boat destroyer Fame, on which some United States the sending of typhoon warn-
300 men of the Welsh Regiment had already embarked. At four o'clock the Fame started ings from the Manila Observatory to places fall speed for Mirs Bay, the Whiting following outside the Philippines was officially inter-
shortly afterwards. At the same time steps dioted. Upon this coming to the notice of were at once taken to get everything in rend- the Hongkong General Chamber of Com-ness for sending other war vessels, should they merce representations were made to the be necessary, and 200 or 300 men of the Hong Government, and the Chamber expressed kong Regiment were ordered to be placed under the feeling of the community when it said arms so that they would be at once despatched that the Manila warnings had been found should their services be required. useful and that their discontinuance would be viewed with regret. The outcome will be seen in the correspondence published
[April 8, 1899.
said that the Captain Superintendent had been struck on the head and seriously injured. The idea of the Captain Superintendent being cap. tured by Chinese villagers is too absurd for anything, but there is no doubt that he and his party were in a tight corner. They were pelted with stones and bricks and though hit were fortunately not seriously injured.
It appears that Captain Super mon
7.
፡
May went to Taifoo on Monday purpose of seeing how the police mat-shed which
was being erected ther
was get- ting on, and also to exchange some Chinese soldiers för
the
e police guard. He had also arranged to meet the elders of the village, who wanted to see him about the mat- shed. On his arrival he went to the temple in the village and met the elders, but there was such a noisy crowd in the temple that it was impossible to discuss anything. Finally the elders asked the Captain Superintendent if he would order the mat-shed to be removed, as it interfered with the "fungshui" of the village, He told them that he could not do this, and added that the site of the mat-shed had been actually selected by the leading elders of the to the mat-shed had no objections to it on the nearest village, and that if the nearest village
score of "fung-shui" he did not see why they should have any. One of the elders then said that the site belonged to him and not to the village the Captain Superintendent had men- tioned.
Mr. May replied that if he could produce proofs that the site belonged to him the British Government would buy it from him. To this the elder replied that he did not want to sell the site that he could not sell it.
The interview then terminated, and soon after- wards a rough threw a brick into the temple yard. and another man came in and called upon the by standers to arrest Mr. May's interpreter as a traitor to his country.
induced to leave the temple. Mr. May waited After this the majority of the visitors were
until he thought the crowd had cooled down, and then he endeavoured to retire to his boat.
On
Ho had with him six Sikhs armed with side- arms, two district watchmen, and one Chinese detective policeman. Five Chinese soldiers were also waiting outside the temple. Mr. May and his party getting outside some- one struck the interpreter in the back and another man caught him by the queue and tried to detain him. The interpreter was between Mr. May and the Sikh sergeant. The latter released the interpreter's queue, whereupon someone hit him on the head with a brick, Bricks and other missiles thou began to fly about freely, all the members of Mr. May' party being struck. The Chinese soldiers got separated from the police by the crowd, and ag things began to look serions the Captain Su- perintendent, assembled the Sikhs in the lane and ordered them to draw their swords and charge. In this way they beat back the crowd, who were aried with chairs and various house- hold utensils. A couple of Chinese soldiers who kept between the crowd and Mr. May's party rendered good service. They indeed be. haved very well, and as they were armed with rifles the crowd were afraid to molest them. The police were then able to return to their boat.
The mut-shed is situate some distance from the village, and as it was nearly finished and Mr. May was anxious to save it if possible he sent the interpreter, the district watchmen, and the Chinese detective back to Hongkong-as the crowd seemed to have most animosity against them-with letter asking for assistance.
red,
On darkness coming on Mr. May marched his men to the mat-shed to protect it. It was Boon apparent that they were not to be allowed to spend a quiet evening, for the villagers began to make demonstrations-beating gongs and Aring off what was apparently a revolver. U
UI timately, however, this ceased for about, an hour. Then towards ten o'clock the police obe lights moving backwards and forwards surrounding villages and on the neighbouring hill sides; bombs were fired, horn blow druns beaten. It was evident that were going to attack the police In the meantime all sorts of stories got affont. cordingly Mr. May withdrew One was to the effect that Captain Superinten neighbouring and higher hill. Sho dent May had been captured by Chinese villag.wards there was a large explosion ers and was being held prisoner, and another and the crowd, which had completely ▶
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