May 20, 1899.
doubt employers would, in most instances, pay the fees when servants first joined. I think I should do so with much pleasure, and though my leisure is very limited, I would not grudge a little time or money to see the provisions of such a measure as I propose properly carried into effect.
When you quote Tonkin, you do not seem to know the real reason for robberies there. It is not because of the registration of servants but because of the inefficiency of the Police. When I tell you that the whole Force employed in Hanoi, the capital, when I stayed there some few years ago, consisted of thirteen men; it will be understood why in a country which literally teems with so-called pirates robberies are fre- quent.
Registration has been of doubtful efficacy only where it has been imperfectly enforced. This is natural, and needs no comment. But I contend that if enforced as other Ordinances are enforced such a law would prove of the greatest value, and practically insure the com- munity against the robberies now so frequent.
It is perfectly idle to talk of voluntary registration; that would be foredoomed to failure from its inception. How many young bachelors would dream of resorting to it naless it was a compulsory obligation ? To be of the slightest use, registration must be general, the tickets must bear photographs of the holders, and the penalties for engaging uuregistered servants must be swingeing.---I am dear sir, yours faithfully,
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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higher than at present, more especially among the coolies. It is now almost impossible to get servants who will do any reasonable amount of work, and there is a very considerable percent age of thoroughly bad characters among them I believe registration would result in a woeding. out of the worthless class to a considerable extent. It would show up the insolent rascals who are eternally changing their places, and employers would see at once by the tickets whether a candidate for employment was likely to prove a good or desirable servant. Of course the only entries on the tickets would be the dates of engagement and conclusion of service, but these would be sufficiently eloquent if they were constant. Wages might possibly increase some- what under this system, but not to any serious extent, because there would be no difficulty in bringing in new servants from other places if the supply of local ones ran short. There would not be the danger of a guild, as in the case of the engineers, because no special training or examinations would be necessary. Another object in view in ad- vocating registration is certainly the preven- tion of orime. You think it would be no deter- rent. Well, that as one opinion. I don't think it is worth much, for reasons I will mention. You say in effect that the chance of getting away with his master's property to Canton would outweigh the consideration that the thief would lose his registration ticket. Under some circumstances and in certain cases-say where the servant happened to be a criminal-it might. Perhaps, if the loss of the registration ticket alone were concerned, it might not deter even an unlucky gambler from levanting with a big prize. But I submit that, in the vast majority of cases, the facts, first that the servant's photograph, name, and description were lodged in the Police Office, that the knowledge that a hue and cry would be raised after him, that he could never again with safety return to the Let the Government take note that the present Colony, and that, finally, he had cut himself off state of affairs is due to the new Gambling from the means of making a good livelihood, Licensing Ordinance. This measure, whilst it would serve as very strong deterrents to the certainly brings an ample revenue to the Col-commission of robberies from employers. onial Treasury in a manner a hundred times less objectionable then the late opium farm, is the direct cause of the dishonesty heretofore a thing unknown. With apologies,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX. Hongkong, 12th May, 1899.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS." SIE,-Your correspondent, Mr. Wilcox, points out the demoralization at present obtaining anomgst domestic servants, and suggests a remedy for the widespread evil. As a fellow
sufferer, I would invite attention to its cause.
IRONIC,
Hongkong, 12th May, 1899. AN ORDINANCE FOR THE REGIS TRATION OF CHINESE SERVANTS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.',
DEAR SIE,In the course of your remarks on my letter of the 12th inst., when labouring to raise difficulties in the way of registration you ask how the provisions of the Ordinance could be enforced. There ought to be no diffi- culty about this. The British and foreign community is not so large that it would not be perfectly simple to have monthly inspec tions, and I fail to see that there could be hardship in the matter to any sensiblo per-
son.
Of course that are some foolish people who are so jealous of any infringement of the liberty of the subject that, like the worthy bishop you quote, they would sacritice the substance of what was inherently good to preserve the shadow of what they thought to be more valuable. All these objections, how ever, if you probe down to the root, will be found to arise mainly from laziness-too much trouble! That is the whole secret.
You conclude the whole matter by expressing doubt whether, in the evant of registration ve- ing decided upon and strictly enforced, it would accomplish the object in view. You think it would be no bar to a servants' leaving the Colony,and when a thief saw his chance of get- ting away to Canton with his master's property he would not be deterred by the consideration that he would thereby forfeit his registration ticket."
In any comparision with what may have hap: pened in Ceylon-and my information is at least as reliable and as up to date as yours- consideration must be had to the very different circumstances of the two Colonies. Ceylon is self-contained and isolated; the detection of crime and the capture of criminals are com- paratively easy there if the Police are worth anything. In Hongkong, on the other hand, the Police are singularly handicapped. The facilities for getting away to a huge Chinese city like Canton, where any number of crim. inals can be absorbed and lost sight of, as well as numerous other places ou the mainland where they can find secure asylums, are most exceptional. Once outside the bounds of the Colony, moreover, thieves find every facility for disposing of their plunder; while the Police, on the other hand, can obtain none of that assistance which is afforded to them in sivilised countries when in quest of criminals.
If, therefore, the Registration Ordinanco had even been allowed to become inoperative in Ceylon, it would constitute no valid reason why it should not be tried here, where it is so much more urgently needed.
In connection with this question I think that one of the Unofficial Members of Council might usefully ask the Government to furnish a state- ment of the number of robberies from British and foreign residences reported to the Police during the past three years and the number of
convictions in connection therewith,-I am, dear sir, yours faithfully,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX. Hongkong, 13th May, 1899.
TAXATION IN CHINA.
DAILY PRESS. ́
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE
SIB,-Your recent article with reference to Now, Sir, you misapprehended to some extent the taxation per head of the different countries the objects not object-I have in view. Pos- of the world tends to confirm a conclusion at sibly it was my fault in not stating them more which I arrived some years ago as the result of plainly, but I thought I had shown they were much observation, reflection, comparison, and plural not singular: One great object in ob- inquiry, viz., that the average China man, in taining registration is to my mind to secure a spite of all squeezings, tyrannies, and (oppres- better class of servant than we now have. Whensions, of which we oftentimes hear so much, is I first came to the colony the percentage of in reality the most lightly taxed, and, in many good and trustworthy domestics was very much | respects, the freest individual in the world. It
is quite true, as you remark, that on the other hand he knows nothing of the manifold bless- ings of our civilisation in the way of rates, par- liaments, and so forth; but it has never struck me that he is rendered very unhappy on this account, nor that he would be made much hap- pier by the possession of them.—I am, yours truly, ⠀
POPTES
Canton, 15th May, 1899.
A. S. WATSON & CO., LIMITED, v. E. Q. COOPER.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILY PRESS,"
SIR,-Your edition of 5th ult having just been handed to me I note the judgment as delieverd in Shanghai in the case Watson & Co. v. myself appears therein. In common fairness to myself I trust you will be good enough to insert in your next issue the report of the case as held publicly in Amoy, which I enclose, that your readers may form their own opinion as to the reasonableness or otherwise of the contract in question.-Yours faithfully.
+
E. Q. COOPER.
Amoy, 13th May, 1899.
COPY OF NOTES OF CASE ISSUED BY
H.B.M.'S CONSULATE.
In H.B.M.'s Provincial Court at Amoy, Mon- day, the 12th day of December, 1898; between A. S. Watson & Co., Plaintiffs, and E. Q. Cooper, Defendant. Before C. T. Gardner, Esq., C.M.G., Judge of the Provincial Court, and R. H. Bruce, Esq., and F. Leyburn, Esq., Assessors. Mr. Manuk appeared for the Plaintiffs and Mr. Cooper defended himself.
Defendant called by plaintiff and duly sworn deposed:-Defendant's General Manager by his endorsement on the agreement agreed to à breach of the agreement. There had been previous correspondence between us. I ad- mit letter marked "A" put in. Reply put in marked "B" and read; further corres- pondence put in and read marked "C" and
D." My agreement was endorsed by Mr. Hum. phreys, junior, Mr. Humphreys, senior, being at home. It is dated May 22, 1897. Agreement put in. There was no conversation as far as I re- member as to my joining Moalle & Co, at the time of making the endorsement. Mr. Humphreys arrived so late on the same day that I left as to leave but little time for conversation. I inter- preted his silence on that point as giving con- sent. I should not have thought it hard if he had refused to give me a certificate on leaving. I think I suggested his giving me a certificate. I do not remember quoting a similar instance. I went home 22nd May, 1897. I did not call on the General Manager at home. I received a letter from him dated 10th Aug., 1897, marked
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F." I then sent them my address. I received a further letter "G." I had come to an arrange- ment with Moalle & Co. before going home The agreement is dated 22nd April, 1897. I did not inform Watson & Co. " by letter" that I was joining Moalle & Co. I did not answer letter of 13th Sept. from General Manager, as I was leaving for the East, I reached Amoy 10th Dec., 1897, I received letter put in "H," I entered on work directly I arrived. Moalle & Co. are stevedores, lighterers, naval con- tractors, also storekeepers, outfitters, wine and spirit merchants. They have sold wines, spirts. &o., long before my time. They have always and do still style themselves wine and spirit merchants and are also serated water manufacturers. They also sell such articles as disinfectants, meat extracts-not chemical extracts. They sell Lipton's beef extract; it is not a chemical extract. We also sell other extracts. I issted expresses "1" & "J. Watson & Co, have an aerated table water. 1 am a qualified English chemist but not a member of the Pharmaceutical Society..
chemists referred to in oxpress are Stephe
and Hawell. Watson & Co. had certain re- ceipts for waters which I knew imperfectly. They were in my possession while I was in Amoy. Moalie & Co. also sell cigars and disinfectants. The disinfectant called Moalle's is imported. My terms with Watson & Co. were $90 a month and $5 a month each year in succession, on the terms specified in agreement. From August, 1889, to March, 1890, I recieved $105 and perquistes. In May, 1893, I got $140 at Tien-
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