12
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
I trust that the Chamber of Commerce of Hongkong will see their way clear in rectifying an infamous imposition upon Foreign shipping by the French Customs of Saigon.-I am, yours obediently.
THE SUBSIDIARY COINAGE. Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce,
Hongkong, 20th June, 1899.
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[July 1, 1899)
The correspondent adds that from an authen- tio source he learns that the incident above nar rated really took place. A full apology was made in a satisfactory manner and the affair has beeu closed. A number of high mandarins made official and friendly calls on the Plover.
MACAO AND THE CHINES
CUSTOMS.
In giving a translation of the article on the Chi nese Customs at Kiaoghan which appeared in the Daily Press on the 20th June the Echo Maca ense makes the following prefatory remarks :
Sir, The Committee of this Chamber have for some time had under consideration the R. CRAWFORD,
growing evil caused by the unchecked inflow Muster, S. S. Propontis. into this Colony of subsidiary silver token
issued from the Canton Mint. These coins are Colonial Secretary's Office,
supplied at a discount ranging from 1 to 24 per 16th June, 1899.
cent. to speculators, who introduce them to the Sir-With reference to your letter of the Colony, aud, by the aid of Chinese shroffs, force 6th instant and previous correspondence relative them into circulation, to the almost total ex- to the hardship entailed upon British and Ger- clusion of the legal subsidiary currency (of man ressels by the system of rewards obtaining which there is now a most ample supply), there-
Since the West River has been opened t at Saigon for information leading to the disby practically exploiting the colonial revenue covery of smuggled opium on board such and cansing serious loss and inconvenience to European trade we have repeatedly drawn the vessels, I am directed to state for the inform the inhabitants. I am therefore instructed to attention of our Government to the necessity ation of the Chamber that the Government
to beg yon to inform His Excelleucy the Go. of arriving at a new arrangment with the proposes to dent with the matter by making the
vernor that this Chamber considers the evil has Chinese Government respecting the trade ba-*
tween Macao and the West River, the substitu concealment of opium on board a ship a penal attained such dimensions as to call for an effec-
tive remedy. and that stops should at once betion of steamers for junks rendering necessary a taken to prevent the entry and circulation in revision and alteration of the Convention of the Colony of any foreign subsidiary coins. 1887 regarding the junk trade. Junks leaving..
Macao might submit to examination at the Customs station at Malowchow, at the entrance to Macao harbour, even though sometimes they had to land their cargo at the Customs jetty to have it compared with the manifest, the voy. age being delayed for hours and sometimes for days, bat it is not to be supposed that this system could be applied to the accelerated navigation of steamers, whose principal advantage consists in the rapidity and re. : gularity of their voyages, an advantage that would disappear if steamers were to be sub- lected to the same Customs system as junks with all its delays and interruptions.
offence
The draft of a Bill to the above effect will be prepared and submitted to the Chamber in due course.I bave the honour to be, sir, most obedient servant
your
J. G. T, BUCKLE. p. Colonial Secretary. The Secretary Chamber of Commerce.
Hongkong General Chamber of Commerce,
Hongkong, 17th June, 1899. Dear Sir, I beg to acknowledge receipt of | Four letter of the 6th inst., giving particulars of the fine inflicted upon your steamer (the Pro- pontis) at Saigon in consequence of information | having been laid with the Customs there and the consequent discovery of 263 taels secrets l on board.
Your case has been laid before the Committé, and is under their consideration. They have already made representations to the local Government, who are getting the whole matter brought to the notice of the French Authorities at Saigon, and taking steps to deter Chinese from concealing the drag on board vessels. Į am dear sir, yours faithfully,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOS,
Secretary.
R. Crawford. Esq., Master S. S. Propontis.
THE FERRY LAUNCHES AND THE MER- CHANT SHIPPING ORDINANCE, The Star Ferry Co., Limited.
Hongkong, 12th Jane, 1899. Sir I have the honour to bring the follow- ing acts to the notice of the Chamber of Coinderce
(1)-This Company is possessed of two double ended ferry boats-the Morning and
· Guilling" Stur-having an upper deck for first class passengers.
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Marine Surveyor, (2) The Government whilst agreeing that this upper deck is safe for the carriage of passengers, is unable to measure it for that purpose because the faw gives him no power to do so.
(3) The Gorerament on being appealed to decline to interfere in the matter.
(4)-The opinion of Mr. Francis: Q.C.. has been taken and he agrees that the Marine Surveyor has no power to measure the deck in question.
Burnie and
(5)-Mr. Gillies, Messrs. Goddard, and Captain Anderson have given it as their opinion that it is absolutely safe to carry passengers on the upper deck.
The position is therefore this:-The boats were specially designed for carrying passengers on the upper deck, experts are of opinion that it is perfectly safe to do so, and as a matter of fact they actually do carry them; yet the does not allow of the deck being measured.
Such an anomaly is, it is considered. suffici- eot justification fo an amendment of the law and my Directors will b, mnch obliged if the Cham- ber of Commerce would embody in the recom- mendations which they are 'making to the Gor- ernment in connection with revision of the Shipping Ordinance a suggestion to the effect that the upper decks of ferry launches which are specially constructed for carrying passengers should be licensed accordingly.I have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant,
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The Committee would be obliged if you can furnish the Chamber with a copy of the Or. dinauce recently passed in the Straits Settle- ments to exclude the Japanese silver yen from that Colony, and would like to be informed. what measures were adopted to prevent the introduction of the coin there. I have the the honour to be, sir, your most obedient ser- vaht,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX.
Secretary.
Hon. Colonial Secretary.
THE PROPOSED RETROCESSION OF SHAMCHÚS,
24th June.
No definate information as to the reported hauling back of Shamehun to the chinese for
Nor is it to be expected that the Chinese Government should favour accelerated naviga tion between Macao and the West River ports and permit steamers to proceed direct from Macao to the Chinese non-treaty ports to which junks trade without stopping at Malowchow unless they have given in advance guarantees to the Chinese, revenue service for the payment of proper duty.
An agreement to this effect might be safely entered into and would prove mutually We have earnestly and in- advantageous.
a money indemnity seems forthcoming. The anthorities here say they know nothing about the matter except that any negotiations which may be going on are betweed the home Gov- rument and the authorities af Peking, but that the place has certainly not been handed over af yet. Our representative was jocularly ad rised to apply at Peking for any further incessantly drawn attention to this subject, but all in vain. It seems that we can only follow formation on the matter.
the lead of foreigners and are incapable of taking the initiative in anything.
26th June.
With reference to the proposed retrocession of Slamehun, the position, it is reported, is this: The bill for the operatious ruderal necessar by the Chinese perfidy in connection with the New Territory has been made up and amounts. including military and civil expenditure, to $93,000. China has been gifen the option of paying this sum and taking back Shamchun, but has not yet intimated her acceptance of the offer. The local Government is not credited with having done much to prevent the retroces- gion it in view of the official secreed observed it is impossible to ascertain exactly what has transpired. The home papers will probably contain faller information than is obtainable Locally.
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THE PLOVER FIRED ON AP BOCCA TIGRIS,
MISTAKEN FOR AN ITALIAN,
The desired agreement will come, but it will be after Hongkong bas made bers, when the conditions will be more adverse, whereas faronr. able conditions might be obtained if our Go- rernment would act promptly.
In the meantime we would call the attention of the Government to the interesting article which we translate below. It will there be seen what course has been adopted at Kiaochau and what is recommended with respect to Hong- kong. We cannot completely accept the Kino- chan modus vivendi, but our contemporary's. recommendations with respect to Hongkong might be applied to Macno.
The translation of the Daily Press article is then given.
THE ALLEGED ANTI-FORE GN FELLING AT WUCHOW.
We are informed or good authority that there is absolutely no foundation for the statements A Canton correspondent sends us a trans- which, first appearing in a Hongkong paper lation from the Ling Hoi Po of the 27th June (the China Mail) and sinca copied into many of the home papers, including the Times, anent the to the effect that on the 4th of the 5th moor
existence of a violent anti-foreign feeling in (11th June), as H.B M. gunboat Plover was
Wuchow and the issue of placards by the proceeding up the river to Canton, the man- darin in charge of Bocca Tigris, who had in-officials inciting the people to rise and massacre the foreigners. A solitary placard—a poor lawstructious to open fire upon any Italian man-of-
war going to Canton, ordered a flag to be hoisted imitation of one of the famous. Hunan placards to stop her, mistaking her for an Italian. The
-was posted in the city during the ex- fort signalman in the hurry and excitement aminations, most probably by a student. Hine hoisted a wrong flag, and the Plover did not ille lachrymæ ! stop. The mandarin took this as an insult to his dignity, and to show that he was not to be trifled with ordered a blank charge to be fired across the gunboat. The Commander of the Plover on arriving at Can. ton went to the British Consulate to have a despatch sent to the Viceroy demanding an apology. Subsequently the mandarin went où board in person to apologise, but the Com. mander refused to accept the apology unless it was tendered by a superior authority, and the 'matter was still pending.
EDWARD OSBORNE, Secretary. R. Chatterton Wilcox, Esq., Secretary, General
Chamber of Commerce, Hongkong.
The fact is that the people of Wuchow are unusually friendly and polite to the handful of foreigners resident in their midst and the local officials are particularly willing to do their duty according to their lights. Some 3,000 students assembled in Wuchow for the examinations recently, and although tennis was played on an open piece of ground within 50 yards of the Examination Hall every day during that period, not one case of insult or even rudeness to foreigners has to be recorded. So much for the 'violent anti-foreign propaganda."
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