88
July 8, 1999.
THE ANTI-RAILWAY RIOT AT KIAOCHAU.
abroad, they could not fail to derive advantage from the pentration of European influence and the application of European industrial methods. The Tientsin correspondent of the N C. We are glad to learn that the Chinese man- Daily News writes under date of 21st June: darins adopted energetic measures with respect The news has just arrived that Mr. Hildebrand, to the rioters and that order has been re-estab-engineer of the new railway and two surveyors lished at Mengtzu.
have been captured by Chinese near Kianchau Such is the tenour of a note stating the gen- and carried off to some place near by. The eral position. There was no bloodshed, which first company of the See-buttallion is accord- is the principal point. In a few days the Ton-ingly under orders to leave at once for Kiaochau. kin mail will no doubt bring ns full details.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND removed from their present or projected posing, but that, contrary to the ramours spread tions how much better would it be for the legitimate commerce of Hongkong? It seems to me fairly reasonable to suppose that the stations would be removed to the next advanta- geous position a few miles further on. If Hongkong held the mountain passes on the one side the probability is that minions of the Cus. toms would be stationed near by to intercept trade and collect dues, as they have a perfect and indubitable right to do. Ching bas, I suppose, still authority to collect revenne, in common with every other nation. How, then, would Hongkong be benefited ? To the ordinary man in the treat you would be just where you were, only more so. With regard to annex- ing fresh territory, is it quite established that Hongkong has sufficient resources to properly administer territory already leased? Out of about 200 square miles it is an open question whether more than two thirds of it isn't sterile."
The first point noticeable in the above is the desire on the part of the Customs to cling to their present stations or if that is not possible to remove to projected ones within the Sunon District. As their past record does not go to show that they are desirous of granting privi- leges to the trade of Hongkong, witness their
treatment of the inland waters concession as applied to the West River, one will not easily be persuaded of the advantage of having them located where they are or in their projected stations within the Sunon District.
11
The next point is that if Hongkong held the mountain passes on the one side the "minions of the Customs would be stationed near by to intercept trade. I am afraid that the " minions" of the Customs would find very little trade to intercept, but the spirit of obstruction in the clause quoted is too palpable to need further remark,
Finally, as to whether Hongkong possesses sufficient resources to administer the territory mentioned, it is perfectly clear to anyone that if half of the shores of Deep Bay and of Mirs Bay remain in Chinese hand it will be much more troublesome and costly to administer than if the bays and their shores are wholely British.
OLD CHINA HAND.
Hongkong, 2nd July, 1899.
LIPTONS AND THE STATEMENTS OF HOPKINS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE
J
DAILY PRESS. Dear Sir, We shall be much obliged by your
userting this note in your next issue and the telegram as noted below, which we have received from Lipton, Limited, London, in reply to one we sent them. Yours faithfully,
TURNER & Co. Agents, Lipton, Limited. Hongkong, 4th July, 1899. (Enclosure.)
44
351
London, 3rd July, 1899.
TURNER, Hongkong. “Very much surprised contents telegram, Our London agents had no authority from us allow Hopkins make such statements. LIPTONIAN."
THE MENGIZŲ RIŪT.
The Courrier de Saigon of the 28th June has the following brief note regarding the recent disturbance at Mengtan
At the time of his visit to Yunnan M. Doúmer, the Governor-General, was informed that the gentry (no doubt mandarins displeased with his visit) were trying to stir up a revolt amongst the numerons Chinese workmen em- ployed at the Kotaion tin mines, near Mengi zu, telling them that the approaching work- the mines by Europeans would take their living and reduce them to 'T'he|| agitation has unfortunately fruit for immediately after the Go r-General's departure the miners rose and
|
THE 1ONKIN CUSTOMS AND THE WEST RIVER TRADE,
The Courrier d Haiphong, in an article sug. gested by the launch at Hongkong of steamer intended for the West River trade, dwells on the importance and the development of this trade and goes on to say that a person well acquainted with Hongkong, Canton, and the possibilities of trade on the West River in discussing the subject expressed himself as follows:
The Chinese especially ask only one thing and that is to be allowed to trade freely under the protection of a foreign flag. This, in the opinion of every one, must counterbalance the influence of the line of railway penetrating China from Langson, a liue which can never serve any good purpose if the Tonkin Customs are maintained in their present rigour. In support of what I say I can assure you that many Chinese merchants have told me that they only send their goods via Tonkin because they cannot do otherwise. The difficulties con. uected with the Customs examination and the correspondence to which any package in excess leads are too well known. These considerations ought to prove convincing to the Indo-China administration. In particular they demonstrate once more how pejudical to the development of the country is the Customs regime by which it is oppressed. We shall not cease to urge upon the Government a mitigation of the rigour of a regime which deprives the country as well as the Administration-of an impor- tant traffic and compels our Chinese neighbours, natural clients of ours, to throw themselves into the arms of the English, par competitors. Interest and patriotism alike demand that atten- tion should be given to this.
QUIET EXPANSION
Shanghai, 1st July,
In the accerdence with the terms of the Municipal notification published a week ago. the Municipal Council to-day assumed control over the large extension reo-ntly added to the area of the General Foreign Settlement. The occasion was not marked by either fuss or ceremony of any kind, and very few of the general public were aware that Shanghai was to-day going through a remarkable stage of its evolution. Unlike the case of our
neighbours at Hongkong our extension has been marked by no battles that go to the making of history, and an event, like this, of prime importance in our Municipal develop. ment was carried out in such a manner as befitted a purely mercantile and non-political community. All that took place was that the police from the Carter Road and West Hongkew stations were sent out his morning to patrol Pahsionjao, and those portions of Sinza and West Hongkow now included within Municipal limits. The natives took little or no notice of the appearance of the foreign guardians of the peace in regions in which hitherto the only representatives of the law" were, the runners of the various yamous. The Police Authorities had, however, made ample preparations to act if the necessity arose, but no hostility accom- panied the introduction of the new regime up to the time of going to press. Our reporter was told by several natives whom he questioned that they were very glad indeed to get rid of the
•
|
|
On the 26th June the Ostasiatische Lloyd issued the following express:—Our information as to the riots in Kiaochau has been confirmed and completed by a telegram just to hand, dated Tsintaufort, 8.5 a.m. The preliminary rail- way works in the district of Kaumi have been impeded by rioters on 18th June. The works had to be abandoned. A detachment of infantry under Captain Manwe, which had on 23rd in- been ordered to the place on stant, met with serious resistance off the village Titung, The populace was armed with rifles and guns. Kaumi was occupied by thou- sands of armed peasants. Captain Manwe took Titung by storm, the Chinese thereby loosin nine men. Kaumi opened its doors on approach of the German troops. Captain Manwe has received reinforcements of infantry, field and machine guns. It is hoped that order will be restored without any further shedding of blood
MR. FLEMING'S MURDER.
THE DISMISSAL, OF THE GOVEŔŇOK OF KWEICHOW DEMANDED. The Peking correspondent of the N. C. Daily News writes:-
Now that the British Government has form ally demanded the dismissal of the Governor of Kusichou, some tell us it is doubtful whether the Chinese Government will accade to it. The English representative first intimated that unless the headman of the village or the ging concerned in the murder of Mr. Fleming was arrested within a month, the dismissal of the Provincial Governor would be insisted on. The plea was set up that the head of the gang. had decamped and could not be found. The month passed and still he was not forth- coming. Then the Governor's dismissal was at once demauded. It is binted by some that, em- boldened by Russian assurances of friendship, the Tsungli Yamen may decline to yield to English pressure; but this is extremely doubt- ful. The probability is that Mr. Wang will have to go in order to avoid farther trouble. Wang was considered by some of the Progres- sive in Peking and elsewhere to be pro-foreign and a friend to Reforms. A Chinese gentle man assured me that Wang was one of the better sort of officals, and not at all likely to raise trouble or to allow the people under his jurisidiotion to interfere with missionaries or native Christians. Still, the Chinese proverb says "the human heart is hard to fathom," and we know that some members of the Reform Party were not only strongly anti-foreign, but, in addition, were bitter foes of the Christian religion! It is safe to say that any mandarin who fails to prevent outrages on foreigners, and then fails to arrest and punish rioters and uurderers, should be permanently dismissed from office as an example to others. Any less drastic measure than this is not only useless but dangerous. It is a genuinely good work to give the Chinese a few lessons on the respon- sibilities of rulers and the sacredness of human life. If the existing officials are either unable or unwilling to restrain their riotous subjects, they should be compelled to give place to better and more efficient men.
BIG SQUEEZE.
According to a private telegram from Peking received on by one of the Shanghai mandarins, the Manchu Cheng Hou, who had been designed by the Empress
the Mengizu Custom bonse, where the mandarins, and were only too happy to be appointment of the mager for the substantive
werle
were Americans. The French Con- also pillaged; and the mandarins
the disturbance, immediately insisted News has reached the Japanese Government nthorities should make that the Japanese oruiser Azuma, which is now that there was no idea being built at SL Nazaire, in France, was suc- em or of taking away their liv-cessfully launched on the 24th June.
taken in under the Municipal aegis-China Gazette.
olesting
Tientsin Customs' Taotai-
ship, declined the honour owing to the fact that
he was made to understand that, if he did take the appointment up, he was expected to pay to Pi Sino-lien, the Empress Dowager's favourite eunuch, nearly Tls. 200,000 in addi tion to the Tls. 40,000 which is the usual fee expected by the officials of the Board of Civil
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.