August 5, 1899,]
:
TEBRAU PLANTING COMPANY, LIMITED,
The third general meeting of the sharehold ars in the Tebrau Planting Co., Limited, was held on Saturday at the Company's Office, 38 and 40 Queen's Road Central. Mr Hart Back presided. The others present were :-- -Messrs A. H. Man: dell, E. 8. Kelly, W. D. Sutton, A. P. Nobbs, E. H. Joseph, and W. C. Taylor.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
CORRESPONDENCE.
We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
RATS AND PLAGUE,
TO THE EDITOR UP THE “DACY PRESS.
SIE From enquiries made it is probable on 26th July, was infected through the medium that Mr. Hans Rohrvoedt, who died of plague of rats. There is just as great a necessity for disinfection of a house in which plague rats are found as if a human case had occurred in it, and this applies as much to European houses as to Chinese. In the European case usually a more limited disinfection on rational lines is required than would be necessary in a Chinese house.
All rats found dead in houses, where death is evidently not due to injury and the animal is not decomposed, should be examined to find ont if they have died from plague. Until the pub. lic make a point of getting this done European cases are bound to crop up. Any rats for ex. amination should for the present be sent to me at the office of the Medical Officer of Health in a biscuit box or some other tin box; a small amonnt of weak Jeye's fluid may be added.
JAMES A. LOWSON.
Hongkong, 31st July, 1899.
The CHAIRMAN mid-Gentlemen, I will with your permission alopt the usual custom and ke the report and statement of accounts as raad. As you have also had Mr. Larken's report in your hands for some days it will not be necessary for me to add much to what he has eady told you as to the progress we are king. I notice a slight printer's error has ept into that report, the present price of coffee beans in London being printed 38., whereas it should, of course, read 3d. You will se that it is Mr. Larken's opinion that at the present price of coffee a great number of plantations, particularly in Brazil, will have to be abandoned, when naturally the price is pertain to rise, so that we may hope that by the time our plantations come into bearing the price will be back at something like its old figure, which was double that it is at present. Our principal misfortune at the present time is un- doubtedly the fall in the price of gambier, our prout on which for the period under review PIRATICAL RAIDS IN THE COLONY amounts to the nominal sum of $508. It ap- AND THROUGHOUT]KWANGTUNG pears to me, gentlemen, that our brightest out- fook is from our para rubber trees, which unless
TO THE EDITOR OF THE 44 something very unforeseen occurs are certain to SIE,-There is much to be learned by analytical givens very good results in the future. Consider-reflection over the continual reports of piracy ing the enormous increase in the demand for rub in the Colony and the neighbouring Chinese ber the price is much more likely to go higher than provinces, especially in Kwangtung, which more lower, and it is very satisfactory to know that nearly affects the trade of Hongkong. To be the same plant planted in inferior soil to ours giu with the colony itself: the first view which in the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, produced might be taken by a superficial review would be samples which were valued by experienced rubber that all these raids have arisen as a consequence dealers at the highest price then given for rub-of the transfer of authority in Sunon District, ber. Although we are not at present, owing to the falling off in price of Gambier, able to pay a dividend, I do not see any reason to feel too much discouraged. It really means that we must wait patiently until our coffee and rubber come into bearing. Under the circumstances we have decided to forego our general management fees for the year, and you will notice that this item does not appear in the accounts. Before moving the adoption of the report and statement of accounts I shall be pleased to give any share- holder any information in my power.
No questions being asked, the CHAIRMAN proposed the adoption of the report and accounts. Mr. E. 8. KELLY seconded, and the motion
was carried.
The CHAIRMAN-That is all the business, gentlemen. Thank you for your attendance.
THE TYPHOON IN THE NORTH.
FOUNDERING OF A JAPANESE STEAMER,
Vessels arriving at Shanghai on the 22nd and 23rd July all reported having experienced heavy weather, due to the typhoon. The Kiu kaing, from Chefoo, reported that at 5 15 a.m. on the 23rd she stopped about 5 miles E.N.E. of Gutzlaff to take on board a shipwrecked boat's crew of 18 hands of the Japanese steamer Nunobiki Maru, of Kobe, bound from Nagasaki to Taiwan. Survivors reported ship fonndered 75 miles E. by S. of the Barren Islands at noon on the 21st, through the flooding of the stoke. hold, the engine room skylight having been stove in by the sea. Two other boats with remainder of the crew left wreck at same time, and have not yet been heard of.
The Japanese gunbost Takao, which left Shanghai on the 25th July in search of the Captain and remainder of the crew of the Japa- nese steamer Nunobiki Maru that foundered on the 21st during the typhoon, returned on the 28th after a fruitless oruise. The fishermen on
■ number of the islands of the Chusan archipe lago where the boat was likely to fetch were interrogated, but nothing could be elicited from them, and the worst is now feared.
- News has since been received that one of the mising boats has been picked up by a Chins Navigation steamer and taken into Moji. The remaining boat has not yet been heard of.
DAILY PRESS.
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sisirs to light. It is ten never so rampant in
China as it has been lately, un to the sixties, but that fact onl waning power of the Chinese Gover the whole of their empire and outlying provinces and points. and inevitable extension of
One feature of this
case traced the pirates locally, in the fact that in all janke or found to be co This points to the urgent islands surrounding this under the British flag, for they are always likely to some piratical gang who can enjoy the proceeds of their reach of the police. The effort would be rendered far more were all the small valleys Bay and Deep Bay under their would be best effected by taking tion of the Sanon District which in their folly, have left outside boundary. Sunon District, as good map will show has a very ing boundary abutting on the Immediately to the north of it, and tion of the physical features will point out that the reason is tains having peaks averaging for the boundary is formed by a
and 3,000 feet in height and form barrier between it and the eastern portion of the district ab koon and Weishan. All the Bay and nearly all on the west Bay; there are two small valley north of Deep Bay, which bay thủn which about on the bay immedia Sunon District.
OLD CHINA HAND Hongkong, 31st July, 1899
THE SANITARY STAFE OF T
HONGKONG.
or to be more exact the two thirds of the Sunon District which our forethoughtless Government has confiued their control to, from the control of the Chinese officials to that of Great Britain, and there are not wanting Britishers even, of that very minute body who are in- terested in the continuance of the status quo, however bad that state may be, so long as they find some personal advantage in it, who will persuade themselves and the public that the rampant state of piracy is due to the withdrawal however, that the armed robberies we hear of Chinese official supervision. The real fact is, of so much, now that our police are suppressing them and tracing the perpetrators, are a proof has been of the disorderly character of the district as it under Chinese administration. Hongkong itself was thirty or more years ago, or even at a more recent date, the scene of many such piratical raids, which only bacaine less fpe- quent as the raiders found that the game did not pay, being attended with too much risk. We may look to the time in the near future, if the police continue their very successful cam-shortcomings brought to their noti paign against these undesirable characters, when they will again find it unprofitable to ply their trade in territory covered by the Union Jack. As a by-thought it may be said that the police are entirely dependent on the dative de tective branch of that useful arm of the law in tracing and arresting the perpetrators of these raids and the very commendable energy and success displayed is a distinct contrast to their total want of success in tracing and arrest ing the men who have been guilty of das tardly attacks on European ladies on the public thoroughfares of Hongkong. It leads one to think that the responsible heads of the police department are, at the eleventh hour, following the simple procedure of intimating their work will result in the loss of their very to these native gentlemen that failure to do lucrative posts, and not in these cases listening to the blarney which friend John is ever ready with in dealing with simpletons.
10 THE EDITOR OF THE
SIR,-I notice that the ciency or otherwise of the staff of Hongkong is being discussed make a few remarks?
lat.—It is a mistake to compare with its densely over crowded mass the same number of population – No ant Chinese with a Western Europea more easy to say than this: Birmingham lin, Bradford, or a half dozen other o similar in point of population to Hongkong therefore as these English towns single Health Officer, Hongkong with one such official. The com absolutely inaccurate and totally- 250,000 western citizens there bably some 200 physicians daily prac profession, and reporting day by day
The still more daring and extensive piracies in the regions beyond the arm of the British law prove, as stated above, that it is not the withdrawal of Chinese official control from the New Territory which has resulted in an unusual amount of lawlessness there, but that better knowledge of the district has brought the
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crowded Chinese working class is practically not a single such unfortunately we have not yet. School for Chinese. We ha densely orowded masses of ignorant ing in a terribly crowded condition. whom no ray of intelligent Eurther, amongst 250,000 Englis would be probably a score of parsons, curates, &c., all visiting porting neglect and often urging forms. What have we in our densel masses to correspond with this ?....... Simp. ing of the kind.
Furthermore, every city of England would have its municipa men, and common councill wards and sub-districts, each wi at their periodical elections ward-or perhaps sometime and sanitary reform scheme would be intelligent discussion nothing of the kind. Everywhere ing. - Everywhere ignorance. solute want of all that Eng means, or is by nome supp
But in addition to the aldermen and the of would have in Engla
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