:-
June 30, 1900.]
closed, no Chinese being allowed to land or go on board. The search of passengers and luggage from Hongkong began yesterday.
Many people are laying in stocks of rice, firewood, etc, to provide for the future. The arms-dealers are now unable to sell arms right and left as before, but have to ascertain to whom the arms are sold. They have to report weekly to the Government on their stock in hand. Sales to suspicious persons are altogether for bidden. All that can be said of this is" Bet- ter late than never."
KIEH-YANG.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Kieh-yang, 14th June.
A MYSTERIOUS SOCIETY.
In the Swatow region a new politico-religions society has lately sprung up.
Its aims are the promotion of Buddhism and the subversion of Roman Catholicism. Doubtless Roman Catho- lies are singled out because they are more un- popular, not from any partiality for other forms of Christianity. The new sect is said already to num- ber seventy thousand adherents, with thousands joining daily. Presently we may have in these people the counterpart of the "Boxers" of the North.
A MAN-EATER,
Twelve miles or so north of Kieh-yang hien is a small district which has suffered for two years from the depredations of a tiger with a fatal preference for human victims. In that time some sixty persons have been attacked by him. Most escaped with wounds, but some have been killed and eaten. The victims are invari- ably bitten in the head. Several of those in- jured by the beast have been treated successfully in the English Presbyterian Hospital at Wu- king-fu. Unless some benevolent sportsman comes to the rescue and earns the gratitude of the villagers by shooting this animal he will continue to prey on human victims. If this appeals some humane hunter, who can and will make it his business to hunt down and kill this man-eater, he can obtain all necessary informa- tion by writing to Dr. Wm. Riddel, E.P. Mis- sion, Swatow.
CORRESPONDENCE.
[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
THE DEFENCE OF THE COLONY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.
Sir,-It has occurred to several members of the community who are not so young as they once were, but who are still able and willing to lend a hand in the defence of the colony, should the occasion for it unhappily arise, that the present is perhaps a fitting time for the formation of a corps who would be ready to plece their services under somewhat special terms of enlistment at the disposal of the Military authorities.
The war at the Cape has demonstrated the value of irregular forces who can shoot, and it is believed that there exists in our midst the material for the formation of a body of this sort.
A rough sketch of the scheme is given as an- der so that men may have some idea of the ob- ject in view.
1.-Members must be over 32 years of age and must not belong to any of the other Volunteer forces in the colony.
2.-Drill will be reduced to a minimum and members will not be called upon to attend any ceremonial parade.
3. The question of uniform to be reduced to the smallest amount necessary to ensure to its members the rights of war.
4. That the Government be asked to supply a rifle range in as suitable a locality as possible, so as to encourage practice.
5.That the Government supply arms, ser- vice rifles free of cost, and an allowance of am- munition for practice to be issued at cost price to members.
This letter is addressed to you with a view to sounding the public, and any one who feels inclined to join can send in his name to any of the undersigned, and in addition, lists will be placed at the Hongkong Club and and at Mesars. Lane, Crawford & Co. and Kelly & Walsh.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
Mr. A. Turner, of Messrs. Palmer and Tur- nor, will undertake the duties of Hon. Secretary for the time being.
Should enough names be received in the course of a week to make the force worth offer ing to the Government, a public meeting will be called for the further discussion of the scheme and for the election of a provisional committee to arrange the various details neces-
sary.
When companies are formed they can elect
their own officers.
If the number of names received are sufficient it might be possible to form a corps of three
sections.
One for the Peak.
One for residents in the town. One for Kowloon.
The modern magazine rifle cannot be learnt at a moment's notice and it is hoped that men joining this corps will familiarize themselves with it by regular practice.
Yours faithfully. A. TURNER.
G. STEWART.
H. H. J. GOMPERTZ, R. L. RICHARDSON. G. C. MOXON. JOHN A. MACKAY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE “DAILY PRESS'
+1
Sir, I have read with some considerable interest the letter under the above heading which appeared in your issue of Saturday's date. The scheme therein put forward appears to me to press most unfairly upon the members of the existing Volunteer Corps, who, I venture to think, have the first claim upon the liberality of the Government. The present allowance made to the Corps is quite inadequate to secure efficiency in all respects, the equipment being defective in many ways. When at Kowloon city last year, my water-bottle was in such a foul condition that I never touched it all day, and several other members who ventured to sampla the contents of their respectiva battles were nearly made sick in the attempt. On the occa sion of the Terrible reoзption there were not sufficient bayonets to go all round, so some late
comers
were inevitably left out of the show. These defects will no doubt be remedied-when the money comes along to do so. Now as to the shooting. The verament, I believe. provide fourteen rounds of bill ammunition per mi por year; as a matter of fact last year I fired seven rounds at the expense of the Government, and about thraa hundred at my own expense. To secure good shooting the individual allowance mast be vary consider- ably augmented. With all due respect I cannot help thinking that what these gentlemen really want is an occasional afternoon's amusement at the public expense. I have had to buy my own rifle, and I cannot quite see why Messrs Turner, Stewart, Gomperts, Richardson, Moxon and Mackey should not be asked to do the same, if they are really so anxious to benefit their country by learning to shoot straight. After the first two years the Corps regulations only require members to put in 15 drills per annum, and if there is any Britisher who cannot spend the time to do that, why doesn't he pay up his five dollars like a man, and join the existing Rifle Association, when he will meet some of the best shots in the colony and learn more from them in a month than by fooling about for a year by himself. I am afraid if the proposed scheme be carried out half the members of the existing Corps will be applying for leave to transfer to the new Arm-chair Company, when they will have all the fun without any of the hard work of dragging the guns about.-Yours faithfully,
H. HURSTHOUSE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS,” Hongkong, 25th June.
SIB, I am glad to see in your issue of date, that the question of the Defence of the Colony has been approached from another point of view, and hope that you will see your way to inserts few further remarks on the subject.
I am in accordance with Mr. Hursthouse as regards the first part of his letter, and certainly think that it is almost usela33 to expect that the Government will provide arms for a na Corps, when the present Vo'a itsar Corps is not pro- perly equipped.
451
As to the latter part of the letter, it seems tỏ me that the age limit (of 32) stated in the original proposal would prevent the transfer of members the present Volunteer Corps to any great extent. At the same time, there are many in the Colony who cannot join the Volunteers for various reasons.
Why should not the difficulty be met by granting privileges to members of the Rifle Association, who would engage to come forward when necessary, and place their services at the disposal of the Government? All that is wanted is to give such men a greater facility for obtain- ing ammunition, in return for an engagement to put in a certain number of "useless” an opposed to "ceremonial" drills.
At present the cost of ammunition is $7, while members of the Volunteer Corps obtain it for $3.
If the Government would encourage the Rifle Association by allowing members to purchase it at, say $4, a number of useful men would be available in times of extremity, and the As- sociation would soon grow larger and stronger.
There should be no need to provide Rifles, and the state of the Volunteer's equipment should be remedied as soon as possible.
In the present state of affairs, it seems to me that some immediate action should be taken, and I suggest the above for consideration of the Committee who put forward the original pro- posal to form a Supplementary Corps for Defence.
Lastly, why should not each member of the Volunteers have his own numbered equipment, kept in a certain place at Headquarters, ready for any emergency, instead of having to depend on what he can get in a general scrimmage ?
Apologising for this somewhat lengthy tres- pass on your space,-Yours faithfully,
C. B.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS,'
Hongkong, 25th Jane.. Sra. It is with great regret that we have noticed an inclination on the part of one or two members of the Volaatser Corpз tɔ regard with some jealousy the formation of the special service companies for which we have invited
recruits.
2. Let us, therefore, with special reference to the gentleman who has written to the Daily Press, at once disclaim any intention of injuring the interests of the existing organiza-
tion.
3. It will be readily admitted that there are in the colony members of able bodied men ba tween 32 and 60 years of age -many of them used to firearms and possessing in some cases a valuable acquaintance with the topography of the surrounding country.
I
4.-Compulsory military service does not yet obtain in this colony and it is doubtful if men of this class, will ever join the Volunteers in large numbers in time of peace.
5.In time of war no doubt they would volunteer en masse, but the crisis might come suddenly and men would find they had plenty of other work to learn at very short notice with out having alse to be initiated into the mysteries of the military rifle.
6. Wishing therefore to do something, how- ever little it may be, towards preparing ourselves in peace to meet the risks of war, we have ap proached the Military Authorities--informally up to the present-with the following proposals
(a) We ask Government to lend us service rifles, of which apparently they have large num bers in store.
(b) To give us the same allowance of ammuni. tion per head as is now issued to the Volunteers. (We shall no doubt, like Mr. Hursthouse, find it necessary to supplement this at our own er- pense).
7. We ask for no capitation grant and are pre- pared to buy for ourselves such simple equip ment, including water bottles, as may be found necessary.
8. In return for the loan of rifles we undertake (a.) To pass such standard of efficiency in
shooting as may be laid down;
(b.) To turn out when called upon equipped
and ready to take our part in the defence & of the Colony.
9. Where in all this is anything to object to. T or how do we injure the existing Volunteers or the Rifle Association ?
A. TURNERBA
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