February 16, 1901.]
CHINA FIRE INSURANCE CO., LIMITED.
The following is the report for presentation to the shareholders at the thirty-second ordin- ary meeting, to be held at the company's offices on Thursday, the 7th Murch, at 3 p.m. :-
The directors have now the pleasure to sub- mit their annual report and statement of the company's accounts made up to 31st December, last.
1899-The balance at
credit of working
account as per last
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
On properties in Hougkong 948,300,00
Loans on mortgage :—
On properties in Shanghai
On properties in Amoy
68,992.46
20,000.00
1,037,292.46
522.00
800,00
Hongkong Fire Insurance Co., Limited.--
Four shares.
Furniture account
Office furniture, &e Accounts receivable :--
Premia due from agencies, interest duo on deposits and investments, etc.
48.072.30
SUPREME COURT.
Saturday, 9th February.
IN ORIGINAL JURISDICTION.
∙143
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR JOHN CARRING. TON, C.M.G. (CHILF JUSTICE).
LI HEUNG V. THE WING FUNG TAI FIRM.
His Lorship delivered judgment in this case, $1,766,303.91 in which the plaintiff sued the defendant firm for recovery of possession of the tenement No. 12, Jervois Street, $500 for mesne profits and also costs.
WORKING ACCOUNT. 1st January to 31st December. 1900. Dr.
To charges account :----
Rents, salaries, legal and sur- veyors' fees, taxes, stamps, stationery, &c.... Directors' and auditors' fees
report was
$228,763.03
Add premia since
received
1,039.15
-$224,802.18
Deduct claims paid
in 1900.....
$74,877.96
Deduct return pre-
To commission account :-
mia, &c., &c.
7,011.43
Agents' commissions
81,389.39
Balance of profit............. $143,412.79
as
It is proposed to apportion this sum follows:-$120,000 to shareholders as dividend for the year, at the rate of $6 per share; $650 as bonus to contributors of premia; and the balance, $22,762.79, to the credit of extra re- serve fund account, which will then stand at $24,630.01, as shown in the annexed balance sheet.
1900. The balance at credit of working ac- count at the close of this year was $217,196.46, which is somewhat smaller than the sum carried forward in the last report, but this is entirely due to the losses having been heavier for this period, the other items of the working account being quite satisfactory in comparison with the previous year.
Since the last general meeting the board have had to deplore the death of Mr. H. L. Dalrym- ple, who had been a director of the Company since 1877. Mr. Robert Shewan was invited to fill the vacancy thus caused.
Messrs. A McConachie, A. G. Wood and E. Goetz resigned their seats on leaving the colony, and Messrs. H. W. Slade, C. S. Sharp and P. Witkowski, were invited to fill their places. The above appointments will require the con- firmation of shareholders.
Messrs. N. A. Sieus and D. M. Moses retire by rotation, and offer themselves for re-election.
AUDITORS.
Messrs. J. H. Cox and W. Hutton Potts have audited the annexed accounts and offer themselves for re-election.
Capital account
ARMIN HAUPT, Chairman.
BALANCE SHEET.
31st December, 1900. LIABILITIKA.
400,000.00 .......................... 1,000,000.00 .......... 24,630.01
To fire brigades' account:-
Contributions at agencies, &c
C.
27,149.28 7.400.00
To losses account, 1900:-
Claims paid after deduction of re-insur
ances
To amount written off: Furniture account To balance
:
Cr.
By premium account :-
Premiums received after deduction of re-
insurances
By interest account :--
Amount at credit, including interest due
on deposits and investments, &c. By transfer fee account :-
Amount at credit
0.
Before formally entering upon the merits of the case, his Lordship made some strong remarks with respect to the behaviour of Chinese witnesses. He intimated that immediately 34,549.28 before this case came on for hearing he threw
out a suggestion that it might be settled be 19,941.12 tween the parties, as he suspected from the pleadings that there would be some hard swear- 308.61
ing on both sides. His grave expectations have only been too literally fulfilled in this case. 75,452.16 The Chinese had a general reputation as being good merchants, and doubtless they deserved 107.00 such a compliment, but when they came into 217,196.46 Court they appeared to neglect utterly the $347,553.63 dictates of truth, and they frequently conspired to defeat the ends of justice. Such being $ c. the case, it was difficult to conceive to what lengths they might go in perjury, and it was frequently very difficult to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion on o
the merits of a case. In this case the evidence 104,000,88 of the plaintiff was in a high degree unsatis
factory, and the Court had not been able to act upon it. Judgment must be entered for the $347,553.63 defendants, with their costs of suit.
243,424.30
128.45
SAILORS' AND SOLDIERS HOME.
The Treasurer of the Sailors' and Soldiers' Home Fund begs to gratefully acknowledge the following additional sums:-
Messrs. Butterfield and Swire Mr. J. Wilson Leeds
48.71 40.00 36.58
$250.00
J
G. A Gray
100.49 50.00
Rear Admiral Sir J. A. T. Bruce,
H.M.S. Barfleur
50.00
Capt. G. Warrender, H.M.S. Bur-
fleur
Dry Canteen, H.M.S. Centurion... Collected by Corpl. Little, R.W.F. Mr. J. W. Anstey, R.N.
50.00 50.00
50.00
50.00
A " Wellwisher
Corpi. Hall, A.O C.
Arsenal Street Rooms
Captain and Warrant Officers of
H.M.S. Terrible
lev. 8. G. Tope
33.00 25.00
Friends at Hok Un
25.00
Engineer Officers of the Naval
Yard
25.00
Miss S. Wilson
20.00
Reserve fund
Sergt.-Major Boulter
20.00
Extra reserve fund
Collected by Mr Beer, H.M.S.
Accounts payable -
Wivern...
18.00
Dividend for 1899
Bonus for 1899 and sundries
$120,000.00 4,477.44
Roy. C. H. Gaff
15.00
Sergf. Yates, Siege Train
12.00
124,477.44
Lance-Corpl Clark, R.W.F.
10.50
Balance at credit
217,196.46
Sergt. Aldridge, A.S.C....
10.50
Pvt. Holland, A.O.C.
10.50
$1,766,303.91
10.00
Shaw
10.00
33
11,059.39
33
R. S. Piercy
10.00
10.00
72
Quin
10.00
ing Corporation
150,000.00
Mr. F. T. Faull
10.00
Chartered Bank of India,
Rev. W. J. W. Anderson, M.D.
10.00
Australia and China...
70,000.00
Mercantile Bank of India,
Mr. R. Kilpatrick, H.M.S. Centurion
1000
Limited
50,000.00
Pvt. Roberts, R.W.F.
8.50
270,000.00
Collected by Pvt. Roberts
7.10
Investments:
Collected by Sgt.-Major Sivier, R.E.
7.10
Chinese Imperial Government
Mr. Wilcockson
5.00
E bonds
95,438.51
Hongkong and
Kowloon
"
H. Sykes ..
5.00
17
E. Ralphs
5.00
Limited, debentures
103,152.50
C. Wilkinson
5.00
19
12
W. T. Wright
5.00
**
debentures
H. Ruttonjee
5.00
50,000 00
Shanghai and Investment
E. C. Smith, H.M.S. Barfleur
5.00
R. H. Wells
Corpl. Walton, R.A,
Mr. T. G. Hunter.
Small Sums
5.00. 5.00 4.00 9.50
398,557.70
1,161.48*
Working account, 1900 :—
ASSETS.
Cash at bankers .......
Fixed deposits at banks :-
Hongkong & Shanghai Bank- $ O'
Wharf and Godown Co.,
Hongkong Club debentures 50,000.00
Hongrong otel Co., Ltd.,
Wharf Co., debentures. -41,617.07
Co. Limited, debentures 49,877.40 Shanghai and Hongkaw
Shanghai Waterworks Co.,
Limited, debentures .... 8,472.22
Mr. Donaldson
Mrs. Kew
Mr. Slade (instructed by Messrs. Wilkinson and Grist) appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Robinson (instructed by Mr. H. Holmes) for the defendants.
Wednesday, 13th February.
IN ORIGINAL JURISDICTION.
BEFORE HIS HONOUR SIR JOHN CARBING- TON, C.M.G. (CHIEF JUSTICE),
COLLINS V. GIBSON.
In this case the plaintiff was Robert Aloycius Collins, of 11, D'Aguilar Street, oycle-dealer, and the defendant Emerson Fitzgerald Gibson. The plaintiff's claim was for $2,000, damages for the breach by the defendant of his agreement with the plaintiff dated 2nd June, 1898, where- by the defendant agreed (inter'alia) that he would not at any time hereafter either by himself or iu connection with any other person or persons carry on the business of cycle-repairer, dealer, or manufacturer in Hongkong, Macao, or Can- ton so long as the plaintiff or his partner or partners, or his or their executors, administra- tors, or assigns should carry on such business in Hongkong. The plaintiff also claimed an injunction to restrain the defendant from fur- ther committing a breach of the said agreement by continuing to carry on such business in the colony of Hongkong.
:
Mr. J. J. Francis, K.C. (instructed by Messrs. Wilkinson & Grist) appeared for the plaintiff and Mr. E. Robinson (instructed by Messrs. Dennys & Bowley) for the defendant.
His Lordship-I understand that the hearing of the motion shall be treated as the trial of the cause.
Mr. Francis-That is so.
Mr. Robinson said he wished to make one remark. He had notice the previous day to produce some letter or other referring to trans- actions alleged to have taken place in Macao, He thought that in that suit an undertaking to treat the motion as the trial of the action and without pleadings meant that the affairs men- tiened in the affidavits and so on ware to be the subject matter of the trial, and that transactions of which they had had no notice by affidavits and concerning which they might have filed pleadings were not to be in. troduced.
Some discussion took place on this point, Mr. Francis demurring to Mr. Robinson's con- tention.
Ultimately it was decided to adjourn the case that pleadings might be filed.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.