226
to his service in the chair, and assured the mesting of his afforts to promote the interests of the institution.
The Superintendent's report of the Alice Memorial and Nethersole Hospitals for the
1900 was laid on the table.
year
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
Mr. MACKENZIE then read his report for the ended 31st January. The report stated year that owing to the Land Investment Company calling on shareholders to pay up shares in full, the sum of $4875 had been diverted from the general account. The balance had thus been brought to the wrong sida, but the money thus invested would in future bring regular returns each year, and in the meantime the bank was agreeable to advance an overdraft on their account at a small rate of interest. An effort had been made, as some knew, to get this money, and a friend of the hospital had practically guaranteed half. The expenses for the year were heavier than those of the year before, due mainly to increases in various items salaries, which had increased by $204. medical and surgical appliances, the increase against which amounted to over $1,000, and sundries, the last item about $170. A very gratifying feature of the income side was the steadiness with which Eurapean. and other subscriptions were coming in. The sum of $2,599.49 had been received this year from bequests, and the incrase over last year from ord mary sources į had actually been 8922.27. In concluding, Mr. Mackenzie said he regretted that pressure of business made it necessary for him to retire from the office of treasurer. He suggested Mr. Darid Wood, auditor, as his successor.
DE. THOMSON moved the adoption of the treasurer's report, and commented on its favour
able nature.
The Hon. Dr. Ho KAI, in seconding, re- gretted Mr. Mackenzie having to retire, and spoke highly of the work he had done.
The motion for the adoption of the report was adopted.
The Rev. A. WELLS proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Mackenzie, and moved that his name be added to the list of the Finance
Committee.
This was unanimously agreed to. On the motion of Mr. MACKENZIE, seconded by Dr. GIBSON, Mr. David Wood was elected to the office of treasurer.
On the suggestion of the CHAIRMAN, Drs. Thomson, Gibson, and Ho Kai, and Mr. Mac- kenzie were appointed to revise and strengthen the Finance Committe, their suggestions to be finally laid before a general committee.
The CHAIRMAN, in his address, comment- ed on the satisfactory condition of the fin. ances of the hospital, and drew comparisous between the figures of last year and those of the present year. He also paid a tribute to Mr. Mackenzie's suitability as a treasurer, and ex- pressed satisfaction that he would still be associat- ed with them on the Finance Committee. Dealing with the affairs of the hospital, the CHAIRMAN said he had always thought that the Chinese should come forward more readily than they do in support of the institution, and show that they were really grateful for the work which was being done for them. In concluding, he con- gratulated the Superintendent (Dr. Gibson) on having been able to give such a satisfactory report.
This was all the business.
i
CANTON,
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 11th March..
CANTON GOVERNMENT IN STRAITS.
About the end of last year (Chinese), when ninety per cent. of the people in Canton were hard-pressed for money, the Government found itself in a worse plight. It had to pay the wages of a large number of soldiers and braves, a number of petty officials who enjoy sinecures, and the candidates awaiting appointments. Where was the money to come from? After payment of the indemnity in the cases of the recent anti-Christian riots, and the large re- mittance sent to Shensi to relieve the Imperial wants. the Treasurer found the treasury was short by about one million taels. He had therefore to borrow from the Salt Commissioner 200.000 taels. When he sent round to arrange a loan of another hundred thousand taels with the native banks, most strangely none were willing to lend, and most of the poor fellows who were expecting money for the New Year had to go without, and make the best shift they could. -
The sequel to the Crown case, on acconut of which the Sultan of Johore was compelled to resign his membership of the Singapore Sport- ing Club, was witnessed on the 5th inst., when at a general meeting of the Club Mr. J. P. Joaquim brought forward a resolution to the effect that the members of the Club were of opinion that the Committee were too hasty in their action and that their resolution. in so far as it reflected on H. H,'s conduct, was not justi- fied by the evidence and papers before them, and H. H. should at least have been afforded an opportunity of explaining. The resolution concluded: "The action of the Committee can- not well be set aside, but it is resolved that this Resolution be appended of the Committee of the January, 1901, and that a copy be sent to Club or Associa tion to whom a copy of the Committee's Resolu- tion in question has been or may be furnished" After a long discussion the resolution was lost by a large majority.
:
oth the Resolution
A REFORMER AND HIS FOES.
[March 16, 1901.
SAIGON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.
Saigon, 3rd March.
M DJUMER AND HI✨ RAILWAYS. Our Governor-General left by the last mail steamer Laos for France, and so far as can be local papers, there is but one unanimous desire judged by public opinion, as expressed in the
jects have never been looked on with favour in -that he may never return. His railway pro- Saigon; even admitting that a railway is built from Saigon to Hanoi, we fail to see the neces sity for the enormous expense. The Mytho railway is an example on a smaller scale. Alf though there are running now express trains over this line of 78 kilometres in two hours—a good performance yet this Mytho railway has never transported paddy or any goods and is, of course, working at a loss.
ABANDONED PLANS.
What good may come from the grand trunk line. Saigon-Hanoi, we fail to understand branch line from Bienhoa to the platean of here. There is besides the project to make a Lambiaug, in the hills between Cape St James and Nhatrang which is at an altitude of 1,600 There is a rumour here that the governor of
metres; and it has been said that a sanatorium Kwangsi. Wang Wai-shin. is in difficulty. The
is to be built there, which is to receive sick officials, the sonding of whom to Lambiang facts were these. The governor of Shensi, instead of to Europe would thus create an Shen Chon-hisnan, is the son of Shou-ya-vlug economy for the colony. But it has since been Viceroy of Yunnan and Kweichan. He is a reformer and a member of the society for the enormiously difficult and can only be done found out that the access to this elevatel point protection of the Imperial Government instituted by Kang Yu-wei. At the beginning of the from the sea at the bay of Phanrang, where northern crisis he got into difficulties, as cou-gether it is an impracticable affair.
everything has to be carried from Saigon. Alto- - nected with the reform morements, but a high official in the Imperial Court, by name Shen Kwai, got him out of it. His troubles were due to malinations of Wang Wai-shin, and Wang Chuaa Shien, former secretary for foreigu affairs and legal adviser of the late Viceroy Tan Chung Lin of Canton; so as long as Shenting every day more sandy. is in power he hates them intensely. They hare emorialised against him two or three
times before. But now as the Government has
siguified its intention of introducing reforms into the country and as he is in favour with the Emperor Kwang Hsu and the Empress Dowager. since their flight to Shensi, he has managed to get his enemies into trouble, and caused Wang Wai-shin. the Governor of Kwang-si, tobe placed under the strict observa- tion by the jalge of Kwangsi. Yeang Ping Chou, and the governor of Hunan, Yii Lien.
AN ARMS SMUGGLING SCARE. There is a rumour here that the mandarius are exercising their wits to discover why are attemp ting to pass contraband arms and ammunition into Canton and Singapore. the associates of Sün Yet Sen. alias Sün Man.
Some accuse
I don't believe it, seeing that the prohibition against the import of arms is so strict, and spies are always on the alert. It is always the case with officials; when a new Viceory comes they start some theory to frighten lim, to see how he takes it.
:
CANTON AMATEURS AT THE THEATRE.
The Canton amateurs gave their second per formance of the tragic opera entitled Bombastes Furioso, in the Club Theatre, on Saturday even- ing. the 9th inst., to a large and appreciative audience; seats were also provided for the marines of the gunboats. Throughout the piece the per- formers sustained their parts very well, es- pecially Mr. E. D. C. Wolfe as King of Utopia. His acting and singing were exceptionally good. General Bombastes, in the person of Mr. F. H. Bell, was most dignified, while Mrs. A. Nielsen
as Distaffina, a fair and fickle maiden, was charming, her singing and acting being natural and sweet. The grand menuet and the last part of the piece called forth frequent encores At the conclusion of the performance the per- formers and Mr. H. W. Hine, stage manager, were called before the curtain and greeted with loud cheers by the whole audience.
Cape St. James, which was to create a port The once so much talked of stone jetty at there for steamers to call and to coal at, is also no longer on the tapis," and the project has been recognised as impracticable since it has been seen that the bay "des cocotiers" is get-
GENERAL PROSPERITY
Notwithstanding all this, the country is Harvests are every year getting on well.
bigger, and every year more land is being cul- tivated-so far only one-fifth of Cochin China is really under cultivation-ard we see paddy prices maintained at a level hitherto unknown.
CHINA NEW YEAR.
The Chinese New Year festivities passed off with the usual incidents, the most remarkable of which was perhaps a robbery which was com- mitted in the night of the 21st February in the bedroom of Mrs. Picauan, our Lientenant-Go- amount of $600 was stolen. The lady saw an vernor's wife. when gold and jewelry to the
Aunamite run away, but he has not yet been. caught.
Cholan near the market in a street called the Of course there has been again a big fire in Rue de Gialong, where 15 houses were burnt down. The damage sustained was two hundred and forty thousand dollars, partly covered be insurance. This is now the third time that a big fire has broken out at the very same place built three times and have now burnt the very same houses, which have been down as often. I cannot understand how in. bad place. surance agents continue to take risks in such a
RICE-MILLS INCREASING.
A new rice-mill has been started this year- of our mills to nine, of which seven are Chinese the "Yee Cheong" mill. This brings the number and two Europeau, all of which are big ones. This seems also to be an indication of the pro- sperity of the country, if we consider that in Cochin China exports yearly almost 12 millions Tonkin not a single steam rice-mill exists yet. of piculs of rice or paddy of different sorts and everything is on the increase.
dant water supply, and good water it is too; A thing worthy of praise here is the abun
new wells have been dug and the health of our colony is excellent.
It is stated that the half of the Mar The N. Y. K. steamer Hakata Maru, which riott" Bequest, which was originally intended left England on lat ult., had on board the last. for a church in Peking, has been transferred to of the ten first-class torpedo-boats built for Tientsin, and it is now the entire plan for the the Japanese Government by Messrs. Yarro church at Tientsin may be carried out, instead & Co., of Poplar. These ten vessels
160 ft. of only half the building, as was at first thought | long by 16 ft. beam, and have a speed of probable.
knots, carrying a load of 25 tons.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.