412
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
·June 2, 1902.
Lieut.-Col HUGHES seconded, and the motion | HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER | DEATH OF MR. DAVID GILLIES
ied unanimously: *~-~-
THE DEATH-RATE.
drn was laid on the table showing that death rate for the week ended 10th May was compared with 23.6 in the preceding and 35.9 in the corresponding week of the
us year.
ÉWILLS TO BE CLOBED.
CLARK recommended that wells in Sui Lane, at Man Mo Temple in D'Aguilar Street, at 2, Kwai Wa Lane, in Un Shing Lane, 33, Queen's Road. Central and 341, Queen's
Road West should be closed at once by order of the Board, as being impure. Seven wells out of nine, he said, were found to be polluted.
The recommendation was adopted.
RINDERPEST,
A letter was laid on the table from the Colonial Veterinary Surgeon reporting foar case of rinderpest in No. 2 shed at Sas- soon's Villas, Pokfulum, the property of the Dairy Farm Company. The shed con- tained altogether six cows, and as it was in close proximity to a healthy shed the whole siz cows were removed to the shed in which the
disease first appeared. After a thorough dis- infection shed No. 2 was closed up entirely,
On the motion of the PRESIDENT, sheds Nos. 2, 2, and 1 were declared infected areas.
DISCOURTESY BY ONE OF THE STAFF.
With reference to the letter published in Wednesday's China Mail regarding the visit of Chinese student, a member of the Sanitary Board staff, to a house in Shelley Street, where he was accused of discourtesy, Dr. CLARK said that a warning had been issued by him to the effect that anyone unnecessarily annoying people in the execution of their day
would be severely dealt with.
ME. FUNG WA CHUN-I think the Board ought to have some drawn-up rules_laid down the guidance of these students and also for the guidance of the cleansing gangs. I am to the cleansing gangs give no notice whatever.
Dr. CLARK-No, they don't.
Mr. FuNG WA CHUN-Well, they ought to give three or four hours notice. Some Manila Arms have to write their letter and then clear out at once. I think you ought to give them
three or four hours' notice.
Dr. CLARK said this was a different question altogether, Bat to giving notice if that were done the probability was that when the cleansing gang got to a house there would be nothing left to disinfest.
MEFUNG WA CHUN-I wasn't talking about the coolie class, I was talking about the business people; and I wasn't talking about plague houses, but houses which have been oleansed without a plague case in the house.
DR. CLARK We don't give notice now; we finished our house-to-house cleansing long ago, and we only disinfect houses in which or in the immediate vicinity of which a plague case has occurred;
Dr. CLARK having suggested that Mr. Fang Wa Chun might send those people who found the cleansing operations annoying to him and he would do what he could for them, Mr. FUNG WA CHUN said-Yes, but I cannot be seeing these people every day. (Laughter)
The PRESIDENT-Only those houses in which plague-infected rats are found or in which a plague case has occurred are disinfected.
This closed the discussion and the public
business of the meeting.
ནཾ ས་ཝཱ
OF COMMERCE.
On the 28th ult. Mr. Victor H. Descon
brother as follows-
At a special meeting of the General Com-courteously informed us that he had out- mittee of the Hongkong General Chamber of recived a telegram from Mr. David Gillies's Commerce, held in the Chamber Room, City Hall, on Wednesday, the 21st May, 1902, at 3 p.m. Present:-Hon. C. 8. Sharp (Vice-Chairman), Messrs. A. Haupt. N. A. Sieba, H. E. Tomkins, R. C. Wilcox, and A. R. Lowe (Secretary).
MEMBERS OF COMMITTEE.
The VICE-CHAIRMAN said that it was thought advisable to bring the Committee up to its full strength as soon as possible; and he proposed that the places vacated by Sir Thomas Jackson and Hon. J. J. Bell Irving on their leaving the Colony should be offered to Messrs. J. R. M. Smith and C, W. Dickson.
NEW CHAIRMAN.
PILOTS' LICENCES.
It was reported that the Colonial Secretary had written on the 15th instant stating that the Government would be prepared to consider any scheme which the Chamber put forward with a view to the granting of licences to pilots, and the Chairman said this matter should be pushed forward without delay, and sug best way to carry it into effect would be to form a sub-committee to report thereon.
ested the
The VICE-CHAIRMAN proposed, Mr.TOMAINS seconded, and it was caried unanimously that Messrs. A. Haupt, E. A. Hewett, and W. Poate be invited to form the Sub-Committee.
This was all the business of general interest before the meeting.
HEALTH OF HONGKONG.
"Glasgow, 27th May, 7.50 p.m. "Brother David died here to-day.-Gillies.” We little thought when we wrote the valedictory notice on Mr. David Gillies on the 3rd April, that we should so soon have to be and hearty; and his long connection with the obronicling his death. He left Hongkong hale Far East did not seem to have impaired, beyond the ordinary wear and tear of years, a vigorous frame. Yet now we have only left to us the sad office of recording his decease.
:
Mr. Gillies came to Hongkong in October Mr. WILCOX seconded this proposition, and it 1864, as chief of the 8.8 Glengyle and took over the charge of the docking and engineering was carried unanimously.
establishment of the Aberdeen Dooks When The VICE-CHAIRMAN said that as the Com-shortly afterwards these Docks were sold to mitiee was so depleted in numbers he would the Hongkong and Whampoa Dook Company suggest that the election of a Chairman and the he was taken over and placed in charge of the Previous to his new members of the Correspondence Committee coming to the Colony, Mr Gillies occupied the
Whampoa establishment. be deferred until next meeting.
position of Manager with the world-famous firm of Denny, of Dumbarton. His apprentice- ship he served with Messrs. Smith & Rodger, Limited, where, before his term of five years Glasgow, now known as the London & Glasgow,
had expired, he was promoted to be Manager. When he came to the East the only dooks available in this part of the world for repairing, cleaning and painting the bottoms of vessels were the mud docks and Coupar's granite dock at Whampoa acquired by the Dock Company in 1862, and the Lamont Dock at Aberdeen in 1864; the Luksun deck at Whampoa and the Hope dock at Aberdeen being then in course of construction. His life-story is practically written in the splendid business the management of which he so lately relinquished. At the time of his home-goingy it was jocularly suggested that the name of the Kowloon Dooks should be changed to the Gillies Docks. The idea conveyed in the ggestion is none too extravagant, for there can be no doubt that it was to the late Manager's versatile and sterling--- abilities that the wonderful development of the Docks was due: under whatever name they will always remain a permanent monument to his intelligent and successtul administration. He saw the Dooks pass through many vicissitudes The of fortune and epochs of progress. Kowloon Docks were acquired on 1st March, 1870, MacDonald's and Sand's slips in 1879, and the Cosmopolitan Dock in 1880. Following the acquisition of the Kowloon Docks, it was found that those at Whampoa were no longer of the same value, the loss of time entailed by ships going up the river being a serious disadvantage; so eventually they were sold. In 1873 Mr. Gillies prepared to go home, but changed his mind at the last moment. In 1875, when the Dook Company was at a low ebb and the shares stood at about 40 per cent, discount he was offered, and accepted, the post of Manager and Secretary. Since that time the history of the Docks has been one of continual and rapid advancement. The Company hare been without a rival and have fostered and encouraged their business until now it.ooompies the proud position of being the most up-to-date and efficient establishment of its kind in the Far East.
The return of communicabi diseases issued on the 26th ult., showed that during the week ended 24th ult. there were notified within the Colony 33 cases of plague (all fail)-1 Japanese, 2 Indian, and 30 Chinese, During the same. period there were 23-ases of 'era-2 Indian and the remainder Chinged 31 deaths. One non-fatal case of small-pox occurred and 2 cases of fever, 1 puerperal and the other typhus. During the two days ended at noon on 28th alt. 13 fresh cases of plague were discovered; these including a gunner in the R.A from Victoria Barracks, who was admitted to Hospita' on the 24th. The gunner succumbed to the disease on the 29th ult. His makes the first case amongst Europeans during the year. Another gunner in the same company died in the military hospital on Wednesday night from fever, and both were buried in Happy Valley on the 29th ult, with the usual military honours.
The year's figures to noon on Saturday showed 188 cases of plague.
The return of deaths in the Colony during March, as published in the Gazette, shows a total of 422, of which 19 were in the European and foreign community (17 civilians, 1 Army, and 1 Navy), and 403 among the Chinese. 161 deaths were caused by chest affections, 27 by cholera, and 20 by malarial fever. The principal averages in the different registration districts were-British and foreign civil community 20.7 per 1,000 per annum; Chinese, Victoria, land 18.3, harbour, 10.4; Chinese, whole Colony, land 17.4, boat 10.9, land and boat 16.4; total civil community, 16.6,
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The news of Mr. Gillies's sudden death must come as a shock to all those friends who said good-bye to him so recently. It seems but s day since he was present at the banquet given in his honour by the engineers and shipbuilders of Hongkong, and there is a pathetic interest in recalling the incidents of that noteworthy assembly. The Chairman on that occasion (Mr.® Wm. Parlane) voiced the sentiments of all present when he said:-
1.
auto da
At a meeting on the 16th ult. of the Legisla- tive Council of Singapore there was introduced and read's first time a bill to enable the Governor Council to lease or demire the Singapore and
fRailway. The "Objects and Reasons" A popular and philanthropic citizen of Hong- orth as follows:---It is probable that kong at present keeping high state in the Tramways Limited" may metropolis of the Empire has apparently been overnment for a lease of the appointed to H. M's Privy Council, as we To his work day by day though a long cycle ** ranji Railway, which they notice that some of the London papers in of years, building up the prosperity of the we? connection with the Electric describing the decorations of the Beaconsfield Company, to his tenacity of purpose to hig✨ <? authorised by
by The Tramway Statue on Primrose Day state that they "in-industry and capacity for work, to bis ability 9024 The advantages of this oluded the usual tribute from the Right as an engineer and administrator, to his
(1) That the whole railway Honourable E. R. Belilios, C.M.G., Hongkong." linguistic accomplishments, to his unfail-vi ore would be under one manage-It appears too that the actual inscription on ing countesy and hospitality to the Dock Com- 253 nnection of the Singapore and the wreath sent to Hughenden was “Peace with pany's patrons of whatever? with Tanjong Pagar and the Honour. A.E.I., 1878. In memory of the Right tongue, the Company and i's prom greally facilitated. (3) The Hon. the Earl of Beaconsfield, died April 19, ments as they hammer to righ uld be relieved of the respon- 1881; from the Hon. E. E. Belilios, C.M.G4 of us, are abiding monument dibility of directing and managing a railway.
which should retain, Hongkong. Gone but not forgotten.”
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