August 16, 1902.]
running from Honolulu to Japan, but this does not necessarily give them any value. Politically speaking, we might be inclined to think Japan has prior rights, the power of her navy suggesting the creation of a kind of MONRO doctrine, such as the United States already (though with very imperfect consistency) have formulated and 18 Australia is gradually evolving. There is no actual menace to Japan in the presence of a Power so friendly as are the United States on some insignificant islets remote even from Japan's most outlying possession, but the precedent of foreign nations acquir ing the sovereignty over bases within the area of sea over which Japan's fleet has at least a range could not, we imagine, be contem. plated with perfect unanimity. One by one the islands of the Pacific are being absorbed into the possession of the various nations which have any naval preteusions. There can be very little gain to be got from those small islands which remain unclaimed, but complications occasionally arise from most insignificant causes. It would be an easy matter for Japan and the United States to arrive at a friendly understanding about the small plots of land-for they are little more--which remain unclaimed officially in the expanse of ocean between the extreme outposts of either country. It is to be hoped that such a sensible course may be adopted, for it would put an end to the power of adventurers to create any friction Fetween two friendly governments.
DISEASE IN HONGKONG IN 1902,
(Daily Press, 15th August.)
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
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THE BUILDING COLLAPSE QUESTION.
FRENCH AFFAIRS.
123
in 1901, 91 cases occurring, of which 70¦ whose duties are quite distinct from those were in March and April; but cholera has of the Magistracy; Why should this not made an unexpected and most terrible be so at Hongkong? The existing system appearance, almost rivalling plague in its militates against the work, which elsewhere ravages. When therefore we come at the falls either to a coroner alone or to a end of the year to reckon up our mortality, coroner with jury, being properly and we are likely to have little reason for satis promptly performed. Mr. PLAYFAIR in faction, in spite of the decrease in the the Council expressed himself as much plague figures which is practically assured, obliged by the answers be received. It For a year in which we started with hope- seems to us, however, that the matter ful feelings, inasmuch as we saw that the should by no means be allowed to rest as it. local Government was actually making is, and we hope that the Unofficial Members some of the efforts for the cleansing of the will not fail to press for better satisfaction. city which have been persistently advocated by leading medical men and by the Hong- kong papers, the results are not very encouraging. Are we therefore to think that the attempt to cleanse Hongkong has
(Daily Press, 12th August.) been a failure or that extra cleanliness can It is but a few weeks since under the have no effect on the city's health? To government of Mr. WALDECK-ROUSSEAU suppose so would be ridiculous. The moral France seemed to have entered on a career of this year's proceedings is that we have of European usefulness. Internally she was not yet gone deep enough. In other words, in a state of profound peace, and exter it is net by cleaning up for the time in-nally, while fully preserving her prestige, sanitary properties that will improve the and without any sacrifice of French rights, public health, but the bodily removal of she was generally becoming respected and these insanitary properties. This is the held in unwonted consideration. The peace question which is now before us, and the of Europe was indeed held to be assured ; bill which undertakes to solve it is the most and if there were any specks on the horizon important measure which has ever engaged France was of all others the last place where the attention of Hongkong. ¿
they were to be looked for. Yet M. WALDECK-ROUSSEAU did not in any measure pose as a great statesman: he had no magnificent schemes of the rearrange ment of property; he was quite content to let the world jog along on its own way; and had no great desire to be considered as the saviour of his country, or to gain any of those coveted appellations that, have been the desire of statesmen from time immemor. ial. Nor was France unmindful of the states- man who had taught her that other qualities beside ambition go to make a good minis- ter, and in recognition of his services gave him at the last elections a majority almost unexampled in modern France. Feeling his health unable for the strain, M. WALDECK- ROUSSEAU resigned, leaving to all appearance a way clear to his successor to follow in his ways; no changes other than merely per- sonal were made in the Cabinet, and yet, we find in a few weeks, and before practically the new Government has had time to seat itself in the saddle, there already com- rumours of fresh trouables head. No one, even the most Chauvinist of Frenchmen, Can assert that in M. WALDECK-ROUSSEAU'S time there was any unworthy yielding in the foreign relations of France. France respected herself, and as a sequence repected the rights of others. fiery condition of affairs in China, France contrived to come through the ordeal with considerable eclat to herself, and without exciting the jealousies of the other Powers; but no sooner has the Master's hand been removed from the wheel than we begin to hear of little encroachments, each insignificant in itself, yet pointing to the old habit of pin-pricking. Not content to leave things as they stand at Shanghai a French an official enquiry is due from the Govern Consul begins the silly policy of non ment, if only in justice to the dead, to say possumus. He issues a warrant for the nothing of those who are threatened by arrest of a Chinese subject in the Foreign. dangers of a like kind from similarly con- Settlements, and then, as he has orders not structed buildings. The home precedent is to be represented in the Mixed Court of the one which may well be followed in these Settlement, insists on his being brought to cases. There is too another cause of delay bis own Court. The French missionaries in enquiries, which was not mentioned by at Ningpo allege their righ: to a portion of the Colonial Secretary on Wednesday, but a public road for many years enjoyed and which must surely operate prejudically in kept in order by the foreign community, Hongkong. It is that the coroner (who is appeal to the French Consul, who unassisted by a coroner's jury) is also a 18 again unable to decide on the hard-worked Police Magistrate. Before affair, or even to hear the com- the latter two aspects of the same case may plaint. Then again we hear rumbling in well come in his dual capacities as coroner the Indo-Chinese peninsula. Rightly or and magistrate. Singapore has a coroner wrongly France has elected to occupy a
(Daily Press, 15th August.) The question asked in the Legislative Council on Wednesday by the Hon. G. W. F. PLAYFAIR with reference to recent house- It is, no doubt, satisfactory for Hongkong collapses in Hongkong and Kowloon, residents to reflect that while the other though it net with unsympathetic treatment parts of the Far East, including Shanghai, officially, was one of great importance. North China ports, Japan, Formosa, Siam, The Government has now under contempla- and Manila, are still maintaining a hard but tion a very comprehensive bill dealing with by no means always an effective struggle the matter of buildings, present and future, against communicable disease, and more in this Colony, and it is to be hoped that particularly that deadly scourge cholera, before long a very different state of affairs this island has now passed through what is will be found existing here from that for it the mot fatal part of the year with hitherto prevalent. But in the mean time out suffering from such devastating attacks there continue to cecur catastrophes con- as have sometimes befallen it. From nearly uected with the collapse of buildings whigh all the neighbouring ports are coming in cannot be lightly passed over. It can tales of the avages of cholera among, hardly be argued seriously that the pro- natives, while Europeans and Americans ceedings in commection with the Cochrane also number not a few among the victims. Strect disaster last year were such as to Other diseases, moreover, are contributing give general satisfaction to residents in to make 1902 a black year in the East. Hongkong. Since that fatality numerous We cannot tell what the remaining months minor accidents of a similar nature have bave in store for us, but at least just now occurred. In fact almost every heavy fall health conditions in Hongkong appear to
of tin seems to bring about some such have become comparatively favourable. We deplorable affair. In these circumstances are still widely quarantined, but the man- it is the reverse of advisable that enquiries tenance of such stringent restrictions as are into the causes of the falls of buildings in existence in some plates is hardly should be allowed to be postponed indefi justified by the medical returns here. It nitels. We quite recognise the truth of naturally takes considerable time for a port the Colonial Secretary's plea that it takes in fear of infection to relax its regulations time to get the various reports to cuable against a port with so ill a reputation in the coroner to judge whether an enquiry is the past as Hongkong, so that we must
nccessary. But surely there can be no wait until the last vestiges of plague have doubt that in all cases where loss of human vanished before we can hope for our neigh-life occurs through the collapse of a building bours to remove obstacles in the way of arrivals hence. Our period of freedom from restrictions abroad is wont to be small.
Now, while we can congratulate ourselves on having passed through the worst months of our year, in te matter of deadly diseases, it is hardly to be maintained that 1902 will be a year on which we can look back with gratification. We have so far, it is true, had but 539 plague cases to date, whereas at the beginning of August, 1901, there had occurred 1,596 cases and at the same date in 1900, 975 cases. But, on the other hand, this year we have had no less than 406 cases of cholera, as well as 53 cases of small-pox. Small-pox was, worse
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Even in the very
one
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