Page
September 27, 1902.]
13 and 15 feet. Work on the harbour is steadily
{ Irogressing.
An Edict of the 9th 8th moon grants pcst- humous Lonours end full restoration of rank to ex-Governor Chang Jui-mei of Shantung who was degraded for the murder of Gern.au missionaries, which led to the occupation of Kiaochau. The E.D. commands that he shall
be awarded an official funeral with full bonous, We hear that certain parts of the minting machinery which the Viceroy is setting up have to be replaced, and two Americans have been engaged to superintend the work, and they are expected here in December.
Col Baron Rpp (Direc or, Manchurian Railways) Gen. Bolkoff (officiating Governor- General in Alexieff's absence), and the Russian
Commandant of the Moukden Province, all went up to Peking on Tuesday, presumably ou
ailway matters.
Application has been made to the Austrian authorities by Chinese residing in their settlement for permission to open cricket
gambling balls. The request has been granted, says the Shik Pan. Perhaps the Austrian authorities are not aware of the great amount of money often staked on these cricket fights, a good cricket scmetimes representing thousands to its owner. The native papers also comment with some evident vexation that in the Austrian Settlement as in the Italian, autonomy over the natives is being fully exercised.
A mest tragic and deplorable accident coeur- red on Tuesday night, resulting in the instantaneous death of one of the R.W.F. meu,
Private Rob.ris (No. 5915). The accident occurred near the stables where Sergt. Trowell, R.W.F, Roberts, and another were examining a revolver. It was in Sergt. Trowell's band when it accidentally went cff, shooting Roberts through the head. Two or three men an up and as quickly as possible got the body on to a charpoy (Indian hed) with the object of getting him to the hospital, but life was extinct almost in mediately and cothing could be done The accident was rendered all the sadder Ly reason of the warm friendship existing betewen the deceased and Sergt. Trowell, who was affected by the accident that he had himself to be taken to the hospital where we believe he is still under treatment for shock. The unfor- tunate man was tied on WedLesday evening. the funeral being largely attended by his com- rades, also the officers of his regiment. Ecberts was a yourg man of 21 who bad served in S. Africa before coming here, and received a medal there. Sergt. Trowell distinguished himself on feveral cocasicus during the tremble here, and was particularly mentioned on one occasion for his gallant behaviour,
CORRESPONDENCE.
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[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.
CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
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eX.
Hongkong. 19th September. SIR,I fully endorse the sentiments pressed in Humane's" letter regarding the cruel treatment to which birds and animals are subjected in the Chinese shops here. I consider it ought to be the duty of a police. man to visit the shops once or twice daily to report the ficquent cases of overcrowding and also to see that the animals have food and drink. The latter continually being kept in the cages should be made compulsory. This morning on entering one of the shops I found puppy absolutely frantic at the sight of a coolie washing his feet outside his cage, scratching at the bars and whining for the water it saw but was unable to obtain. It required some persuasion, too, on my part to induce the owner to give the poor thing a drink. To a lover of animals it is most dis- tressing to witness the miserable condition of the birds-kept in dirty cages nearly always overcrowded and often without food or drink Surely something can be done to prevent it, and I shall expect to hear that some measures have been taken.— Yours, ete..
a "cbow
Y. E. S.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.'
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can
Hongkong, 21st September. SIR, I entirely agree with your corres- pondent Humane in his remarks re the cruelty to aminals and birds which the Chinese are allowed to practise here, and am heartily glad that the bratal treatment of these has at last attracted attention and brought forth a champion. I am
ΣΩΣΤΟ 10 Fay corroborate Humane's statement as to the totally inadequate space in which the un- fortunate little puppies are confined, and I uver pass the shops without coming home with the heartache caused by the sight of these poor little animals jammed in a cage in which they cannot even turu round, placed in the doorway in the lazing sub. aud with- out even
a drop of water to which they can have access, Why, I ask, is such a state of things permitted in a British Crown Colony, and why should a Chinaman, a member of one of the most unfeeling and callous races in existence-as witness the way in which they killing them if they are not of the desired sex- treat their own offspring, this king nothing of be allowed to do what would arouse a storm of disapproval and procure just punishment if discovered in the most out-of-the-way town or village in England. The same remarks may apply to the tate in which the birds are kept
are
even
these bright little creatures whose birthright it is to be as free as the air. Many of these wild aught and not cage-bred hiids crammed into a rage where thy are obl ged to sit on each other for kick of other space and where it is well-nigh impossible for them to get at food or water oven when there is any provided for them. It is within my have been bought by humane individuals simply knowledge that many hundreds of these birds that they may set them free, and my own aviary, which is fairly large and was originally started with the idea of giving a good home to some of these poor hitle Frisoners, often ruus risk of being in turn overcrowded in my desire to rescue a few more of these little song- sters from their hard fate. Cannot something be done to remedy this cruel state of things? I read in your colùmus lately that Lady Blake is great naturalist and lover of animals. Will he not aid in a good cause by using all her influence with HE. the Governor to indu e bim to assert his authority and order immediate punishment to these inbuman specimens of mankind who transgress against all feelings so Will Lot dear to an Englishman's heart? some influential resident use his or her best endeavours to start here a branch of the S.P.C.A.? We need it almost as much as in any place, not even excepting Naples, only to far as Lumbers and varieties of animals are con- cerned. I shou'd be only too delighted to give my subscription to this object. --Yours, etc..
NATURALIST.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
Hongkong, 22nd September. SIR.In my former letter to you on the subject of cruelty to animals and birds, I forgot to draw attentica to another glaring instance of shocking brutality, and perpetrated by no other than our own spotless Government. I refer to the motley assortment of bipeds and quadrupeds in the aviaries of the public gardens. There, cheek by jowl, are to be found deer, guinea pigs. squirrels, together with finches, hawks, and peacocks all huddled up in the most incongruous manner possible. Nor is this all. The food supplied to these poor things consists largely of market refuse, such as rotten fruit and cabbage and putrid meat, doled out with a nigga diy hand. To add insult to injury they are tormented by any chance visitor. and in this respect truth compels me to say Europeans offend as well Chinese. Wh it is borne in mind that the Gar- deus are frequented by hundreds of Chinese daily, what hopes are there of their ever showing kinduess to dumb creatures with such edifying spectacles as the above presented Lefore their eyes. What is much needed is another aviary and a better supply of whole. some food; the cost cannot surely be very much. In conclusion I hope Lady Blake will use all her influence to bring about a speedy reform
239
and thus put an end to what is best characterised as a monstrous disgrace to the British Goverṇ- ment. Thanking you in anticipation for the insertion of this somewhat langthy letter and enclosing my card.—Years, etc.,
HUMANE.
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TO THE ED.TOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
SIR-I am delighted to see that there is more than one person in Hongkong who has noticed the dreadful cruelty which is practised daily in these various bird shops-there are all sorts of animals cooped up in pens where they cannot turn round even, and I have been told that over the shops there are crowds more of animals kept in the same way. The smell in these shops is quité unbearable and I should think very unhealthy. In England shops like these would be inspected by some member of the Humane Society and I sincerely hope something will be done soon to lessen the sufferings of these poor dumb creatures who have never harmed their persecutors.—Yours, etc..
A LOVER OF ANIMALS.
THE SYSTEM OF VOTING BY PROXY.
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY I LESS.
SIR. With reference to the difference bc- tween the shareholders and some of the d rectors of the Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Co, Ld., as the meeting has been postponed to give absent shar holders an opportunity of express- ing their opinions on the question at issue, it would. I think, be interesting if you could find space to reproduce the remarks of that eminent of voting by proxy. In his essay on the Reform authority Mr. Herbert Spencer on the subject
of Company Law, he writes:--
One more evil, greater even than those above
described, remains. This is the system of As originally devised, a roting by proxy proxy was a means of enabling one who could not attend a meeting, but had reasons for voting with or against some proposal, to register his vote by the agency of a person with whom he was in agreement, or on whose judgment he could rely. It was never intended to be a surrender of judgment on all and every matter
into the hands of some one, usually unknown, who might or might no, be an unbiassed judge. Un Info this, however, the system has grown. receiving from the secretary a form du'y stamped and issued at the cost of the company, and naming the chairman, or if not, some alternative director, or if not, another director, and so on, as his proxy, the ordinary uure- flecting shareholder, instead of throwing it into the fire or water-paper basket, thinks himself bound to sign it, filled up in favour of one or other of those named-is under a vague feeling of obligation that he must do something with it in the manner suggested. If asked his reason for thus giving to an unknown person power to decide an utknown matter, he replies that the directors' interests are the same as his, and that they know more about the company's affairs than he does. As I have pointed out in the essay abore named, and have there conclusively shown by facts, this supposed unity of interests often does not exist, and I have abore further proved this: the interests of directors may be in sundry ways at variance with those of proprietors. Yet the effect of this proxy-system a now developed is to give directors uncontrolled powers. The share- holders who have unquestioning faith in the governing body are so sumerous, that their votes overwhelm the votes of those who attend the meetings, and either already know a good deal about the matters to be decided or gain insight into them during the proceedings. In the hands of interested manipulators the ignorance of the many is used to extinguish the knowledge of the few. And then naming the large number of proxies they have received, the directors tacitly boast of the confidence placed in them and the implied justification of their policy. The last and most striking illustration of this which I have observed, was furnished by a meeting of the London and Globe Finance Corporation, reported in the Times for January 10, 1991-a company the transactions of which had been, and were then, under grave suspicion. But the infatua'ed
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