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regard to Municipal matters. but I venture to think that snch as'atement is inaccurate. It is not the public spirit which is wanting but the means of giving expression to it and rendering it effective.
Our Sanitary Beard is cer'ainly not an adequate substitute for a Municipal Council, because
(1) Only two out of its eleven members can
be elected by the public, and (2) It has absolutely no funds at its disposal, and, therefore, no power to carry out its own resolutions.
I may remind your readers that some years ago, at an election which was organised by Dr. James Cantlie, the public decided, by a pro- portion of 10 or 11 votes to 1, that it was advisable that Municipal Government should be established in this Colony, and I would suggest that another such election be held shortly, and that, if there is a large majority in favour of a Municip I Council, a petition be presented to the Secretary of State for the Colonies praying that this Colony may have adequate representation in Municipal matters accorded to it.
I need hardly say that, in making such a suggestion, I am actuated by no ill-wil towards the members of the local Executive with all of whom, as Acting Attorney-General, I have co-operated in the most friendly mauner in the past. Our present Colonial Secretary who was good enough to take the chair at my lecture on "Some Serious Local Problems," in May, 1900, stated on
that occasion
In sanitary matters no Governor cau maka any headway in legislation nuless he carried public opinion with him. He must have a strong backing, and I must say that in this Colony the Governor does not always get sufficient backing when it comes to sanitary legislation."
I fully concur in the above remarks of Mr. May, and my desire is, through the medium of Municipal representation, to procure for the Governor and the Government of this Colony the necessary backing of public opinion.- Yours, etc.,
II. E. POLLOCK.
STORM-WARNINGS.
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TO THE EDITOR [OF THE DAILY PRESS.
Hongkong, 10th October. SİB,-With reference to the question of storm-warnings now occupying the attention of the Chamber of Commerce and the ship masters of this port, there appears to Le no reason why the question should not be settled on the lines of reason and expediency. We can calmly consider what it is that is wanted here without imputing motives to anyone, and for the nonce I think we had better consider Sicawei as non-existent. Shanghai and Sicawoi are well able to stand on their own feet, and comparisons at pres ut would be odious.
Let us suppose that we have all started on a clean page, with no other idea than to elaborate the best system of storm-warning that can be devised in the interests of the trade of this great port. Then comes the question: "Is there anything defective in our present system of storm-warnings?" We have in evidence the signatures of thirty-eight well-known ship masters, that things are not as they should be. As a reasonable estimate, we may take the value of the steamers commanded by these gentlemen at say, £20,000 sterling bach, and the cargoes they carry per trip at, say, £7,000 sterling, a sufficiently low estimate, which would give a round value of over one million pounds sterling at stake when these thirty-eight steamers are at sea, besides the lives of crew and passengers, for which owners are liable up to £15 per gross ton of these vessels. Now, the custodians of all this property, and these valuable lives, must be admitted to have an interest in the matter of storm-warnings, and cannot be set aside by the plea that they are not meteorologists according to Dr. Doberck, that is to say, skilled in running an observatory; they do not pretend to this, but as a matter of fact they are, one and all, first-class practical meteorologis's, and their knowledge enables them to take vessels safely through all kinds of weather, from fogs to typhoons, and without such knowledge they would be helpless, for there are no observatories
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
to issue warnings on the high seas, other than those supplied by nature, so that a shipmaster at sea has nothing to guide him save his own judgment. But reliable information of the movements of storms at a distance, supplied before he leaves port, may be of inestimable value to him, and the most efficient and best manner of supplying this information is what we want to get at.
..
Why are our present signals objected to? One reason is, I think. that they are too few, and too vague. Most of us can tell long before any drum s hoisted that there is a depression to the eastward by the drift of the clonds, the behaviour of the barometer, and the general appearance of the weather, and, bar felegrams, I do not think Mr. Figg himself can do much | more. But the knowledge is vagne; we want to know more than this. Atpresent there are four signals and the gun in use during the diy-time, and two night signals made by lauterus. Now, when any one of these signals | is hoisted, the boat population get restive and want to clear ont for sie ter, days before there is any need. Small blame to these poor people! Well, this stops work afloat, and merchants have to stand the loss, simply became a typhoon is known to be crossing Luzon aud cannot possib'y get here under 70 hours. The drum is up, however, aud John Chinaman says
"Have got typhoon ! So much for the ragueness ; but, we will be told, the signal is meant for the shipping; and so it is. but John thinks it is meant for him too There should be a rule or understanding that the boats are not to stop work ti 1 the first guo is fired and after that a special sigual be hoisted to mean Boats take shelter"; the first guu to be fired when the storm is within a certain distance of the Colony and strong wind is expected. A gun fired and not followed by a signal is useless. For the ship ping, the inost valuable information that can be given is to publish the latitude and longitude of the centre of any storm approaching us, or moving in any other direction, every four hours, or oftener; and post the meterological register regularly on the wharves and other prominent places where it can he seen by shipmasters. Of course to be able to give the position of storm-centres approximately, which is all that is required, cordial co-operation with the Philippines and the South Cape, Formosa, is absolutely nec, ssary, and a system of telegrams arranged, and it should be understood that when a storm has pass: north of Turnabout, the northern stations should take it up and wire bearings. We are concerned with the storms which pass over the Philippines or come through the Bashee Chaunel and those which re-curve and pass up the Formosa Channel. Then as to the number of the signals to be shown before the storms come within our ken: the requirements for this port are not quite the same as for Shanghai, which port has 77 numerical signals made by flags relating to the situation of sto ms, and eight other siguals also made by flags, indicating the direction from which the gale is expected to blow, and the places threatened; and these signals seem to meet with general approval, as suited to Shanghai.
Possibly Mr. Figg's objection to flags as the medium is well founded, for various reasons known to experts, and not necessary to go into, but we have now the new
commercial code with a system of distant signals depending on form, not ou colour, which would lend itself exactly to our needs. With two balls, two cones, and one drum, any signal iu the new code-book can be made, or a semaphore of four arms can be used iu
similar manner; or a series of 37 single hoist-signals can be made with the symbols or shapes, which would probably be found sufficient for our want. The plan is simple, and I think suited to our needs. For
instance:-
(Signal.)
A. Cone, cone, ball (112). Typhoou entering Bashee Channel, travelling W.N.W. B. Cone, ball, cone (121). Typhoon re-curving
to the N.E. Dear Mandarin's Cap. C. Cone, ball, ball (122). Centre will pass near Hongkong, violent shift to S. W. expected. And so on. Those signals could be rendered distinctly meteorological by adopting two diamond shapes instead of two balls. One diamond appearing in every hoist would indicate local meteorological signals and thus not interfere with the code-book. The shapes need
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[October 20, 1902.
not be larger than those now in use at the Peak, but these are matters of detail. the great point being that every hoist would conv definite information.
The signal "typhoon east of the Colony" is vague and not up-to-date, that is to say, it meaus a typhoon on a point on the ea tern horizon bearing anywhere between N E. and S.E. The vagueness of this is apparent, and a difference of bearing of eight points laid off on the chart from Hongkong will make the point clear. East of Hongkong is zouth Cape, Formosa, NE. is the Formosa Channel, SE. the coast of Luzon; can anybody say that the signal "typhoon east of the Colony" is anything but vague? It is no more than official con- firmation of what every a aman already knew, and these signals are said to be for the benefit of seaman. The same applies to the other signals.
We require definite information; anything else is mere“ look see” and useless.—Yours, e c,
G. C. ANDER ON.
DRAINS AND DUST.
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
Hongkong, 11th October.
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SIR, --“ A fellow feeling makes us woudrons kind," and I sympathise with you both in regard to the foul-smelling drains, of which mention was made recently in a paragraph in your valued paper, and the invasion of dust to your office from the building, now in course of demolition, in the same lane. Both these nuisances are so easily preventable that I am surprised they can be allowed to continue. The dust from hoses in course of demolition should be laid by water from the sea, instead of being allowed to be the sport of the N. E. monsoon. Regarding the smells from sewer-openings of the new reclamation, I must say they are ut times intolerable. Sitting in my office I have som times to leave my desk, and go somewhere to get fresh air. The worst of it is that it seems to me to be almost pure sulphuretted hydrogen gas, a rank poison, of which my chemical text-books te 1 me 1 part in 1,500 of air, according to Faraday, will kill a bird, and dogs die in that which contains 1 part in 800.
Yours, etc,
DES VŒUX ROAD.
THE CHINA-BORNEO CO., LD.
1 XTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING.
An extraordinary general meeting of the abovet ompany was held at the Company's offices, Queen's Buildings, on the 11th inst, for the purpose of considering and, if thought fit, pas- sing the spacial resolutions including those for the voluulary winding-up of the Company, and the appointment of liquidator, necessary for the purpose of carrying out a provisional agreement eutered into letween the China-Borneo Com- pany, Ld., and the Borneo Hardwood Company, Ld., of Loudon, having for its objects the sale by the China-Borneo Company, Ld., and by the Borneo Hardwood Company, Ld., of their several undertakings to and the amalgamation of such two Companies in a new Company to be formed for such purpos.. Hon. C. S. Sharp (chairman) presided, and there were also present Messrs. E. Osborne, J. C. Peter, A. G. Stok s, A. G. Wood, M. A. U. Baptista, J. A. Jupp, G. C. C. Master, W. H. Wickham, s enng Shui Lun and W. D. Jupp (acting manager).
The notice calling the meeting having beeu read,
The CHAIRMAN said-Gentlemen, we have called you together on this occasion in pur suance of the notice just read, which sets forth in general terms the objects and business of this meeting, and I shall now endeavour to give you as full particulars as possible of the proposed scheme, to enable you to judge of it and to come to a decision whether to accept or reject same. Some considerable time ago ap. proaches were made to this Company by third parties in Londo, friends of ourselves, and of the gentlemen principally interested in the Borneo Hardwood Co., Ld., a London Company having a large timber concession, and an establishment (including a sawmill) for the carrying ou of the timber business at Kudat, situated in Marudu Bay, at the North end of British North Borneo, and about 16 hours by
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