December 6, 1902. j
sincerely advanced by the speakers at the last Council meeting. But it cannot be made a reason for delaying legislation vital to the Colony's well-being. H.E. the Governor pointed out that the action of the Ordinance must be slow and could not approve of the Government “ entering with the public money into competition with those whose business it is to build and supply houses for the accommodation of the people." To these he thought it better to leive the solution of the difficulty. He omitted, how ever, to touch on the question of excessive rents. The cry for fresh house ae commoda- tion, which must follow the operation of the Bill, will not produce a lowering of rents, Landlords are not - heroes, but business men, as Dr. Ho Kvt said. Talk about tramways will not house the homeless, while if the displacement of the overcrowded residents in thi slung is to await the slow expansion of Hongkong by means oft am- ways, etc., it looks as if we must resign ourselves to years more of abominable sanitation and epidemic. Shall we not then he paving too dar for our whistle, to use the Hon. ( 8. SHARP's expression ? And after all the enjoyment of the whistle is the Government's or the landlords, certainly no' the ratepayers'. The Senior Unoffical Member's concluding remarks on the 27th ultimo derive considerable point from this eansideration, and s'ould not have b 4 set aside so lightly as they were on that
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
437
prospect, as our currespondent says. Why I were statesmen ; the men who are dabbling should this be so, however ? This brings in the new agitation are for the most part us to the other cans of the scarcity; thignorant fanatics and, as is exhibited in is. waste of water by the more ignorant their attitude towards the two Empires of among the residents, which in Hongkong Germany and Austro-Hungary, unskilled means practically exclusively the poorer in the first principles of statescraft, and Chinese. These people do not know and would willingly place their respective it is difficult to suggest how they can be Governments in a dilemma from which taught that waste of water in a city like escape with honour would be impossible, Victoria is actually a crime against the As a fact, even in the most Germanic community. Before 1890 tenements populations of Europe there is a large seempied by Chinese were not supposed to ; olement of foreign blood. It is not alone de suppliel with house-services of water, that there are differences of Hoch and Platt, though some of them were, either because & each with its separate characteristics, but originally ovenpied by Europeans or herause, there are infusions of Wendie and other special indulgences" had been granted, alien races, which have left their marks The Water Ordinance of 1890 altered deep in the body politic. For centuries this, placing all ratepayers on an equal į statesmen have been occupied in bringing foting The effect is been terrible these diverse elements together, and now Waste ď water, the introduction of before the old sores are healed these would- the intermittent system :|: # regular b Pan-German enthusiasts would bring institution, and finally anything but 111 the whole back to chans. Other elements. equal distribution of water. It has become the fruits of the contests that arose in con- plain that, so far from the general distribu- nection with the fall of the Roman Empire, tion of water having resulted fairly all have not yet died out. Finns, Voguls, round, it has made those who observe the Huus and Tartaric races of all sorts, not to rules of sanitation and good citizenship mention a large but important infusion of suller for the sins of those who have no JJewish blod, have in divers times and in notion of such rules or wilfully disregard divers places left their traces; and in them. To put a penalty on th waste of addition to all these the mixture of Slavonic water, which it is dipoless to try to stop blood is by no means inconsiderable. It is by educating the people, the water meter trae that compared with the Austru syste n was reegutly brought in. At once
Hungarian monarchy, North Germany is he Chinese were up in acius, and having tolerably homogeneous. The homogeneous- gained the official enr their leaders have ness is, however, more apparent than real, advocated an alternative which has some and the old differences exhibit thems [tes from time to time within the walls of the theless to condemn us to a continual repeti- Reichstag. No country that has under- tion of the history of recent years What is gone the vicissitudes, political and social, more, it is much to he feared that, unless the that have fallen to the lot of Germany The letter which appears in another column, European residents recognise the dangers within the last twenty centuries can possibly to-day from a correspondent who signs of the situation at once and make a vigorous "be homogeneous, and the question is only himself “AQUARIUS" deserves the earnest
protest, the weight of Chinese influence, one of degree, not nature, between the two attention of all residents in this Colony, will carry th day and we shall have an Empires. With a clear instinctive know- fficial or unofficial. Concerning as it does expensiv and pernicions addition to our ledge of these facts, the Emperor FRANCIS a question of the host vital import to the
water system fuistel in Hongkong. Wo JosEP has spent his life trying to bằing welfare of Hongkong, it calls notice in
use the word "pernicious" adviselly, for about a reconciliation between the different particular to a new development which may since the advocacy of the ridersnain scheme, portions of his chequered monarchy; and arise with regard to that question. It is we have learnt sufficient to show that the for many years hal the satisfaction of see- now three weeks since the intential
most expert opinion is agai-st its introdue. “inghis efforts meet with encouraging success, Chinese of Hongkong met and decided on a tion into Honkong. Some of the reas ins His predecessor, by his mistaken policy of r. solution in favour of laying water-pipes we have attempted to show abor. The seeking by fore: to bring his subjects into to houses in lieu of having meters fixed, question is one of such very great impor.ja harmony felt by all to lo unnatural, H.E. the Governor having previously, tance that we shall return to its considera. 'drove his' Magyar subjects into armed expressed his willingness to meet the wishes tion to-morrow: lmt we trust that we have ~ resistance, a resistance put down by armed of the Chinese in the matter of water said enough to prove that the Europan i force with the ill-amened interference of meters. The action of the Chinese was held residents ennot afford to sit still and, Russia. With truer statesmanship, and as up in some quarters as an example of public watel the persuasion of the Government; the direct heir of King" MARIA THERESA, spirit, and the advantages of the rider-main to adopt a system which will not only not were extolled,
Writing on the 22nd improve our present water supply but will ultimo, we called att tion to the" obvious -actually tend to mike it worse than it is. fact that though the auxiliary pipe system | might be of great benefit to the users it would in no way increase the storage- capacity for water in Hongkong. Indeed,
ccasion.
RIDER-MAINS AND THE WATER advantages, no doubt, but threatens never-
SUPPLY.
(Daily Press, 5th Dercinler.)
in so far as it is a means of check- ing the introduction of meters and gives the Chinese tegement dwellers water unmetered, it makes greater demands on that storage capacity.
The scarcity of water in Hongkong, apurt from the question of reservoir capacity, is due to two causes, one of which is the su allness of the rainfall, while the other is the waste of water after it has been stored. The small rainfall, of course, cannot be cured, though an increase of the catchment area tends to counteract it to a slight
•
THE PAN-GERMANIC MOVEMENT.
(Daily Press, 2nd December.i
I
If the Pan-Slavonic movement, which Russia is assiduously endeavouring to fan, be at the moment a source of anxiety in Europe, it would be e anparatively uno. enous were it not aided by the probably, anore mischievous Pan Germanie agitation, which since the events of 1970 has been gradually rising into prominence. That the Germanic peoples after a long political effacement, du entirely to their vant of com- bating power, should, now that they have succeeded in founding a genuine German If the storage-capacity is brought Empire, be desirous of carrying the move- up to the proper level, in good years we ment of union to its legitimate conclusion, shall have enough to allow of the waste is not only natural but praiseworthy. It which goes on regularly; in bad years we is in the methods by which the irresponsible shall still have a deficiency. AQUARIUS" leaders of the movement seek to carry out prophesies that if the rider-main system is their darling project that the danger to carried out Hongkong will be known the public weal is to be found. The men throughout the Fast as the town of the six, who brought about the events of 1870 and
· months' water supply - not a cheerful the foundation of the new German Empire
extent.
whose memory is still green in the hearts of his Hungarian subjects, King FRANCIS JOSEPH recognised the legitimacy of the ends for which those faithful Hungarian subjects were striving, with the happy result that his Magyar subjects, from being a source of weakness, at once rallied round the monarchy. Differences in the inner working of the dual monarchy, more especially connected with different financial methods, it was found could be adjusted, and an Ausgleich defining the positions of the two sections was drawn up and agreed to; for many years this was found perfectly satisfactory, and for all that has since come to light might have continue working in perfect harmony, to the great advantage of the.Empire at large. The present difficulty did not come about through the action in the first instance of either the Magyar or the Slavonic element, both of which are nume- rically very powerful, and united, far; out- weigh in wealth and numbers the Germanic element. Unfortunately the Germanic element, which by the force of circumstances has come to have a stronger representation in the councils of the Government than the number or importance of the Germanic portion of the population, with the true
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