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THE QUARRY BAY RIOT.
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[ December 29, 1902.
TUNG FU-HSLANG'S MOVEMENTS.
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(Daily Press, 23rd December.) The news which our Shanghai correspond. ent, telegraphing on Sunday night, describos as conveved in a "reliable" letter from Shens', if it be confirmed, must be con- sidered very gravo indeed. The s atenent is that “Genéral Trxa Fu-usta G is in Kansu, preparing ten thousand well-found troops and buying large quantites of grain Fand fodder for his soldiers. His intention, it is believed, is to exterminate all foreign- 'ers in the provinces of Shensi and Kansu " and to seize Isianfu. A friendly official is advising all foreigners to leave Kansu, The Chinese authorities at Peking appear to be nowilling or powerless to control TUNG FU-HSIANG, Viceroy CHANG CHIH- "TUNG is disgusted and earnestly desires to "retire,” Now it has been reported, from time to time, from various Northern sources, that the exiled General, so constant a cause of alarm to the Chinese ever since his fight after the events of 1909, was quartered at Naughsia, Kansu province, with a body of troops whose numbers were very variously estimated. A receat number of the Chin Times reports that two Europeans, Messrs. CauvILL and DOUGLAS, who passed through Ninghsia on a journey westward, though they did not find Texa Fe-ustang there, heard much about him. He was then re- ported to be in the hills in the neighbourhood of Pingliang, on the other side of Kausu, about midway between Lanchow and Hsian- fu, and to have about 3,000 men with him. The people in the neighbourhood were very uneasy, and the women missionaries had been sent to Shanghai as a precaution, That there should now be women missionaries in so remote and disturbed a province is, we consider, a disgrace to the societies which sent them. Some time ago we expressed a very faint hope that the missionary boilies would consent to learn a lesson from the tragedies of 1900 and would restrain at least the women connected with them from exposing themselves to shocking risks. We also noted, more recently, that our hope was vain. Attention is once more called to
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND.
! reveal what all those stops are,
There are, however, one or two points which it seems (Daily Press, 23rd December.) to us it would be well, in view of the contri- The very terrible affair which took place dietory stories aflat, to clear up; al, on Sunday evening at Messrs. BurreRFIELD
moreover, there was yesterday a fresh and SWIRE's works at Quarry Bay illust development of the affair which seems to rates the difficulties attending life and show that the authorities have neglected an industrial enterprise in the Far East and at opportunity to get on the track. This the same time suggests that there is an was nothing less than the discovery opportunity for certain action on the part yesterday morning near one of the mai of the authorities responsible for the god sheds wherein the coolies employed on government of this Colony. Particulars Messrs. BUTTERFIELD and SWIRE's work will be found in another column of the riot live of the holy of a dead Chinaman, which led to the death of at least thr e men, with his hands and feet tied. The The case was one of race against race, of, significance of the bands and feet being Chinese against Indians, with tremendous so tied is not at prescut apparent, but the numerical odds against the latter, whose fact of his body being found makes it look losses therefore were of course propor. possible, if not probable, that he was one of tionately much heavier, one man being, the Chinese engaged in the fatal riot. It pounded to death with stones as he was was claimed by the cooling after Sunday's kneeling on his prayer mat, while two more affair that some of their number had ben are likely to die in hospital. Owing to killed, but through fear of implicating the peculiar temperament of the Chinese it themselves all trices of dead or wounded is necessary here to entrust such duties as Chinese were cleared away. The obvious those of watchman, tallyman, etc., to men course would have seemed to be to search of a different race, and some of our British the matshe Is with as little dolay as possible, Ludian subjects, rougly described as Sikhs, This indeed the police were asked to do on arc almost universally employed, then Monday, but as only one European police. faithfulness to their employers and their man, one Indian, and a Chinese were sent general refusal to act in collusion with "down towards evening it was naturally out Chinese of dishonest character being strong of the question for this adequate trio recommendations. But, as is a very familiar (even with the assistance of Messrs, Ber- fact, there is no love lost between the TERFIELD and SWIRE's Indian watchmen, Chinese and the imported race, and there who were got out, though in a state of is always present the element of trouble terror naturally after Sunday's riot) to arising from mutual dislike and contempt., perform the extremely dangerous operation, Sunday's affray appears to have arisen from of arr sting any among some fifteen a very small beginning, but there may be hundred coolies anxious to put the Police: more in the matter than at present is off the scent. On Monday night only four known. In any case, there is no doubt of armed policemen, two Europeans all two the seriousress of the outcome, and things Indians, were put on duty, urgent requests cannot well be allowed to rest as they at length suceeding in bringing two more are. It secus plain on the face of Indians. We helicve that How one it that works cplaying so many hundreds of Chinese, and Chinese too of a turbulent nature (as can be said of practically all labour gangs out here), require more police protection than is at present afforded Quarry Bay. It is, we believe, the rale at home to strengthen the police considerably in the neighbourhood of such works. For obvious reasons it would be impolitic to
the absolutely inexcusable conduct of the arm the watchmen, etc., for that would
societies, who show that it is beyond their inevitably lead to more frequent cases, of
ability to len a lesson of common sense bloodshed. The Government owes
was impossibly to send down to' and common humanity. But there ployers of labour, engaged in great indus Quarry Bay a force strong enough to than the safety, of a few Europeans threaten- trial undertakings adequate protection to deter the Chinese coolies from hindering od if the report about TUNG proves to be enable them to carry out their contracts
those engaged in searching for such as hy in a reasonable state of calm. On the their wounds, etc., were evidently implicated other hand, we do not think that the public in the affair, or for dead bodies, if there were \revenues alone Call fairly drawn
concealed in the matsheils. It looks upou to provide a considerable increase of now as if nothing but a lucky chancs can the police force rendered recessary by enters help the Police to bring the offuders to prises which are expected 10 bnefit justice. There has elapsed ample time very largely those engaged in them. The in which the guilty may obliterate all duty is a divided one. Fair-minded people traces of their guilt. In fast two hundred would naturally say that the great com- have left the works. The matter has not panies which introduce into parts of been treated with sufficient seriousness, and Hongkong large bodies of coolies must be this is extremely to be regrettel on account prepared to pay something for the extra of the bad precedent which has been giv a. strain thrown upon the police of the Colony; ! A mob of coolies has committed a terrible but the local authorities must too consider crime, whether there was any original that it is the promise of a properly governed' grievance or not, and the authorities have audoliced Colony which induces firms to apparently not had the courage to act with undertake the get works which ensure the the boldness and promptitude which would progress of Hongkong. It is sincerely to have given them "the required clues. The he hoped that some understanding, on these mob has triumphed, and this seems to us a lines, will be arrived at in the present case,
very dangerous example to have allowed to It is just possible some of the culprits may he brought to punishment ultimately, but the great opportunity of securing them has been inretrievably lost.
ديا
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European an1 seven or eight Iuliaus are on duty from evening to about 5.30 a.m. No arrests have been made up to the time of writing, though it is pretty well known that up to Tuesday night or Wednesday morning there were three to five wounded Chinese, at least, in the matshe.ds. What was the cause of there being no officient search made through the matsheds on the day after the riot is presumably known to the authorities. It hardly seenis credible that
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be set.
(Daily Press, 28th December.) The Quarry Bay affair which we described in these columns on Tuesday last, adding some details from other sources on the next day, remains as mysterious as over. We du not profess to be able to say exactly what Herald, prop.ses to build a transpot cruise. The Corean Government, says the Kole steps the Police are taking in the matter, to be used in patrolling the coast and inspect. nor, were we able, would it be expelient to ling light houses,
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trne. The peace of the whole of Central China is menaced, and should such a move- ment as that announced from Kausu onco hogin to overrun the neighbouring provinces the elements of disorder existing in them, as in every Chinese province, might rapidly swell the trouble to a size rivalling that of the Boxer outbreak of 1900. The un-
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fortunate effect of the Allies' punishment of the Boxers and their Imperial patrous has been to leave China even weaker than before against interual rebellion. The problem of how to strengthen the Chinese Government against its own reb is without at the same time arming it against the Western Powers is perhaps the most difficult that the world's diplomatists have
ever had to face.
Russia is devoting some attention to Chinese Turkest10. The Novosti says that, in the interests of Russian trade, the Imperial autho ries have decided to extend the existing line of telegraph between Kuldja and Irkesham to Koshgar. There is every reason for believing that Russia has been engaged busily in the region, as various scientific expeditions" have explored that ou lying portion of the Chinese Empire, which is destined to become or later the connecting link between Peking aud Tashkend, in Russian Central Asia,
sooner
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