182
in consequence the draw has been revised and England will meet Ireland in the first round this afternoon. The teams will be- England
Light, Kitchener, Keller, and Smith; Ireland -May, Thornhill, Steen, and Lambkin. The winners will meet the Scottish team in the final. This afternoon the band of the 14th Bombay Infantry will be in attendance at Causeway Bay
OMPAX.
captain's cup and SILVER MEDAL FOR FEBRUARY.
The following cards were returned :---
Mr. E.-A. Ram
05
15 80
Major Taylor...
92
11 8)
MrJ. E. Lee......
96
15 81
Captain Rumsey
95
13 82
Mr. E: V.D. Parr.....
98
15
83
Mr. H. W. Robertson
96
12
81
Mr. E, J. Grist
90
A
85
Mr. A. B. Low.on...
91
6
93
8
85
4.)
92
6
86
99
11
83
143
104
16
88
93
***
93
—
•
85
2
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE “OPEN DOOR" AT PORT
ARTHUR.
When the Anglo-Saxon Powers satisfied themselves that if they allowed Russia to take Manchuris and the Linotung Peninsula, she would scrupulously observe the policy of the Open Door," they satisfied themselves much more easily than did the British and American; ROYAL HONGkong golf cLUB. residents in the Far East; and the translations from the "Novoe Krai" published in the Echo de Chine give some indications of the spiri that really actuates the Russians at Port Arthur. In the first place, Port Arthur feels that it must have a special bank; and thanks to the untiring efforts of General Alexieff, it | will soon have two, a Bank of Commerce and a Bank of Agriculture. The Russian Bank of Foreign Commerce is to open a branch there, which will enable Russian enterprise to obtain the credits which it has hitherto sought in vain, and thus compete on equal torms with foreigners. Another bank, the Jarolarsko-Kostromskoi Zićmiélnoï Bank, pro- poses to lend money on the security of land and buildings at Port Arthur, which will enable the landed proprietors in the new town to proceed with their buildings, which they have been unable to do hitherto from want of capital, The establishment of these banks will perhap be consi'ered a natural development; but we go on to read that it has been discovered that foreign fire insurance companies have been doing a large business, by means of travelling or resident agents in the Peninsula, without ask ing permis ion of the Russian authorities, and so without coming under Russian control. The chief inspector of the Insurance Company Rassie" has accordingly requested General Alexieff to investigate this scandal and take measures to remedy it. The General delegated the enquiry to the Civil Commissioner, who has reported in effect that the agents and sub-agents of foreign_insurance companies, masking their
Major King
Mr. C. W. May
Captain Henderson
Captain Erskius
Mr C. E. H. Beavis
Mr. G. Stewart
34 entries.
10 10 10 10 10 to
91 94
80
81
88888
POOL.
Mr F. A. Ram
95 15
Mr J. E. Lee ..
96 15
Mr. E. V. D. Parr...
98.
15
Mr E. Grist
90
5
Mr A. B. Lowson...
91
6
83 85 85
Mr. C. W. May
92
Captain Erekine
6 104 16
-
86 88
93
Pent
Mr. C. E. H. Beavis
33 entries.
SHOOTING.
ROYAL MARINE MONTHLY SWEEPSTAKES — FEBRUARY, 1903.
The following were the principal scores in operations by means of all sorts, havo succeeded this competition
CLASS A.
200 500 60) yds. yds. yds.
Total
32 33 34 99
33 32 27 92
Col.-Sergt. Cross, R.M.L.I.,
H.M.S. Tamar Sergt. Myers, R.M.L.I.,
H.M.S. Eclipse Bombr. Louillette, R.M.A.,
H.M.S. Ocean Capt.W.T: C. Jones, D.S:O.
R.M.L.I., H.M.S. Cressy 27 28 3) 85 Pte. G. Collier, R.M.LI,
H.M.S. Cressy
24 entries. CLASS B.
3) 3) 26 86
31 32 20 83
Pte. G. Buckenham,
R.M.L.I., H:M.8. Cressy 31 32 34 97 Sergt. A. Powell, R.M.L.I.,
HM.8. Amphitrite
21 entries.
31 31 19 81
THE APRIL RACE MEETING,
The Stewards of the Jockey Club have. published the programme, for the one-day Meeting, to be held en 4th April. It is as follows :--
Two races open to all China ponies. One race open to China subscription griff is of this season, winners of any official race barre 1.
One race open to all horses. Handicap; any height.
Two races open to all subscription wal:rs of this season. Handicaps.
Entries close on 15th March. Fall details f* will be announced later.
Commenting on Hongkong's Flogging Law Amendment Bill, the Singapore Free Press says:
..-༥
If flogging is to be resorted to at all, it mut be made effective according to Chinese ideas, and we venture to think thats mild punishmbat such as that awarded by the Hongkong Bill is better dispensed with. It will provoke only the ridicule of the msa who knows that if he were merely reasonably suspected of being guilty of the offences which British law de- mands, shall be proved up to the hilt in a British Colony, he would be flogged ten times
rely in his own country, as is oon- templated" by the - ultes sensitive regulations
roposed for Hongkong.”
in persuading a large number of inexperienced clients to take out policies of insurance, To remedy this, it is proposed to pass a law pro- hibiting advances ou any property insured in a foreign company. It is very certain that our predictions will be fulfilled that the gradual consolidation of the Russian hold over Manchuria will be accompanied by the gradual closing of the Open Door," which is now not much more than a-jar-N.-C. Daily News,
C
MINING IN THE FAR EAST.
The Standard's correspondent at Odessa, wrote on the 17th ul'. :---
The Bourse Committee at Vladivostock has addressed, through the Governor, a petition to the Imperial authorities praying for the re- moval, or a modification, of the existing pro- hibitory law against all foreign industrial undertakings, more especially mining works, in the coastwise districts of Russian China. The Statute in question, promulgated June 17,1901 prohibits all foreign mining operation and other industrial exploitation within one hundred versts (about sixty-six miles) of the coast line The petitioners state that, owing to the lack of native capital, and the absence of all spirit of enterprise ou the part of the Russians them. selves, there is no immediate prospect of a rational development of the mineral wealth and other industrial resources of that region. It is pointed ont also that, as at present administered, this prohibitive law is partial and unsatisfactory in effect. Exceptions are made in the granting of concessions without any comprehensible bases. There has lately arrived at Viadivostock quite a crowd of American, French, and Belgian prospectors, all of them representing wealthy syndicates, seeking mining concessions on the Ussuri, in Sakhalien, and in the district of Vladivostock.
A powerful French syndicate recently applied for a concession to work the extensive coalfields in the neighbourhood of Vladivostook. The concession was refused, but it has now been granted to an English Company trading under the Russian flag. This British enterprise will shortly, it is expected, be in a position to furnish both Vladivostock and the Ussuri Railway with a plentiful, good, and cheap supply of coal fuel. Many foreign
|
|
[March 9, 1903.
syndicates have sought concessions for the ex- plitation of the silver and lead deposits. lately discovered in the Ussuri rogion; but they were met by the prohibitive law with regard to the working of all kinds of mineral ors by foreigners. What the country requires, the petitioners urge, is, for a number of years at least, a com« plete freedom of operation for foreiga capitalists, engineers, practical miners, and, above all, foreign brains and energy. It is cu ions to learn from this petition that the mining affairs in all parts of Far Eastern Russia are subordinats to the Mining Commiss sion at Irkutsk, many thousand of verats distant, and necessarily ignorant of the local conditions in the extreme limits of its official jurisdiction. The petition demands that this anomalous, state of things be forthwith remedied. Covertly, the petition conveys a direct reproach to the Imperial Government for playing the part of the dog in the manger in the matter of these so-called "coast wise" mining industries in the Far East. It remains to be seen whether the obstructively prohibitive law will be abrogated or modified.
SHRINKAGE IN THE PHILIP- PINES CUSTOMS RECEIPTS.
Although it has been anticipated for some time, rays the Manila Times, that there would be a falling-off in customs collections it is somewhat disquieting to be confronted by the actual con- ditioa itself. It was predicted months ago that these collections which form the principal source of revenue to the government would shrink, but the ory of wolf" was raised early and the failure of the wolf to come seems to have created a somewhat' unwarranted con- fidence in certain quarters. Even now it is said that the slump is but temporary and that the revenues will speedily pick up. Wo claim none of the attributes of a prophet and pessimism is repugnant to us, but we see little ground for this new hopo. On the contrary, we are afraid that there may be a further decrease instead of an in- crease. The fact is that business which carries the tribute to the custom-honce is very bad. Of that unhappy fact there can be no denial. Every business man in town will testify to it and you can feel it in the very air of every business street. This country has played in very hard luck in a business sense for many months past. If circumstances had been favourable at the close of the war we believe the recovery would have been speedy and the present time prosperous, but they were desperately unfavourable. Disease came first to kill the domestic animals and paralyse agriculture, and then to claim thousands of inhabitants. These were disasters that crowned the ravages of war. Next the army was largely withdrawn and the country lost millions of dollars that had theretofore been spent directly among the people. After that the silver slump added its weight to the debit side of the account. Meantime the influx of American gold and American enterprise that had been promised failed to appear. Capital was shy on currency and labour questions, or fully occupied at home, or doubtful about the permanency of American tenure in the islands. Any or all of these causes may have been the reason in any event money failed to come. Nor was there much of an impetus given to exportation of Philippine products to the United States. Congress made a slight cut in the tariff but it failed of its purpose. Some of these many ills have passed and others will soon cease to exist. The ways of obolera has expended itself over most of the islands, steps have been taken to restore agriculture. Congress is framing a currency bill and may give further concesions as
to tariff, and there may be an amendment of the laws that now operate against some lines of investment. We have no doubt that in the end things will be righted and the islands placed upon a footing of prosperity as permanent as can be provided, but until the tide does turn we fear the islands are in for hard times. In this connection the gov ernment has many difficult problems to solve for essa it has entered upon much work that cannot be mir abandoned. There are lines along which there: th can be retrenchment and ral hor than face deficit ordebt we are strongly in favour of retrenchment.
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