Poli
THE COLONY'S CRIMINAL
STATISTICS.
Daily Press 81st March.) Criminal Statistics and Report on the
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for the year 1902 are published current issue of the Government Gazette. We regret to notice in the first place that the total number of cases reported to the Police during the year shows an increase of 18.61 per cent, the figures being 10,421 as compared with 9,172 for the previous year; and in the division of these osses into serious and minor offences there appears an increase, as compared with 1901, of 594 cases, or 17-45 per cent. in the former, and 655 cases, or 11:35 per cent. in the latter. The Report as a whole see us to leave room for considerable improvement in the efficiency of the force. In the matter of gang robberies we note that 34 were reported during the year, and in only ten of these were the police successful in making arrests. Again, with regard to robberies from boats and junks, only in nine out of 14 cases were any arrests made; while under the heading of street and highway robberies we note that 18 cases were reported and only in six were any arrests cade. The value of the property stolen during the year wa. $248,469 which includes the $50,000 reported stolen from the s.s. Zafiro; while the value of the property recovered by the police and restored to owners was $10,883. This can hardly be considéred satisfactory, especially having regard to the strength of the police force in the Colony. The return does not show very clearly the number of men actually employed in constabulary duties. The total is given as 919 (Europeans 133; Indians 367, Chinese 419), but a footncte explains that this number includes the police paid for by other Departments and private firms, and also the engineers the Captain Superintendent, Deputy and Assistant Superintendents' clerks and coolies. The most pr. minent feature in the return is the number of cases of housebreak- ing and larceny. Last year's returns show an increase of 100 cases under the heading of burglary or larceny in dwellings and au increase of 321 in other larceny cases. Turn- ing to the table setting forth the results in the cases reported we find the following: Robberies with violence from the person, 66 cases, 39 convictions; burglaries, 78 cases, 21 convictions; larcenies in dwelling houses, 323 cases 44 convictions; larcenies, 2742 cases, 1247 convictions; felonies not already given, 260 cases, 76 convictions, Another table giving a quinquennial return of the crime in the colony shows very plainly that robbery, burglary and lar ceny in houses have increased to an alarming extent during the last five years as compared with the previous five years. For example the average yearly number of cases of robbery during the first five years was 17.8; in the succeeding five years the average was 614; the of averige yearly number of burglary and larceny in houses for the first quinquennium was 98.4; for the second 287.0. Of course the fact must not be overlooked that the population of the colony has been correspondingly increasing. but presumably the police force has been proportionately enlarged, and the
coxwains and stokers, but is exclusive of
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cases
com-
a right to expect a higher of efficiency than these returns
officially notified to the Foreign Japanese port of Mororan in opened for trade in all exports importa
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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THE GOVERNOR AND THE CHINESE COMMUNITY:
† April 6, 1903.
PASSENGER COMMUNICATION ALONG THE COAST.
(Daily Prein 18
(Daily Press, 28th March.) The speech delivered by His Excellency It is curious that with arge and con- in the number of the Governor at the opening of the Tang tinually growing adva Wa Hospital was so excellent both in form foreign residents in China the means of and matter that we are sure it has been passenger communication along the coast read with intense satisfaction. The are actually worse than they were many announcement that it is His Excellency's years ago. It is unsatisfactory to have to intention to recommend to His Majesty's remark that the worst offenders in this Government that the land resumed at respect are actually the English companies. Taipingshan and cleared of all its rookeries This is the more noteworthy because in Eng- means of land itself the passenger has succeeded, aftern as being the only effectual exterminating the plague germs in the very great deal of trouble it is true, in impressing hotbed of the epidemic, shall in future be his wants on the railway companies, and preserved as an open space is particularly all the great lines vie with one another in gratifying. Hongkong needs "lungs" of providing the best and quickest means of this character, and in the interests of the reaching the great centres ; and have become enger caterers for the comfort of their public health of the Chinese community a few more such vacant spaces would be passengers. The same anxiety to meet the attitude of the Chinese population towards lines sailing from home ports is also a With regard to the views of the traveller by the main oceán highly beneficial. sanitary measures, the graceful courtesy marked feature with the principal steam shown by His Excellency in publicly thank-navigation companies, so that not only do ing them, and particularly the influential the steamers bid against one another in Chinese, for their active co-operation with point of size, but in a still more marked the Sanitary authorities during the disinfec degree in the accommodation. provided for tion of the city, must likewise be noted with the travelling public. When we turn to satisfaction, and his tribute of appreciation the Far East a contrary condition of affairs cordially endorsed. We trust the Chinese meets our eyes. The P. & O. which once community may be encouraged to respond to upon a time set itself to study the con- the further appeal made by His Excellency venience of the passenger, has by its modern on Thursday in the matter of getting all neglect almost lost its passenger traffic; more than one of the ocean lines refuse to cases of plague treated as soon as they are discovered. Every case during the present carry passengers, and where they are carried.
it is only in a makeshift and supernumerary year has proved fatal, and the number now reaches to one hundred and twenty-two. sort of way. Indeed the only British ocean Writing as we are without precise records line that offers any inducement to the before us, we believe that in not ten per traveller may be said to be the Canadian cent. of the cases returned have the notifica- Pacific, which with the instincts of the tions been made while the victim was alive. great railway to which it acts as a feeder, There can be no doubt therefore of the extends the care to the passenger across the truth of His Excellency's conviction that ocean. Recently the Messageries line has many of these cases are allowed to run imitated in great measure the defects of their fatal course because of a certain its British compeers, so that the only lines repugnance on the part of the victim's travelling to or from Europe, in which the friends to his removal to hospital and to passenger can lock for even ordinary com- the disinfection of the premises which must furt, have come to be the German companies. It is doubtless the case that during the ensue. If this repugnance can be overcome and a prompt notification of the disease recent years of depression of trade, and symptoms secured, there can be little doubt when each line was competing against its that the periodical returns would show a neighbours, passenger traffic was not pro- proportion of recoveries. What His Ex-fitable, but times and
manners have cellency said of mosquitoes, the propagators changed; and the tourist traffic, now cou. of malaria, was also most opportune. If siderable during certain seasons of the year, the Chinese can only be induced to recognise in each portion of the voyage, if it did not that every little stagnant pool is a breeding. pay for the employment of all the steamers place of the malarial mosquito, if they making their way to the Far East as would see that these places are not allowed passenger ships, would certainly handsomely bay for the employment of a few specially to remain; or at least cover them with such a larvæcide as kerosene, the experience of fitted up for the purpose. This differentia. other places would be repeated here in the tion of traffic it is which has enabled the greater freedom from malaria which is so hoino railways to increase the luxury and prevalent in tropical countries and in other speed of their special trains fitted up for the places-such as some parts of Italy for purpose, and a like differentiation of goods example where ordinary sanitary precau- and assenger traffic on the ocean travelling tions in the matter of stagnaut pools is lines would undoubtedly result similarly disregarded. We trust that the efforts of profitably to companies and passengers the Sauitry authorities will be well sup. ||alike. It is not so much in reference to ported by the community in this direction, the ocean lincs, however, that we desire to and we are sure that the Colony will reap the say a few words as in regard to the coasting reward which some other communities now ships, where the accommodation for the passenger may best be described as a-dis- enjoy as the resuit of similar precautions.
grace to the flag. There is no local line At the annual meetinx of th: British Cham-along the coast between this nud Shanghai, ber of Shipping the President, Sir James for instance, that provides even 'moderate Mackay observed that the trade between the accommodation for the passenger, and those Philippines and the United States was not at few that make an effort, however slight, to present treated as a consting trade. He believed do so are unfortunately not British. In an the reason for that was that some difficulty would even more marked legrce the same rule be found in getting United States ships to do applies to the traffic with the northern ports, the whole of the trade. (Laughter.) It was hoped on the other side of the Atlantic, however, which is not only disgracefully slow and care- within the next 13 or 18 months to close the less, but the accommodation provided for, Philippine and Ban Francisco trade to anything the passenger is such as would not be but United States vessels.
tolerated on any line, however primitive in
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