1678 be used at the rate of 28., is Bd. per dollar, or £833,333.
9. This difference of £833,333, less the loss sustained by melting the British dollars, to be invested in first-class gold security whether consols or Indian loans, and to be kept as a permanent reserve at compound interest, as a guarantee in case of sitver seriously declining even below the issue price of the dollar,
10. With such a handsome reserve about a third of the value, no Government should shrink from guaranteeing the dollar as 28.
11. The new dollars to be the only legal tender and to be sold to all Banks and others at the rate of 2s, or $10 to £1;
12. A Bank should be appointed as the Hong- kong. Government Bank-say the present corporation of the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank where gold can be exchanged for the new dollars, and new dollars to gold exchange of 28. plus or minus slight differences arising from the stringency or easiness in the money market.
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13. All debta, mortgages, shares, stocks, loans to be changed in face valus in proportion to the fixity of the present dollar to the gold silver dollar.
THE CHINESE PETITION.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS."
Hongkong, 15th April. SIR,-As one of the signatories of the Chinese Petition to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies praying for an extension of His Excellency the Governor's term of office and also as one who is chiefly responsible for the drafting thereof, I venture to ask you to be so good as to allow me space in your valuable columns to enable me to make some observations in reply to the various criticisms and remarks which your contem- poraries and certain correspondents have thought fit to pass upon it,
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[April 20, 1903. therefore, I am at a loss to account for Territory, I beg to refer you to the Reports on the charges that the Petition is a barefaced the New Territory published by the Govern attempt by a few of the Chinese to control ment printers in the years 1900, 1901 and 1902, the affairs of this Colony," and that "the from a perusal of which you will gɩ her that Petition contains a number of mis-statements my statemeble are correct. But as regards of fact which have aroused the indignation your remarks concerning the neglect in the of a large rection of the European community.” collection of Crown rent on the part of the You have a copy of the Petition before you, and Government which I, however, did not touch eren at the risk of trespassing somewhat toonpon in the Petition, I have nevertheless, in lengthily on the space of your paper, I must riew of your severe criticism, made certain endeavour to prove to yon, taking the Petition enquiries from an official source and now beg 10 paragraph by paragraph, that there is no lay the result of my investigation for the foundation whatsoever for the charges made information of the public. against it.
Paragraphs 1 and 2 contain a description of the petitioners and the nature and extent of their interests in the Colony. I can conceive no objection to these paragraphs.
Paragraph 3 states that past administrations were characterised by justice and ability, for which the Chinese are duly grateful; there caunot possibly be any objection to that surely.
Paragraphs 4 and 5 state that Sir Henry Blake's administration was the most appreciated and admired by the Chinese and that in con- sequence they seek for a continuation of his administration, especially at this troublons time. I am confident no one will gainsay this.
Paragraph 6 requires no comment as it serves only as a connecting paragraph.
Paragraph 7 needs scarcely any remark as all the institutions are either completed and Fen to the public, or are in the course of erection, except the projected Chinese. Maternity Hospital, the building of which will, I trust, be commenced within the ; next fortnight: Subscriptions to the various charities promoted by His Excellency call for no further remark on my part than that I beg to refer most of your readers, especially the Chinese, to a perus of their pass-books or account-books for the last five
years.
In support of paragraph 8 I need only mention the establishment of the Kowloon School for European children and the pending conversion of the Belilios Reformatory for the same purpose; the institution of High schools for the sons and daughters of the Chinese which was sanctioned by the Secretary of State for the Colonies (vide his despatch No. 408 dated the 6th December, 1901, and may now be considered a fait accompli; the endowment of the College of Medicine for the Chinese by the Government with an annual sum of $2,500; and the adoption of most of the recommendations of the Educational Committee which are about to be put into force.
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It appears that the original scheme for the collection of Crown rent as announced by His Excellency in August, 1900, could not be carried out effectively on account of the extreme reluctance on the part of the owners and occupiers of land in the New Territory to pay rent before their claims had been demarcated, investigated into, and allowed by the Land Court. And in order to effect such collection, the only remedy, I understand, which could be resorted to by the Government was by distraint, aud in order to distrain for rent one must have a rent-roll aud must be able to identify by map each plot of land on the rent-roll. Furthermore, the Gorertment has found from actual experience that to ex cute the distraint-warran s in the New Territory under these circumstances involved a lengthy process: nd necessitated the employment of a large staff of men. Thus it will be seen that the small amount of revenue derivable from this source has apparently not been t! e outcome of official neglect as alleged, but is due to the enormous difficulties of discovering the occupiers or owners and compelling them by legal process to make payment.
Iu regard to the improvement and ungmenta- tion of the Police Force, I beg to refer you to the Reports of the Captain Superintendent of Pulice for the years 1899 to 1992; a careful perusal of the statements and figures therein contained would soon justify the assertions contained in this paragraph concerning this force. The numerical strength of the Police Force has been increased since the 17th April, 199, from 630 to 919 at the end of 1902. Concerning the improvement and augmenta- tion of the District Watchmen force, it is true that between the years 1897 and 1903 the numerical strength had only been slightly increased, from 66 to 74, but it must be borne in mind that this force is only an adjunct force and kept up entirely by the voluntary subscriptions of th Chinese ratepayers. This force has been re-organised and is now central- ised in one building under the supervision of a resident European sergeant of the Police Force. I may add that as a precautionary measure a de ective branch consisting of 10 members has already been sanctioned and is soon to be added to this force.
As a preliminary observation, permit me to state that the Petition in questiou is not the creation of a few leading Chinese as alleged, but is the outcome of a very general and strong desire among the Chinese of all classes to keep H. E. the Governor with them for another term of office. Any one who cares to make enquiries among his Chinese friends and acquaintances will soon discover the accuracy of this statement. Even your correspondent, Mr. Ho Kom Tong, who, with his friends, objects only to the inclusion of a part of a sentence in paragraph 8 of the Petition having reference to the fact that Sir Henry
Paragraph 9 That the Public Health and Blake has, with the approval of the Secretary Buildings Ordinauce has been passed in an im- of State for the Colonies, sanctioned the mensely improved form after the return of Sir institution of a high school for the sons and Henry Blake will be generally acknowledged daughters of the upper classes of the Chinese, by both Europeans and Chinese alike. I need writes at the very end of his communication to
not enumerate the many effective and r-asouable In dealing with the point of the stera sup- you that the object of the Letition has the sanitary measures adopted during the last five pression of secret societies I think I cannot do unanimous approval of the Chinese community. years, as these are well known to everyone better than by quoting certain extracts from I beg to quote his very words:
With the and are being carried out daily by the the Reports of the Captain Superintendent of object of the Petition I emphatically assert the Sanitary authorities. The question as to Police for the years 1899 and 1900. In the Chinese are entirely at one but with the inclu- whether these measures were initiated by report of 1899 under the heading of "Triad sion of this scho I clause opinions do not
His Excellency or whether he was advised Society" the following paragraph appears;- - entirely concur."
to adopt them, or even according to some, "7. This Society became very active in the New "has been-moved by outside agitation" into Territory during the summer, the object of adopting them, is immaterial here. Nor need' 1 the leading members being apparently · touch upon the opening of the Government to enrich themselves at the expense of law- Dispensaries in the New Territory and at abiding people. Subscriptions for the Society Wanchai or upou the New Bacteriological were freely demanded to support, as the victims Department under the superintendentship were made to believe, a rebellion against the of r. W. Hunter, or upon the employ. British, and threats were used when other meats ment of Chinese trained in Western Medi- to obtain money failed. Endeavours to induca cal Science in this Department and in people to inform against their persecutors were the Wanchai and New Territory Dis- unsuccessful, so great is the terror inspired by pensaries and other places; or upon the the Society. A raid, therefore, was made sim establishment of public bath-houses in alta eously at five different places in the New Taipingshan and elsewhere, or the Territory in October, and several important conservation of open spaces-the latest instance arrests were made. The fishermen at Kat 0, a of which is the proposed reservation as a public village on Crescent Island in Mira Bay, had park of the resumed area in Taipingshan next been greatly harassed by the Society, and the to the new wing of the Tung Wah-or upon Police were fortunate enough to arrest two the training of the many and varions nullahs leading members of the Society there, and to get which has been carried out and is now still evidence of robbe y and rape against one, who being carried out. With the statement in this was convicted at the December Sessionsand sent- paragraph concerning the increase of the water enced to 9 years' imprisonment with hard labour; storage and the better regulation of water and of robbery against the other, who was also supply I will, for the sake of convenience, convicted and sentenced to 2 years' imprisonment not touch upon until I come to deal with with hard labour. Two other prominent mem- paragraph 13 of the Petition.
bers of the Society were arrested with insignis or writings of the Society in their possession, con- victed of being members of the Triad Seciety,
To continue, permit me to assure the European community that there was never any thought on the part of the Chinese or of the framers of the Petition of giving them any offence, nor was there any intention on their part to create ill feeling or unpleasant- ness between the European and "Chinese- sections of this community! If there had been the slightest suspicion of indication of such A thought or intention, I would have positively refused to lend my assistance in any way, but would have done my almost to suppress it. Since my return to this Colony from England, now more than 21 years ago, and soon after the Hennessy régime, it has been my chief object and anxious end avour to promote friendly relationship, perfect understanding, and cordial co-operation between the British and Chinese inhabitants of the Colony, on all of which, in my humble opinion, the prosperity of this Colony so largely depends,
In the drafting of this Petition, I have par- posely and carefully avoided all allusions and statements which might be in any way offensive or objectionable, and I think I have been successful in making na allegation which is not literally true and capable of proof; and
upon
In connection with paragraph 10 so far as it deals with my statements concerning the New
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