- April 20, 1908
Boxer outbreak the prospect was far more hopeful than it is today. The hatred of the foreigner revealed by the Boxer rising has undoubtedly compromised the financial position of Ching, and the investing, public is inclined for the present to be nervous over Chinese securities.
The new terms which the British and Chinese Corporation obtained a few months ago for the construction of their line from Shanghai to Nanking will certainly facilitate the construction of this important railway, which, traversing as it does the thickly populated region of the Yangtsze, is likely to prove of greater commercial and political value to Great Britain than any other line in Chiua. Scarcely less valuable com- mercially will be the line from Canton to Kowloon, and though we are glad to observe that this project is still kept in the forefront, we should be glad to learn that an early commencement of the undertaking is intended.
THE SPY MANIA.
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CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE ADMIRALTY DOCK PETITION.
(Daily Press, 15th April.) The petition sent in from the residents to His Excellency the GOVERNOR for tragsinis sion to the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies in reference to the removal of the Admiralty Dock from its selected site wilt, we hope, receive the attention it deserv. 8. This is not the first effort that has been made to obtain for the city of Victoria the necessary permission for its expansion eastward. The inter- position of the Naval and Military buildings and cantonments in the heart of the city was a great original, though not unnatural, mistake, but the appropriation of the sea face of those extensive concessions to the exclusive use of these departments was a still graver error. It had the immediate effect of dividing the city into two portions, with which there was no connection except by the narrow and crowded thoroughfare of Queen's Road. The immediate effect of this separation of the two extremities of the city was to crowd up buildings in the western half, and in consequence the have been most unduly packed by Chinese districts of Taipingshan and Saiyiugpoon
teuement houses wherever a foot of space could be found. Thus by process of couver- valuable, European compounds and gardens, Bion, as space became nore and more
corner lots, and even steep wooded bauks that were at one time regarded as waste and impracticable, have been converted ventilated, badly drained, and densely a mass of bricks and mortar, ill
tenanted. It was not until the pressure had become so great and rents had risen to life swept eastward, so thoroughly cut off au excessive figure that some of the tide of from the haunts of business had Wanchai and Bowrington appeared to the Chinese. Even at the present time the idea is still prevalent in the conservative native mind That the eastern district is remote and
into
sundered from the busy quarter of the town, and this will undoubtedly linger with the Chinese unless and until the Praya be made continuous, and the city converted into a whole instead of being cat sharply
into divisions.
(Daily Press, 14th April.) When men are rested as they have been lately at Singapore because they have been discovered innocently taking snapshots of the public buildings in the Colony, con- sideration is again invited to the adequacy of the reasons for the excessive precautious which are taken not only in Singapore but in many other places against the " spy." We may associate in this connection the recent story of the arrest of an alleged Russian spy at Aden-a report the truth of which, by the way, has been denied by the Russian Admiral who was in the har- bour at Aden at the time. Does it not strike the average man that there is some- thing very absurd about the shadowing of strangers who may consciously or unconsciously wander [hear a fortification and perchance use a kodak to reproduce the scene? Assuming the in question to be LL spy, what information could he supply es to the defences at ports which the great military Powers of the world do not already know. The War Office publishes the strength of our garrisons, and it is not difficult for any body to ascertain the number and Lature of the guns at all or any of our ports, or even of the whole available supplies of modern
The fact that an engineering difficulty in guns in England or any other country.
the construction of the projected dock in The Aden incident has induced a writer
the Naval Yard had developed gave to the in the Manchester Guardian to remark that residents an opportunity for one last protest in one sense the forts are a positive danger against the formation of what cannot prove to ourselves, for while un en my would not otherwise than an obstruction and a nuisance dare use a single warship for so foolish a
in that position in the city of Victoria. process us bombardment, he would willingly Some two years ago Sir PAUL CHATER hazard a steamer of the volunteer fleet in formulated a scheuse for transferring the rapidly-landing 2,000 men to turn the Naval Yard bodily to the opposite side of fortifications in rear and rush the garrison. the harbour and placing it between Yau- The writer quotes our own defcuces in mati and Tsimtshatsui. That would have Hongkong in ilustration, At Hongkong," given the Naval Authorities an area of 122
heavy guns are mounted on an
acres, with a tidal bisiu of 22 acres and island remote from the main garrison, and ample room for three graving docks, besides a volunteer sip at night, along the trade a large area for workshops, sto e-sheds, route to Canton like any merchant steamer, coal godowns, offices, &. The Admiralty could · rapidly · land men, capture Stoue decided, however, that it was necessary to cutters' Island, turn the guns on to the have a dock and yard on this shore, and dockyard, and effect a great deal of damage proceeded with the reclamation determined before the men were dislodged." The ob upon, and a large sum of money has already vious cominent upon this is that it would be been expended on the works. This need insane for any Power to at empt anything of not, however, be lost, as the reclamation the kind, for it is extremely unlikely if a laul-
can be utilised and the outlay made good ing were effected in this way that the oppor- by the Colony if the suggestions of the tunities would be given for doing any material Dock Removal Committee are carried out. c'amage. But so far as Stonecutters Island The Committee now propose that the dock is concerned, the theory may well provoke should be moved to one of two good sites smiles rather than fears, aid we fancy that on the north shore of the island of Hong- in its applicatiour to say other British fort ong, and that the Colony should reimburse the imagination of the author of this pretty the Admiralty all the money so far ex- little theory would be found to have over-pended. They also pray, in their petition, reached itself.
that a Royal Commission be appointed ou
he says,
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which a
all the interests concerned he sented to consider the question and on the advisability or otherwise of removing the dock to another site. The reasonable- ness of this request will, we hope, be recognised by the Imperial Government, though they may not perhaps altogether. relish the delay that will be necessitated if a Commission be appointed. They may also possibly object that there will not be sufficient accommodation for the docking of the larger vessels of His Majesty's Fleet in the Colony; but on this point it should be easy to reassure them, for not only is there the fine Admiralty Dock at Hunghom always available for the purpose, but a few years there will be another Quarry Bay which will be capable of commodating the largest vessel in the British Navy. This fact is not dealt with in the petition, either because the Com mittee were shy of stating obvious facts or feared the accusation of attempting teach the Admiralty their business. : We · are restrained by neither of these con siderations, and mention the facts because though fairly patent they might yet be overlooked. It is never any good taking is known to ourselves is also and of course things for granted, or imagining that what matter of notoriety to outsiders. In fact, it may be laid down as a cardinal maxim, -- whether official or non-official-that the in dealing with the good folks at home- majority of them are very badly informed or, if not unpardonably ignorant, then pardonably forgetful. And therefore we the Admiralty that, even though they boldly venture to remind the Lords of
should not. build a dock here at all, they might still depend upon getting excellent and ample docking facilities in the Colony.
STORM-WARNINGS.
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(Daily Press, 16th April.) The question of the inadequacy of the storm-warnings issued by the Hongkong Observatory, concerning which there was last year so much agitation, was thoroughly threshed out by the Hongkong Chamber of Commerce last autumn, and the public are now anxious to know what the Government intend to do, as the typhoon season is again approaching. It will be remembered that the Chamber Committee, with a view to obtaining the opinions of the whole shipping community, issued a circular letter to all the shipping agencies and firms, asking them to collect the views of the chipmasters in their employ as to the methods of issuing storm-warnings most suited to their requirements. A sub- committee was then appointed to examine and report upon the opinions and suggestions thus gathered. This report was duly forward- ed to the Government on the 13th January last, with the expression of the hope that His Excellency the Governor would see bis way to issue instructions for the in- troduction of a system on the lines suggestel in the report. The receipt of this letter was acknowledged on the 19th January by the Colonial Secretary, who then requested the Committee to forward for the GOVERNOR'S consideration the replies of the shipmasters to the Chamber's circular letter of the 13th October, 1902. The Committee, at their meeting on the 20th January ecided to comply with this request, and presumably the documents required were furnished Since that time, however, nothing further. seems to have been done, and no decision appears have been arrived at by His Excellency the Governor. Whether the delay has been caused by reference of the
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