+
*June 29, 1903.]
The CHAIRMAN pointed out that although at the commencement of the agitation for au improved system of signalling the Chamber had suggested the institution of Hag signals by day and lantern signals by night to afford every variety of weather information to the masters of vessels, the Government had objected to the adoption of any complicated or extensive system of flag signals on the ground that in the calm weather usually preceding typhoons such signals would often note readily distinguish, able. In 1902 the Committee had collected the views of the numerons shipmasters risiting the port and the Sub-Committee formed by representatives from the slipping offices of the P. & O. S. N. Co, Messrs Jardine. Matheson & Co, Butterfield & Swire, and Melchers & Co, to investigate the matter had reported in favour of an extended svinbol system and had drawn up a code of 37 day and 10 night siguals | for use with suggestions for its further exten- sion if found uecessary||which would be mɔre economical, easier to work and better under-¦ stood by landsmeṇ,
After discussing the matter it was decided to ask the Government to reconsider their deci- sion to adopt the flag system and also to enquire what steps the Government proposed to take with regard to the other suggestious contained in the Sub-Committee's Report.
(FFICIAL C DE VOCABULARY,
The following letter is read with reference to an appeal received from New York Chamber to support their objection to the compulsory use of the Official Cedo Vocabulary :-
14th May, 1903.
SIE. -Your letter of 7th January last, intimating that my letter to you of the 5th December, 1902, ou the subject of the "Official Code Vocabulary woull receive early atten- tion, was duly received.
I have now to confirm trauslation of my wire to you of the 12th instant, coded by and sent through the courtesy of the Peninsular and Oriental S. N. Co as follows:- Referring to letter of 5th December Hongkong Chamber of Commerce support New York Chamber of Commerce Resolution 2nd April request you on our behalf forward protest again Official Cable Code to General Post Office London for presentation In'ernational Telegraph Con- ference. The next meeting is fixed for London, 26th May.-Lowe, Secretary."
I enclose copy of the resolutions of the New York Chamber referred to above, though you will doubtless have already received a copy of these from that body. As this Chamber has recently been in communication with you with the object of obtaining your support to the objections to the code it will now be sufficient to state that my Committee have always been strong y opposed to the compu'sory use of this Official Code on the grounds that great expense and inconveniences will be entailed, on the mercantile community through the necessary amendment of existing podes.
|
The latest edition of the Official Code, al- though containing 1178100 words, is still in- complete and they trust that your Chamber will have seen its way to sympathise with the views of my Committee by forwarding a protest through the British Postal Authorities in order that the matter may be thoroughly ren tilated at the forthcoming Couferenc3.-Lam, etc.,
The SECRETARY,
A. R. LOWE,
Secretary.
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
THE MARKET REPORT AND MR. B C. RAY,
The CHAIRMAN said that the Vice-Chairman had persuaded Mr. E. C. Ray to continue supplying the Freight and Shipping paragraph | in the Chamber's Fortuightly Market Report. which the latter had asked to be relieved of. The Committee's best thanks are due to Mr. Ray for continuing to furnish this sp cial informa- tion, which he had so ably impartel without recompense during the past 20 years, and a'so to the Vice-Chairman for arranging the mitter.
PROPOSED MEMORIAL TO DIPLOMATIC BODY
AT PEKING ON THE CURRENCY
QUESTION.
A letter was received from the Tientsin Chamber, dated 25th ultimo, stving that it had nuder consideration the drafting of a Memorial to the Diplomatic Bɔdy in Poki g ou the sub! ject of the instability of exchange and its disastrous effects on the trade of the coatry. It was stated that there wis good reason to believe that the Chinese Government was taking action and it was believed that some assis'auce might be road red to the Governm ut, sad greater prominencs given to th imperativa | necessity for a remedy being found. by joint Memorial from the Hongkong, Shanghai and Tientsin Chambers.
|
it
}
It was decided to ask for a draft of the Memorial and mention that this Chamber could not see its way at present to subscribe to the proposed joint Memorial, as it would prob.bly be necessary for the Committees concerned to discuss very fully the terms of the actual Memorial and whilst the Committee had every wish to assist the Chinese Government in any way possible with the object of putting an and to the instability of exchange, the Committee t. were of opinion that the first step wards a solution of this complicat d question rency as provided for in Article II of the British Commercial Treaty of haughai, of 190 and it appears therefore that their efforts should, in the first place, ba directal to atrain. ing this end, as until r. form in this direction Las been carried out it will not be passio's, in their opinion, to satisfactorily deal with the question of stability of·xchangé in China. CONGRES OF CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE · · F
is the establishment of a 1 uniform national cur-
THE EMPIRE.
457
HONGKONG'S HEALTH AND SANITARY CONDITION IN 1902.
Atkinson, Principal Civil M dical Officer, on From the report of the Hon. Dr. J. M. the Health and Sanitary Condition of Houg kong in 1902 we make the following extracts:
POPULATION.
1901
1902. per 1,000
15
1902 was 311,824. There wer› 1,20 births and The estimated population of the Colony for
16,783 daths; of the la ter 582 wer from plague
The birth rate was 3.8 per 1,000 as compared with 3.6 per 1,000 in 19 The death-rate was 21.7 per 1.000 as compared with 235 per 1,000 n 1901. The following figures will show the emparison of te deith rate in the Chinese and non-Cuiuese during the past two years :-
Non-Chinese 205 pr1,00) 19.0 Chinese ...
21.93 ...23.77 GENERAL CHARA TER OF DISEASES PREVAILING. Small-pox.This disease was inch less pre- valent than in 1901, 57 cases only being notified As dung the year as against 91 in 1901. usu limost of those cases occurred in the early part of the year,
the first time since 1888 holora was again pidemic in the Colony. During the year, 16) cases were notified; over 3)) of thes occurred in the second quarter of thu prevalent all over the Est, the Philippine year. This disease appears to have been
Iu all Islands especially having suffered. likelihood it was introduced to Hongkong from Cantou.
|
¦
Cholera.—For
Plague. This di case was much less pre- valent than during the previous four years, 572 cises only big notified as compared with 1,631
1901. The first cases occurred at Jardine's Bazar at the East end of the twwn. A whole block of houses there was vacated and thorough. ly disinfected, the rat-ruus being filled up, &c. This principle of raoiting infected blocks, cleansing them and rendering them rat-free was carried out during the year.
Rats. Much more áctive measures were tiken to exterminate rats. The number of rat-catchers was considerably incraised early The CHAIRMAN s id that although the Cham-in the year and as a result 117,39 rats were ber had intimated that they hoped to be able to destroyed during the year. The number of send a delegate so far there was no one ab'e
rats caught during the past three years is as follows:-- and willing to represent the Chamber at the forthcoming Congress at Montreal on 17th August next and the Chamber was therefore not putting forward any propositions. It would be remembered that at the last Conference in London in 1990 resolutions were put forward dealing with the navigation by foreign steamers of the inland waters of China, the reduction of cable rates, and fresh marino surveys in
Eastern seas
THE COLOVBO CHAMBER AND THE CROWN
AGEN 8 SYSTEM.
A letter on the subject of the disadvantag-s entailed through the Crown Agents System was read and discussion 1-ferred until the nort meeting.
NEW GENERAL CUSTOMS TARIFF OF GERMANY. The copy of the new tuiff, kindly forwarded by the Colonial Secretary, was lil on the table, together with a circular from the Board of Trade stating that no date had as yet been fixed for its entry into op-ration.
Ramie is said to have been successfully London Chamber of Commerce,
cultivated in South Sumatra, siya the Straits Times in its Netherland Indi glumu. Two The CHAIRMAN said that was yet to hand as to the deci-ion adopted at enterprising planters began with the experi- the Conference held on 26th ultimo,
CABLE RATES.
information
The CHAIRMAN added that the Committee would note with a certain amount of satisfaction that the Joint Telegraph Companies had seen fit to reduce their rates between Hongkong and Australasia from 35 per cent. to 40 per cent, in some cases" earing ont their intentions intimated in a le tor to the Chamber of 24th March, 1902. It would also have been noticed that the Chairman of the Great Northern Com pany had recently informed the shareholders of that Company that the present rates for Far Eastern traffic were rather high and that they were on the eve of some very considerable tariff reductions, the extent of which will only be determined at the International Telegraph Conference Meeting in London.
mental growing of the fibre in Siak, a district in East Sumatra The experiment failed, but the experience gained showed the way how to succeed in better soil. That requirement was met in the Limpong districts-a neighbouring province. There the soil was found to be all
The ramie planted¡ that cou'd be wished for. throve in paying quantities, the fibre yielded being long and of excellent quality. The results at the outset proved to be so satisfactory that ramie-planting ther has passed beyond the trial stage. The planters sent specimeus of the fibre produced to experts in Europe who pronounced the product to be fully equal to Chinese ramie. The machine used is that invented by Faure, which of late Las been so much altered for the better that the cleaning of ramie by this method can, it is said, be hardly improved upon.
1900 :9)1
1902
45.593 77,763 117.839
Since Marh a systematic bacteriological anexination has been mad, of all rats caught. he services of three Japanesɔ d ctors, versel in this work, were obtained from the Japanese Government for six montus ani since then work has been carried on by Chiness bacteriological assistants, specially trained by the Governmout Baoteriologist, who arr vel in the Colmý at the end of February. The result of the exami na ion is interesting; at firat in March only .93 per cent. of the rats caught were infected rith plague. At the end of lay the presutags of plagas-in ected rats was 56, this rs until the third week in July when it reach.d 78 p r ont, since then it gradually fell until November when it was 1.7 por cent. Notwi hstan ing the fact that from September to the end of tho year pla ue in man had practically ceased, plague-infected rats were stil found, the per- outags varying from 17 per cent. to 1.1 p cent. at the end of the year and then infectel rats came from practically every health district in the Colony.
Haffkine's prophylactic. The whole of the plague staff was inoculator with anti-plagus serum and not a single cass occurred amongst them.
It was impossible, however, tɔ induce Chines generally to be inoculated.
Enteric Fever.—There were 55 cases as com- pared with 75 in 1901. These were equally distributed throughout the year, the numbers for the respective quarters being 16, 12, 12, and 15. Five of these were imported cages.
Malarial Fever. There was still further reduction in the number of deaths returned as amongst the Chinese from malarial fevers, the figures for the last three years being 393 in 1891, 541 in 1991, and 837 in 1900. Anti-malarial measures, viz., removal of undergrowth, train- ing of nullahs and draining of stagnant pools, were continued during the year.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.