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entirety will necessitate in that quarter of the Colony a demolition of cubicles that could only be described as wholesale with consequent serious derangement of the do- mestic lives of hundre is of families and the unhousing of many. It must be borne in mind also that if the Chinese are already finding the new laws so oppressive while yet these are only operative in one district, their hardships will be immeasurably in tensified when the operation of the Ordin- ance becomes general. From No. 5 District the displaced population may remove at present to other districts of the city, but, so far as can be foreseen at the moment, the Ordinance will drive before it from one quarter of the Colony to another an ever-growing mass of unhoused families who will finally be compelled absolutely to quit the island unless dwellings are provided for them. It is equally true, of course, and the statement is borne out by most eminent experts, that so long as numberless window less cubicles are permitted to remain, so long will the Colony be at the mercy of devas- tating epidemies. So the Government find themselves on the horns of a dilemma. We think that it is their bounden duty to provide houses for the accommodation of the displaced people. But he meantime the needs of the Chinese are drying out to be supplied, and we are of opinion that in a well-considered compromise the Government will find a practicable middle path that can with safety be temporarily pursued. Uuder the Ordinance the Governor in Council has power in special cases to modify the requirements of the section referred to in respect to the external air, upon such conditions as he may deem expedient. Let His Excellency exercise that power and the Government hasten slowly. It should be the object of the authorities at the present stage rather to abolish what is glaringly bad than to improve what is passably good. In cases where the provisions regarding air-space are almost satisfied, temporary exemptions could hardly be too freely granted. As will be seen from another colump the Chinese community of Hong- kong through their Commercial Union and the ten Merchant Guilds are endeavouring to induce the Government to with Iraw the new regulations affecting cubicles, and to-day a petition fr. me inhabitants of No. 5 Health District will be forwarded to the Governor, praying for permission to re-erect cubicles already demolished. It would surely be a backward step to agree to this latter proposal, but the Government in their future operations under the new Ordinance might well bear in mind the considerations which prompt the petitioners, and make the enforcement of its provisions press as lightly as possible upon the Chinese community at large.
FOREIGN TRADE IN COREA AND
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* NORTH CHINA.
vy (Daily Press, 31st July.) It is a fact worth noting that, notwith. standing all the rumours of the imminence of war between Russia and Japan which have been in circulation for the past two years, more or less, the course of foreign trade, even in the places directly affected by these rumours we mean North China and Corea has to all appearances been quite uninfluenced. The foreign trade of Corea for the year 1902 is described in a British Consular Report just received as being the highest on record since the open- ing of the country with the one exception of the previous
No doubt the decline of £117,914 in imports may justly be ascribed
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
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to the "wretched harvest" of 1901 in Corea, for the returns show a falling off in the export of rice alone to the extent of £65,655 and this serious decline in one of the staple products of an agricultural country is bound to be reflected in the im- port returns. Yet the total exports show a decline of only £7,567, and the average of the country's trade for the last five years shows that 1902 had to its credit £378,271 more than the average. With regard to the trade of Newchwang, on which a good deal of public interest has naturally centred since Russia has tried to divert the trade of the port to Daluy, we find that the ship- ping figures were larger in 1902 than in the previous year, as also was the volume of trade, and the value when shown in taels ; but when exchanged into sterling a drop of £700,000 is shown. This, however, cannot be ascribed to political disturbances nor to the attraction of trade to the Russian port, in spite of all the inducements offered, but is entirely due to the depreciation of silver.
It is of special interest at the present time to note in the Consular Report on the Trade of Cure the many evidences of the strides which the Japanese are making in their commercial relations with their near neighbour. Japanese, the Consul says, are flocking into Corea in ever-increasing numbers, and Japanese influence is extending in many parts of the country. The Chinese, he remarks, appear to be far behind their Japanese competitors in this field in initiative and enterprise. Russia has not been a serious commercial rival anywhere in the East up to the present, but the Consul shows that she is desirous of improving her position in this respect in Corea. Russia, like Japan,' he says, though in a much less degree, is endeavouring to further her commercial intercourse with Corea," and he mentions the moving of the Russian Consulate from Seoul to Chemulpo owing" to the increase of shipping interests and other cousiderations." Part.cular mention is made of the fact that the Chinese Eastern Railway Company has built a large office at Chemulps and that a steamer belonging to the Company is scheduled to make twenty-two voyages this year from Chemulpo to Dalny and Port Arthur. Elsewhere in the course of his report the Consul (Mr. LAY) says it is much to be regretted that there is no regular service of British steamers to Corea. There appears, he says, to be no reason why such a line should not in the end pay, if worked in co-operation with the Japanese steamship companies, which at present have a practical monopoly of the carrying trade. Mr. LAY looks forward to the country presenting more openings by degrees for British trade as time goes on but, except in respect of the carrying trade, "it cannot be stated that there are any special openings for British trade at the present time to which it is desirable to call attention." Still it is apparent that with the development of the mining resources of the country (gold-mining especially) and the construction of railways, both now in a fair way of progress, Corea inay be confidently regarded as destined to become of increas iug commercial importance.
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On the 26th ult, three Chinamen entered the house of a native woman at Yaumati on the pretext that they were looking for lodgings. They seized her, rubbed pepper in her eyes, and tore the bangles she was wearing off her wristed the articles were worth 835. The woman's cries of Save life" attracted the notice of neighbours, but they were unable to prevent the escape of the robbers. Their victim says she can identify them
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(August 1, 1903. HONGKONG SANITARY
BOARD.
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was beld on the 3 th ult. in the Board Room. Present:--Hon. Dr. Atkinson, Principal Civil Diretor of Public Works (Vice-President); - Medical Officer (President); Hon. W. Chatham, Mr. C. Mol. Messer, Acting Registrar-General; Captain F. W. Lyons, Acting Captain Super- intendent of Police; Colonel W. E. Webb, R.A.M.C.; Mr. Fung Wa Chun, Mr. Lan Chu Pak, Mr. H. E. Pollock, K.C., Mr. A. Rumjahn, Mr. E. A. Hewett; Dr. W. W. Pearse, Acting Medical Officer of Health and Mr. G. A. Woodcock (Secretary).
ADDITIONAL STANDING" ORDERS. Additional standing orders empowering the the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance Board to deal with certain applications under without passing a formal resolution - were submitted.
The PRESIDENT sa'd it was evidently the wish of the Government that applications re- garding exemptions from the provision of open spaces should be dealt with by the full Board: A communication to that effect had been received did not propose to farther deal with the first from the Colonial Secretary, and therefore he
of the two standing orders. With reference to the second, it would expedite the business of the Board if it was agreed to by the members. The recommendation it embodies was that, with reference to applications for licences issued under Schedule B of the Public tions might be issued without a resolution to Health and Building Ordinance such applica- that effect in each case after the circulation of the papers to members of the Board, provided that there were no adverse minutes. Continuing, the President said he thought the agends of the present meeting would show that some such standing order was necessary, other- wise they would have a score of such applications Board. He moved that the Board make this to deal with practically at each meeting of the standing order.
The VICE-PRESIDENT seconded.
Mr. HaWETT opposed the motion. At the last meeting of the Board he had stated his objections to the insertion of these standing orders, and he was glad to see that, so far as concerned the first, the Government had fallen that matters of this sort should be dealt in with their views. It was most important with by the full Board, and in support of his contention he could only repeat what he had said at the last meeting Speak- ing for himself, and he believed for all the uuofficial members of the Board, they were very busy men, aud it was impossible for them to papers or to decide by such a means whether a give close attention to matters circulated con licence shoull be granted or not. The other night, when leaving his office at 5 o'clock, he had two tin boxes chock full of papers from the Board put into his hands, and another was he had to rush through as quickly as possible, brought the following morning. These papers because the meeting was to be held that after- noon and the other members had to see them. He could not therefore take me to consider the matters dealt with, and he thought it very much better that they should be discussed by the full Board. If a mau proposed to
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start in business as a baker or as a boiler of fat, he did not make up his mind all at once. He months before, whether he wanted a new lic nos knew what he was going to do weeks or granted or an old one renewed, and if it was necessary for him to give earlier notice to the Board he could. do so. Without commenting on the way the work was done, or making any. unfavourable criticism in the matter at all, it appeared to him that there must through more quickly, and if a way could not: be some way of getting these applications be found the applicants should be made to understa d that it took a certain amount of time to get their applications passed through, and that they must make any applications in good time any way. He was of opinion, con- cluded Mr. Hewett, that such matters should be dealt with by the full Board. 5.
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The PRESIDENT-Do you move an amende ment P
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