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ways every movement which had as its object the advancement of the moral good of the community received his support, Amongst his other duties he included that of chaplain to the local Volunteer force, and it was only in August last he received the China war medal at the hands of Sir Ernest Satow. Associated with him in all his labours was his wife, for whom the keenest sympathy is felt. A genial, kind-hearted man, always ready to oblige and broad-minded, he made hundreds of friends during his service in Shanghai, and not one enemy. He will be bag regretted.
CANTON.
[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 20th October.
THE VICEROY ILL.
There has been a dearth of news during the last ten days, bat" no news is good neas still. The Viceroy, who, will be remembered, was ailing while in Kwangsi, has had to take to his bed with a severe cough This morning he summoned a foreign doctor to attend him-an example which may be followed by lesser officials.
PETITIONS.
One of the most popular reforms instituted by the Viceroy is that in connection with the presen- tation of petitions. The weiyuans have been appointed to receive the petitions directly from petitioners, who are strictly enjoined to observe the six regulations in force, such as affixing the seal of the head-man of the ward, obtaining a special number from the "petitions" depart ment, etc. Not a single cash to be given to any Yamên official, and any such caught in the act of squeezing will be severely punished.
OFFICIALE OLD AND NEW.
The case of the ex-Namhoi magistrate Pei has at length been settled. He is to contribute $300,000 towards public expenses in the city. which thus recover something at least of the enormous sums levied by this official.
Li Ka Cheuk has been removed from his prison for judgment, but his case will pro- bably be delayed pending H.E Shum's recovery. A petition has been presented in his favour by a high official.
Cheung Wan Wo, late Commander-in-Chief in Waichow prefecture, has been removed from his command. It is hoped that his successor.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
[October 24, 1903.
about it. The principal names suppressed are| CANTON INSURANCE OFFICE, LD. Pang, Cheong, Tong, Kum, Lui, eto.
The late Magistrate Pin King-fak of
ANNUAL MELTING,
Nam Hoi has got off lightly. He has, through The Twenty-Second Annual General Meeting the intercession of somebody with the Viceroy.of the shareholders the Canton Insurance Office, offered to pay a pretty heavy fine of Tils. ¦ Ld. was held at the office of the General Agents, 200,00 to the government, and is degraded Messrs. Jardins, Matheson & Co., at noon on to the position of a weiynin. As the Chinese Thursday. Present: Hoa. C. W. Dickson say, “big fish eat small, small eat shrimps, and (Chairman), Hon. Sir Paul Chater, Messrs. shrimps eat mud.”
F. Maitland, J. H. Lewis, add E. Shellim. (Members of Consulting Committee). G. L. Tomlin, A. Turner, 8. A. Joseph, R. C.Wilcox, C. Rogge, H. C. Wilcox, A. Brooke Smith, K. MoK. Ross, P..Tester, J. Goosmann, F. D. Goddard, A. . Morris, J. Whittall, Chau San, Ho Fonk, Lan Cheng Chui, Tam Hock See, Ho Yue-sang and G. T Veitch, Secretary. The notice convening the meeting having been read by the Secretary.
CORRESPONDENCE.
THE ICE AND COLD STORAGE CO.
TO THE ED'TON OF THE DAILY PRESS
་་
Hongkong, 19th October. SIR,-A prospectus has been issued of
"The Canton-Hongkong Ice and Cold Storage Co., Ld.," aud this proposed ent rprise has been advertised in the local papers. The capital is $700,000, of which $200,000 is to be set aside by the board of directors for services rendered, etc.; or in other words | the promoters ask for nearly one-fourth of the shares for putting this valuable enterprise on the market. Tue prospectus, too, especially states that the directors would not lend their names to any non-meritorious enterprise and that the connection of these men with the Company is a guarantee of a safe investment; but is not $200,000 for promotion of the Company rather a stiff price to pay on capital of $709.093, and before the ever-confid ing public rush in to take up thes shares, could you not, Mr. Editor, give some information in your paper as to why such a large sum is required for a promoting fee?-Yours, elc..
24
X.
TO THE EDITUR OF THE DAILY PRESS.
&
Hongkong, 22ud October. SIR-A letter published in your issue of 19th October, gued "X," in which the writer asks for information regarding the so-called "promotion shares" of the Canton Hongkong Ica and Cold Storage Co., Ld., has been called to my attention, and in regard to the same I desire to say:
The company referred to maintain an office located in the Watkins Building, Queen's Road, Hongkong, where the secretary or other officers are prepared to answer any questions, eliminat-
the Press,
|
The CHAIRMAN said-With your permission we will take the report and accounts which have been in your bands since the 26th ult. as read. In presenting thess for your confirma- tion the Geuoral Agents and Consulting Com mi tee trust they will meet with your approval, An increase of 2% in the dividend declared, the addition of $50,000 to the reserve faud, the carrying forward of an amount in excess of last year, and the setting aside of a substantial sum as the nucleus of a re-insurance fand, all show the satisfactory working of the office for 1902. Your committee have been induced to start this re-insurance fund in order to enable the office to carry somewhat larger lines than it would be prudent to do otherwise, and becan-e it has been proved that over a series of years the first class risks we had to re-iusure, in order to keep within the limits which prudence dictated, re- sulted in a very satisfactory profit. A ortion of this profit we hope in fatura to retain for ourselves, if the sams good fortune attend the business, and yet be able to fally reciprocate with those companies which place excess9S with us. You will have noticed the omission from the present report of an estimate of the present year's working. It is not possible to get in from our various distant agencies such full returns as would enable us to put befora you a statement which conld in any sense be called approximate, and with the possibility of unintentionally misleading you, your Com mittee have concurred in the General Agents proposal to henceforward discontinue the
Ng Cheung Tat, will do better in the troubleding the necessity of making enquiry through practice of publishing such an estimate. I am
district. The Waidhow people are delighted at his appointment, and have given him a warm welcome, burning incense in the temples and praying for his success.
Taotai Cheung Ming Ki is the first to fill the new post of Director of the Board of Education, established by Viceroy Sham. Cheung has control of all the schools in the province, and under his guidance great pr gress is hoped for.
FROM ANOTHER CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 17th October. CORRUPT EXAMINERS AGAIN. This year, as every year, the triennial literary provincial examination in Canton for the degree of Ku-yen has been a failure-a fact which irritates and disappoints many students, as well as those gambling in the Wai Sing lottery. It is all on account of the latter that the failure has come about. The report goes as follows (and it is roved to be true, for there is going to be an official investigation):-Several persons whos names are Li, Kong, Lao. eto., formed a society and staked heavily on the Wai Sing lottery. By bribery they persuaded eight officials known as ifungli, whose duty it was to seal up the essays of the students, and employed several scholars in the Examination Hall to look over all the essays, alter those that were likely to pass, and put up the names of those which the syndicate bought in their stead. In consequence the scholars whose names are well known and who were backed heavily in the Wai Sing lottery have been disappointed. This matter having come to the knowledge of the Viceroy His Excellency has ordered the eight nifung officials to be placed under arrest and the conduct of all those officials who have anything to do with the examination to be under strict investiga- tion. This incident has caused great ex citement in Canton and everybody is talking
The Board of Directors decided that as certain expenditures, such as machinery, lands, and material, could be partially paid for with shares, a portion, to wit 20.000, be set aside to be used for this purpose, and while there are nino directors, yet no one had the time to give his entire attention to the promotion of the enterprise, and that certain persons be employed for this purpose, and commissions or services rendered be also paid in shares, and further the Board of Directors have decided that subscribers of 50 shares will get 5 promotion shares. was not supposed that the entire amount of 20,000 would be required for this purpose, but it was set aside, and not offered for sale. The shares remaining after the concern is started are the property of the Company.
It
If Mr. X or any other person has purchased shares, and is not satisfied with the investment, and will deposit the same with the Guarantee Trust Co., the President will be pleased to give his personal cheque for the same at par. If there were anything improper in the formatisa or promotion of the Company, it is hardly probable that we would have published it.-Yours, etc.,
CHAN A TAK.
Secretary.
The Japanese jourual Yorodzu reports that the Tsar is to return to St. Petersburg, without meeting the Kaiser as intended at the outse', and has ordered Viceroy Alexieff to hurry to St. Petersburg. In diplomatic circles in Tokyo the view is taken that the Tsar considers Viceroy Alexieff's policy too harsh and therefore desires to restrict his supreme representative in the Far East in the negotiations with Japan. The Viceroy desires to bring the negotiations with Japan to a conclusion one way or the other, bafore he proceeds to the capital. In other words, it may be said that Viceroy Alexieff advocates far stronger policy in dealing with this country than the Tsar himself approves of.
able to happy, however, to be
state that up to date the premia income of the pre- sent year is considerably in oxcess of last. and our known losses are approximately the same, notwithstanding mishaps of perhaps an exceptional nature, amongst which I may specially instance the frequent fires on board homeward-bound steamers from the East, the uncertain cause of which is 8 source of anxiety to all marine underwriters. I do not know of any further remarks I cia usefully make, but I shall be pleased to reply to any questions that may be asked.
There being no questions asked, the CHAIRMAN then proposed that the report of the Directors and statement of account, be taken as read.
Mr. G. L. TOMLIN-I have much pleasure in seconding the resolution.
Carried unanimously.
The CHAIRMAN next proposed that the election of Mr. E. Shellim to a seat on the Consulting Committee be confirmed, and that the retiring members, the Hon. Sir Paul Chater, C.M.G, Messrs. D. E. Brown, F. Maitland, J. H, Lewis, and E. Shellim, be re-elected.
Mr. A. TURNER seconded, and the resolution was carried nem, con,
The CHAIRMAN then proposed that the auditors, Messrs. W. H. Potts and R. C. Wilcox be re-elected.
This was seconded by Mr. H. C. WILCOX and carried.
The CHAIRMAN-That is all the business, gentlemen. I thank you for your attendance. Dividend Warr.nts will be ready to-morrow moroing,
This concluded the business of the meeting.
In a case of embezzlement in Manila, it was
argued that the long delays in examining nocounts by the Government tended to encour
It does not seem as if age embezzlement, embezzlement needed much" encouragement " in the Philippines at present.Į
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.