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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND |
reasonable diligence and ability to have acquired a fair knowledge of Chinese, a reasonably good knowledge of English, as it is spoken and written and printed, and ought to be able, with considerable facility. to translate from one language to the other." The examiners did not find any attempt made to teach the boys to do the talking of colloquial English until the higher classes were reached. In Classes VII. to IV., the boy who had presumably been studying frou two to five years showed by no means a sufficiently rapid improvement. Except in Classes I. and II. there was little attempt at conversing, while in the Lower School there, was a general unwillingness to attempt to say anything-no doubt partly due to nervousness, as the examiners say. The Lower School masters are mostly Chinese, and they employ Chinese, not English, in giving directions to their pupils. Turning to composition (including handwriting spelling, and dictation), we find the examin- ers' yerdict on Class I. to be that some excellent work done at the top is counter- balanced by the performances of boys who should, apparently, have hardly reached the Upper School at all, much less the top class. In Class II., out of 91 boys, it was estimated that 12 corresponded with Standard VII. in a Board School, 21 with Standard VI., 25 with V.; 19 with IV., and 14 with III. The "tail" was again feeble. On the other hand, in the Lower School writing, spelling, and dictation were, on the whole, good. Beading seems to have been unintelligently done, there being too much memorising to which Chinese boys are only too prone. The examiners found the read- ing-books unsuitable (in which decision we cordially agree with them), and say that reading-books suited to local needs are bad. ly wanted. In geography and history, the mere memory again seems to have been too much relied on. The result of this is as bad here as it is at home. As for translation, in the opinion of the examiners "there is no boy in the school at present who could make a translation of a despatch or petition from Chiuese to English which could be accepted without very careful checking." Moreover, a Chinese boy who enters Queen's College, knowing nothing of his own written language, is not likely to learn any, while the boy who enters know. ing something about it is, under the present system, extremely likely to forget what he already knows." A fairly severe indictment
it must be admitted Mathematics showed better results, but he examiners ask for "smartness as well as accuracy." Finally, under the heading of "Discipline and Or- ganisation," the report states that, except in the matter of promoting boys who do not deserve promotion, the organisation is very good. "We say this, however," continue the examiners," with a knowledge that the less experienced Chinese masters are to be put under an English normal master, and that the staff teaching Chinese is to be strengthened." The discipline is said to be excellent, except that the importance of making civil replies is not sufficiently im- pressed on the scholars.
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ing; that the teaching of Chinese should be altogether reorganised; and that the less competent Chinese masters should be placed under the supervision of English masters. Mr. IRVING, in his letter on behalf of the Governing Body of Queen's College, says that, "speaping generally, they agree with the reconimendations of the examiners." the recommendations of the examiners." We may therefore be permitted to hope that the unsatisfactory state of affairs will be re- medied within a not over-long space of time.
1903.
THE SANITARY BOARD'S CONSTITUTION.
follows::
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[November 30, 1903.
This does not occur in No. 1 of 1898, but runs : "The Principal Civil Medical Officer "shall give such directions as may be neces-
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sary for carrying out and giving effect to the decisions of the Board, and shall be "the administrative head of the Sanitary Department." This gives the Principal Civil Medical Officer a much more strongly defined position, at the expense of the Board. It will be remembered that Messrs. CHADWICK and SIMPSON, in their report published last year, recommended the appointment of a Sanitary Commissioner, ex-officio chairman of the Sanitary Board and head of the Sanitary Department. By the new bill the P.C.M.Ö. assumes a similar position to that contemplated for this Sanitary Commissioner, but whereas Messrs. CHADWICK and SIMPSON professed great anxiety not to encroach on the powers of the Board, in the new proposal the Board's powers seem distinctly interfered with by this delegation.
AMOY'S TRADE IN 1902.
(Daily Press, 24th November.) On Thurday last, the 19th instant, the first reading was got through of the import- ant bill known as the Ordinance to amend the Public Health and Buildings Ordinance, We wish to draw attention to a very noteworthy point in the amended ordinance; which, though it makes a vital alteration in the constitution of the Sanitary Board, has excited so far no public comment. In Or. dinance No. 1 of 1903, section 8 reads as
(Daily Press, 27th November.) The Sanitary Board shall consist Mr. Cousul HAUSSER'S report on the the Director of Public Works, the Re- trade of Amoy in 1902 is considerably gistrar-General, the Captain Superinten- behind those on the neighbouring ports, in "dent of Police, and the Principal Civil point of time. It was at the end of August "Medical Officer, and not more than six and beginning of September that we con- "additional members, four of whom (two sidered the reports on Swatow and Foochow. 'being Chinese) shall be appointed by the Neither of those reports indicated a very "Governor and two elected by such rate- good state of affairs along the coast. payers as are included in the Special and Swatow, it is true, managed to keep fifth "Common Jury Lists, and also by such place among treaty ports, but did not by ratepayers as are exempt from serving on any means keep pace with the growth of 'juries on account of their professional avo- the four leaders; at Foochow the prospect "cations. Non-official members of the Board
was quite gloomy. It cannot be said that "shall hold office for three years." The Amoy's position was satisfactory either. In amending ordinance repeals this section sterling there was an increase in the total value of trade from £2,177,186 in 1901 to and puts in its stead the following: "The Sanitary Board shall consist of the £2,231,041 in 1902; but Mr. HAUSSER says Principal Civil Medical Officer (who shall that boch imports and experts generally "ex-officio be President of the Board), the showed a falling-off, and the apparent "Director of Public Works, the Registrar increase was more than made up by the General, the Captain Superintendent of increased importation of rice and opium, Police, the Medical Officer of Health, and which together accounted for an additional not more than six additional members, import value of £360,219. A drought, 'four of whom," etc., as in the old accompanied by a bad early rice-harvest, ordinance. We have italicised the words visitations of plague and cholera in the Medical Officer of Health,' this being neigh ourhood of the port, increased taxation, general lawlessness in the province, and a disastrous fire in October combined to . render the year unpropitious to business men, few of whom made money in 1902. Turning to detailed figures, we find that the value of the direct trade of Amoy with foreign countries, including re-exports £550,035, wan £2,579.612, of which the British share (almost entirely through Hongkong and Singapore) was £1,286,131, With Hongkong alone, exports amounted to £17,844 against the £17,831 of 1901, an imports to only £177,722 against the £1,035,711 of 1901. Hongkong benefited by the increase in the importation of opium, being able to unload the large stock of Persian drug here at the begin. The growth of the ning of the year. morphia import was marked, and Mr. HAUSSER remarks that the practice of morphia injection appears to be increasing- ly common among the coolie class. Exports of native produce were trifling, due to the general poverty of Fuhkien province and the lack of proper means of communication. Cost of Carriage is prohibitive, and the export trade is confined to a small area near Amoy itself. The local tea trade was quite extinct in 1902, as far as foreigners were concerned, though a British firm making an attempt (of which, it will be remembered, we have heard something here) to revive it. It is hoped, Mr. HAUSSER says, in a few years to produce teas suitable
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the point to which we desire to call atten- tion. It will be seea that one additional official member has been put on the Board, making it now include five official and not more than six other members. This change still further reduces the very small elective and popular proportion in the constitution of the Sanitary Board. Two-elevenths is the amount of representation to be accorded to the ratepayers in future, surely a ridi- culously small share. One-fifth, as before, is niggardly enough, but the ratepayers have been perforce obliged to rest content with this amount of voice in the government of a Colony in which they are so important a part. The reduction of the proportion of representation should not be allowed to pass without challenge. If the possession of a share in the sanitary control of Hongkong is worth anything to us (and who can doubt that it is?), it is not right that the Govern- ment should cut away from this share by increasing the official representation without suy increase of the non-official side. As the Board is constituted by the new bill, there might be little chance of the only two elected members doing much against five official and four Government nominees, were a question to arise that the Government wished settled against the desire, of the rate-paying community.
The examiners append to their report certain "General Recommendations," "the gist of which is that colloquial English should be made the most important instru- ment for teaching English, which it certain ly is not at present that the teaching of history and geography should be systema tised throughout the school; that less attention should be paid to mathematics, at present the strongest point; that reading should be studied intelligently, not, as now,
There is another sentence at the end of under the two heade of reading with, and Section 8 of the amending ordinance, after reading without, comprehension of the mean. I the words “shall hold office for three years."
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