Page
February 13, 1904.]
NEW TERRITORY NOTES.
[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
11th February. CHINESE OFFICIALDOM.
Ma Tak-Brug, who is a native of inpel, has been appointed military mandarin of San On, relieving Chan Leung kit. The new maudari is a Mahommecan. Since he has assumed the dusies he has had rather a r ugh time, for rab. bers have been very active in the countryside. A gang of about 100 men attacked a pawnshop in the market town of Po Hak-hu iu the last week of January. This towu is about six miles north of the city of Samchun. The robbers intimi. dated the inhabitants and attempted to force open the doors of the pawnshop. In this they were unsuccessful and they resorted to the use of dynamite and blasted holes in the wall, In the affray one of the pawnshop fokis was killed. Property to the value of about $3,000 was carried away by the robbers. Owing to lack of men-he has got only about 50 braves-the mandarin was unable to follow up the robbers and attack them in their stronghold. I under- staud that the military strength of the district will be increased. There have been numerou other robberies of late in the neighbourhood of Samchan.
THE STOCKS.
The first time that the stocks as an instrument of punishment have been introduced to the New Territory was this week. Two men stole some cattle on the Chinese side of the border aud sold them in British territory, at the market town of Un Long. Of this off nce they were convicted in front of Mr, Sercombe Smith and sentenced to six months' imprisonment and six hours' exposure in the stocks. An scurt of one Indian sergeaut and five constables took the mis reauts out and saw to the infliction of
the punishinent ordered by the Magistrate, after wards bringing them back to Hongkong to undergo their term of incarceration. The capture of the thieves was effected through the instrumentality of the Autau detective staff.
BUROPEAN OFFICIA L8.
Mr. C. McI. Messer has taken over the charge of the 1.and Court at Taipo. Mr. E. D. C. Wolfe is acting in the capacity of Magistrate for the New Territory. Sergeant Clark is leaving Shatin to join the Land Court in the carrying out of work in the Territory.
CUSTOMS.
Mr. Schluter, the officer in charge of the Frontier Customs, is going on leave soon, and I hea that Mr. Sachau, presently in charge of the Kweimiu Customs Station, will take his place.
CROPS.
sugar-
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
far beyond the carrying capacity which they boast. Especially at this season of the year when
so many Chinese go up into the country from Hongkong to spend the New Year Holidays, the dangers of the river are more obvious than ever. Not content with completely filling the interior of the boats the Chinese sit on the roofs and when way is put on the craft they wobble about from side to side in a manner that is alarming enough in all conscience to any Eu opean passenger who may be on board but which does not seem to trouble the phlegmatic Celestials in the least. I sup- pose the evil will continue to exist until perhaps some European is drowned through the want of regulation of the traffic and then drastic reforms will be rushed through in the customary way that British authorities have of looking the stable-door after the horse is stolen. The trade of the river is developing so rapidly that a continual police patrol would not be out of place.
GAME,
There is not much to be had in the way of sport except pigeon-shooting. Of pigeon there is any amount to be got just now, and as a rule they are in excellent condition and very strong on the wing.
CORRESPONDENCE.
JAPAN'S OPEN PORTS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS"
Anping, 31st January, 1904. SIR-The China Mail makes the following statement in its issue of the 12th instant:-
The trade between Formosa and Japan is considered as coastwise trade, and only Japanese vessels may
engage in it.
While the
Japanese Government prevents a British vessel from making a voyage between Tamsui and Nagasaki or any other port in Japan, we find the subsidised steamers of the Nipon Yusen Kaisha, in common with the vessels of other nationalities, carrying freight and passengers from Hongkong to London, touching chiefly at British ports en route,"
Article XI. of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty deals with the subject as follows:-
T
And a British vessel laden in a foreign country with cargo destined for two or more ports in the dominions and possessions of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, may discharge a portion of her cargo at one port and continue her voyage to the other port or ports of destination where foreign trade is permitted, for the purpose of landing the remainder of her original cargo there, subject always to the laws Some time ago the Government introduced and Custom House regulations of the iuto the New Territory samples of
two countries, The Japanese Govern- cane from the Straits Settlements, with the ment, however, agrees Lo allow British object of improving the sugar-caue produced vessels to continue, as heretofore, for locally. These canes were given out to certain the period of the duration of the farmers so that it might be grown alongside present treaty, to carry cargo between the the native plants. In a characteristic Chinese existing open ports of the empire, excepting way the agriculturist population did not in any to or from the ports of saka, Nugate, and way evince the slightest interest in the efforts Ebisa-minato." being made by the Government for their benefit. Instead of giving the imported cane a chance to grow up and be compared with their own cane they gave no attention to it, and in some cases gave it away. This is the time when the Government had expected to have been able to secure some data as a result of their experiment. I understand that they have got little or none at all after all their truble. The sugar-cane crop is now all cut. Sweet potatoes will be a very poor стор. The recent frost and the absence of rain have combined to injure the plaats very seriously,
SAMCHUN KIVER DANGERS.
'The existing open ports of Formosa were Takao, Anping (Tuinanfu), Tamsui, Keelung.
The Anglo-Japanese Treaty was signed and ratified before the annexation of Formosa. The Austro-Hungarian Treaty was ratified after the said annexation had taken place and under the most-favoured-nation clause Great Britain has the same rights as Austro-Hungary. This must be mentioned, as it was said that the Japanese Government intended to recognise only the former open ports of qld Japan and not Formosan open ports, as these could not have been meant by the sigustories of the treaty. But apart from the fact that the Austro- Hungarian treaty was ratified after the annexa. tion of Formosa, it could not logically be entertained that the portion of the treaty Valess some change is made in the prohibiting coasting trade to foreign flags methods ruling the passenger traffic on the refers also to the Formosa const, whilst the river there are bound to be more accidents. portion dealing with the exceptions does not When the river launches go up the river from refer to the Formosa coast or the Formosa open Hongkong as far as the state of the tide will ports. In fact, cargo from South Formosa to permit them the passengers are taken off by Japan has been taken by foreign steamers since covered-in boats of the same type that proved the new treaty cama in force.-Yours, &c., sach a veritable death-trap on the recent oocasion to which I refer. Inside these craft the passengers huddle in numbers
Not very long age there was a serious boating accident on the Samchun River, as a result of which more than half-a-dozen people lost their lives.
R. N. OHLY. Agent, Tait and Co.,
Anping and Takao,
OUR "SUNDAY SCHOOLS."
TO THE EDITOR OF THE
129
DAILY PRESS."
12
February 5th, 1904. SIR, We have heard a deal of late of the mission that devolves upon all Christians to in bringing the poor, benighted "heathen" exert themselves, both by precept and example, within the pale of the Church; so many distributions at various schools, which have platitudes have been heard at the recent prize. been honoured by the presence of our most that it was a matter of great surprise to me to prominent civil and clerical representatives find that, amidst all this solicitation for the in so far as their religious instruction is welfare of the younger members of the Colony, concerned, matters are decidedly lax. I am referring, I should like to say, more particularly to our Cathedral, the centre of our religious system in this Colony.
In reply to a casual question of mine, I was informed that, although a Sunday School was held at S. Paul's College ou Sunday mornings (which presumably would be intended more especially for scholars at that institution), there was no Sunday School of any kind attached to the Cathedral, the result of which was that many children went to the Union Church, where the order of service is Presbyterian— certainly not calculated to instil the teachings of the orthodox Catholic Church into the minds of children. Possibly this hybrid system of religious instrucio engendered in attending what must be regarded by every true Church- man as an alien place of wo ship at one hour in the day and the Cathedral itself at another may in part explain the prevalent apathy and indifference in which the manner of ordering the services at the Cathedral is regarded. Let us have a Sunday School of our owu, attached to the Cathedral, and not suffer our children to
L
imbibe ideas and sentiments which certainly cannot harmonise with the teachings of the Established Church.-I am, yours, etc.,
HERBERT WENMOUTH.
THE RACE AND THE RACES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE *
DAILY PRE88,
19
Hongkong, 8th February. SIR.-As the time of our great annual Races approachesit might not be inopportune to call to mind the trouble which arose at Amoy recently, and the ill-considered action which I take it ignited such a flame of anti-foreign resentment.
No one who has mixed with the common herd,
whether on the pavement, the lower levels, or at the Races, say only of late years, can fail to have seen actions tending to provoke, or actual conflict provoked by the blind folly of men from India.
It may sometimes be pure lightuess of heart; it may be uncalled for, and unwarranted arrog- ance, which leads these children of Anak to bluster and domiceer, but in view of results which have happened or might happen, it behoves some wise father of the tribe to exhort his children either to leave their bludgeons, or young saplings, at home, or have ordinary consideration for their equals or bettern.
Otherwise your bumble servants may have to lose another handkerchief to the gory skull of one more viotion of Anakits folly, or be involved in a general outburst which would lay aside both English and Anglicised Indian aliens, and possibly be a loss to lowly but select society, or pavement philosophy.-Yours truly,
PAIRMENTO.
HUMPHREYS' ESTATE AND.
FINANCE CO., LD.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the Humphreys' Estate and Finance Co.. Ld., was held on the 10th inst. at noon in the offices of the Company, 38, Queen's Road Central. Mr. Hart, Buck (chairman) presided, and there were also present Messrs. A. G. Wood, H. W Slade, J. 8. Van Buren, H. Humphreys, Ho Fang, A. H. Mancell, E. S. Joseph, C. Ewens, Captain W. E. Clarke, Captain R. Unsworth, Messrs. Ho Fook, Lo Cheung Shiu, and J. L. Cotter (secretary)
The SECRETARY having read the notice calling the meeting.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.