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CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT]
4th January.
KWANGSI REBELLION QUELLED.
It is reported that His Excellency Shum, the Viceroy of Canton, having successfully quelled the rebellion in Kwangsi will soon return to Canton. On account of the frequent robberies here it is desirable that he should come back to deal particularly with more important affairs. Such is the messge wired to him by the Cantonese officials in Peking
Cause
FARMING -TAXES
Chow Sui Cheung and others of the wealthiest class in Canton having formed three companies under the names of Kung Yik, Po Leung, and Po On with a view to taking a monopoly of the various sundry taxes, have presented a petition to the Viceroy offering to pay to the Government fourte n millions fire hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the privilege of taxing the people, and His Ex cellency the Viceroy Shum in rejecting such proposal, and in answer to the petition, says: The amount the petitioners propose to the Government is really very great, and it is a great temptation; but the question is, whom is the money to come from? It must be robbed and squeezed from the people, which might a revolution, and which no civilized power would a low. For instance, the petitioners propose to tax the suitors the same as buying and selling wares in market. If we allow this, it would be letting loose hundreds and thousands of wolves and tigers in all the districts and towns of China to prey upon the people, which might bring on a revolution. As to taxing the brides and bridegrooms, e ncubines, and servant girls in hins, we have no law that prohibits pr per marriage, a husband from taking concu- bines, or buying or selling girls. For thousands of years our government have treated th people with indulgence and benevolenc', and there should not be any special.license or squeeze under these circumstances. As to taxing upon the prostitutes, brothels, and restaurants fre- quented by prostitutes, from the very ancient annals I cannot find any law that imposes such taxes upon this class of people. They are earn- ing a shameful livelihood. If we were to take such ill-gotten money from them it would be infamous. As to taxing the actors, we have
· already taxed them; if we tax them more, say 20 per cent. upon their earnings, they
the
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
generally successful,
{January 9, 1905.
THE VICEROY.
| upon the gambling houses for the maintenance | bags are used to check their course, and are
of police, we have already done so, and the opium divans have also contributed their mites People rendered homeless by these fires are monthly. As to the taxation upon houses, we not reduced to immediate beggary. I made have already done so, and it is improper to tax inquiries of a Chinese friend on this point, and them twice over As to the employment of was told that most people have friends with a one thousand braves, seven hundred cavalry, spare room at their disposal-rents not being and building four men-of-war for the protection high. The work of rebuilding begins very of commerce, it is equally absurd, for it inter- soou in some cases, though for the most part As matsheds are run up, where the sufferers wait feres with the policy of Government. the people of Canton are already labour'ng till their landlord can scrape together enough under the burden of heavy taxation it would to build again. be a shame to tax them more. It seems that your main object is to gain money, and if you were allowed to have power over the army and navy, it would be dangerous to our Govern ment. It is true that the Government treasury is empty, and I am exceedingly distressed to find it so; but I must not allow you this op- portunity to rob the people. I have rec-ived instructions from our.Imperial Government not to impose any small rexatious taxation. You belong to the same race, and are descended from the same ancestors, and whenever any one of you makes any such scandalous proposal to catch the people in the net for your benefit you are
be incur my ire and censured publicly. So, under these circumstances, I have ordered the Board of Reorganization to put up a notification to publicly censure the petitioners.
sure to
SEVERE TREATMENT OF A SIMPLETON.
Five days ago a stupid kind of a man went straight into the reception room in the Viceroy's yamen, and the guards seeing him trespassing stopped him, and took him into the yamen of the Nam Hoi magistrate. At the trial for trespass the Weiyuin »sked him a few questions and he stood mute. The former ordered him to be bambooed two hundred blows on the breeches surname was Shum and then he said his (same surname as the Viceroy). Asked again what province he belonged to, he said Kwangsi. Why he went into the Viceroy's yamen, he said he was looking for a countryman. Who was his countryman he did not answer. Thereupon the Weiyun again ordered him to be flogged several hundred blows, and put him in gaol.
ECONOMICAL CONVERSIONS.
Japanes Buddhist priest was preaching sometimes in the streets and sometimes in joss-houses, attracting a large audience, and had Of late on account gained over many converts.
the Chinese, officials compelling the joss- h uses, monasteries, and convents to pay taxes for the keeping of schools and colleges where pupils are taught in English and Chinese, a great number of priests have changed their religion, and joined that of Japan for protection.
As to taxation upon will not be satisfied.
houses. fields, all mortgages and sales of , and
charge lands, and
purcha-er cent.
the purchas tive per
upon mon y on stamped paper, and then one tael four m ce and four candareens on ere y hundred dollars upon change of new lease for every house annually, there being so many houses and lands in Kwang Tung, the amount would le too exorbitant, and the interm diary being in most cases gainer by the transaction, China would be in danger. Not long ago the people have had their old I asas changed for new ones, and if we were to change them again it would lead to As to vexatious complaints without end tixation upon the joss-houses, ancestral temples, monaster es, and convents, thy have been paying taxes for the maintenance of schools and coll ges, and it would not te advisible to tax them
because they are more,
if we wer to tax the ligious institutions. public latrines, even the dirtiest of coolies would ridicule us. As to the taxation of boats, we have had enough trouble, an if we tax them again it would lead to another freshing the official way. disturbance and obstruction of business.
he ran away from Canton. the proposal of the petitioners to place a certain limit upon the number of shops and hoogs in
• Canton, and to compel them to register them- selves yearly upon payment of ten taels for each house, it is an abnor.uity, for there is no law even in the Western countries to plac restrictions apon commercial houses. Further, the petitioners promise to guarantee th
merchants against the shopkeepers and blackmailing an attack of robbers, and or robbery in cas there be ny attack
loss thereby,
·ánd the merchants suffer they will pay for the things lost. absurdity? How much money have the peti-
· tioners to provide against such contingency? It is a slur upon our Government As to taxation
TO CANE THE SCHOOLMASTER.
A certain Chinese by name Charles Wong, who has been to America, wears European dress, and has his queue cut off, is a teacher of English in several schools in Canton. One day, as he was passing along in a mountain chair, the provincial governor had to pass too in a As ousto- long train in an opposite direction. mary whenever a high official passes, the pedestrians have to stop and stand by until the proc-s-ion passes, and then they walk on; if anyone rushes on towards the procession it is called Chwang Tao, and he may be arrested and punished by bambooing on the breeches. But in the present instance Charles did not stop his chair to let the gubernatorial procession pass, but went on in a "care for nobody" style. The re-governor being offended sent to ask who he was, and on learning that he was a schoolmaster by the uniform of his chair coolies, went back to yamen, and next day sent an order to have him arrested and bambooed; because he was obstruct- When Charles knew it,
As 10
Is it not an
FIRES.
5th January.
The number of fires here has been remarkable The Honam fire of Friday last, of this year which you have had full details, is said to be On the most destructive for many years. Saturday afternoon, another burnt out several houses at Tangsha, and on Monday night there was another near the Shap Sam Hong quarter. The extraordinary frequency of fires in the winter is, I believe, a feature of all Chinese city life. The fire-brigades are usually able to cope with the fires in a very short time; sand
There are no indications of the Viceroy's return; his family has gone to Wuchow, and he has ordered his two secretaries, Taotais Wen and Yao, to be with him alternately for periods of a fortnight The latest news is that H.E.'s
health is better.
SAILORS AND LIQUOR SHOPS. There has been from time to time a good deal of trouble arising from the drink sold to foreign sailors at Chinese liquor-shops near Sha-Kee, Twice at le 1st serious trouble has been caused, the latest affair being the of the West bridģa.
Now it is understood that the authorities, acting by the request of the Consuls, have prohibited the sale of liquor to foroign sailors under heavy penalties. The same order has had to be given in other ports on various occasions.
MILITARY GRADUATES.
The Military College has just sent out its first batch of "graduates," who have been given commissions with Imperial brigades, or sent as instructors to the depots; while some have been ordered to Japan for further study. An ex- amination was held recently for 100 vacancies; the medical examination before admission is, I believe, very strit, which is a step in the right direction.
KOWLOON NOTES.
THE NEW STEAM LAUNDRY. Everything is ready for commencing the building of the new steam laundry near the fumiga ing station, between Yaumati and Kowloon City. Lin Wo (of the Hop Yik) is the contrac'or, and Messrs. Leigh and Orange
It will be a large concern. the architects
RECLAMATION WORK.
The reclamation work at the extremity of the Peninsula is progressing favourably. Another hundred yards or so in an easterly direction towards Blackhead's Pier is now being attended
to.
The mound at the back of the Glass Works is being gradully removed.
FILLING IN WATER HOLES.
Some filthy waterholes at Hunghom, just.. before arriving at the Kowloon Docks, are being filled in, and the ground, when level should be a valuable building site. Earth for this purpose is being taken by a light railway from the hills behind Inland Lots Nos. 222 and 223
THE NEW ROAD
The new road from the back of Hunghom to It will, amongst Yaumati is almost finished ether Lings, make a fine carriage.drive through King's ark. It is the finest road in the Colony, and is a credit al ka to tho-o who made it and to Kowloon. A line of telephone poles runs along the centre of the road. All the turf on the left, near the Barracks, has been laid.
THE HONGKONG TRAMS.
The Chinese are learning to keep out of the way of the trams now, and there is less clangour from the alarm gongs. Considerable improve- ment is noticeable all round.
A regular service of cars to the Race Course has commenced, a points man being stationed at the junction near the Bowrington Canal to direct the cars off the main line. The cars return via Observation Place.
It seems a pity that a few special cars do not run right through from Hongkong to the Shaukiwan terminus. so as to give tourists a chance to see the whol route without changing at Causeway Bay. This is a very great incon- venience, particularly to strangers who cannot make themselves and rstood by Chinese. They have to alight at Causeway Bay and to wait pe haps ten or twenty minutes before there is u car to take them on.
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