46
Otto Kong Sing was called. Mr. Fer ers objected to Mr. Otto Kong Sing giving an opinion on Australian law. The man was being tried for a breach of the law of Hongkong. Were they going to not only tax au ignorant coolie with not know- ing the law of Hongkong, but also of not knowing the law of a place thousands of miles away? Mr. Otto Kony Sing. further- ore, could not be taken as an authority on Australian law, because the Ordinance in anestion had come into force since he had lett that country.
His Lordship allowed the witness.
អ
Otto King Sing said that he was a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Hongkong. He had been admitted a solicitor of the Supreme Court | of New South Wales and practised there pre. vious to 1899, when he was admitted solicitor in England. He was still qualified to practice in Australia. He knew the Act which came in force in 1901; and had been to Austra- lia in May, 1904. Asiatics were not permitted to land in the Commonwealth, except under
special circumstances.
Cross-examined-He did not know why the Sultan of Johore was allowed into the country, and could not say whether a black man who could not speak fifty words of English might go into Australia if he made it pleasant with the officials,
A Chinese interpreter, sworn, read out the first prisoner's statement in which it was said that he had been 22 years in the passe ger
business.
His Lordship-In order to make this punish- able here you will have to legislate for it. If two p ople at Hongkong conspire to run the customs at San Francisco, could they be indicted at Hongkong?
Mr Calthop-Yes, My Lord. It is con- spiracy against the public policy, the public
interests.
His Lordship-Against the interests of he country at which it is direc'ed.
Mr. (althrop-In the present case it is against the interests of one of the constituenc ́es of the British Empire, and we do not want to get into trouble with another country,
His Lordship-Could a man be indicted in London for conspiring with the so called Nihilists against the Government of Russia? This is purely a domestic regulation in Australia which they pass d. as they thought, to their interests, and which many other people believe against their in ́erest.
Mr. Calthrop-The act was i moral. His Lordship-There is nothing very immoral in going to Australia (Laughter).
a
Afte: reviewing the case briefly His Lord- eship asked the jury to formally return
verdict of not guilty. He held the view that the prisoners had not on the evidence before the Court been shown to have brought them- selves within the criminal law of the Colony of Hongkong.
This was done.
I
Addressing the prisoners His Lordship said: -You are only techuica ly not guilty. advice you to stop this practica; it may prove dangerous; but you are discharg d now.
Mr. Ferrers-I presume those papers (the rails of naturalization paper) must be given back ?
Mr. Calthrop-I oppose that.
His Lordship-Yes, he coull sue you for them otherwise. They belong to him; you Lust give them back.
CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENTS.]
THE RIOTING,
13th January.
There has been more trouble here in the last two days than can be remembered for many yars. The people Lave risen in one of their periodical outbursts against the officials, and lives have been lost.
A
The history of the affair is as follows: shoemaker in Sap Pat Po had refused to pay his rent, and his landlor thereupon accused him of allowing lawless characters to live in the house. The authorities arrested the tenant, and lodged him in No. 9 branch police station, thinking, no doubt, that nothing more would be heard of the matter.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
But the neighbours-an the shoemakers in particular wre immediately up in arms at the injustice, for the man had been arrested on a charre which was known to be false. A pe'ition was sent in to the authorities begging for the man's release, but was not noticed, and on Thursday morning-the man having been arrested the day before-a mob collected at the prison. stond the Prefect of Kwongtung, and endeavoured to pull down the prison.
The Namhoi magistrate's soldiers were on the spot in force, and they found it necessary to open fire, killing three and wounding ten
more.
All shops in the neighbourhood have been closed, and to-day (Friday) the street gates are again closed-crowds being thus prevented from gathering. Yesterday aftern on the s'reeta near Sap Pat Po- one of the most important wards of the city were full of armed soldiers.
At 11 30 last night fire broke out in a matshed near the police station where the prisoner is confined, in a place called San Tin Ti (the reclaimed land). People living in the "back row on Shameen were disturbed by a tremendous commotion-the banging of drums, clashing of gongs, and shouts from multitude of people. Those who knew of the morning's riot wondered what mischief was afoot, but it soon appeared that it was only a small fire, whether the work of incendiaries or not.
The Shameen Fire Brigade turned out, bat their services were not called for, as the hinese got the fire under in half-an-hour. Fortunately law and order were preserved, and no further at empt was made to release the prisoner. Further developments are expected.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT:
12th January. To-day there was a riot and strike among the shopkeepers in Canton, a police station being pulled down by the mob, and so far as I could as-ertain three persons killed, and many wound- ed. The street gates were closed during the day. leaving space just large enough for one person to squeez throngh, and soldiers were sent out to guard the streets and to stop the rioting. The origin of it was that a shoemaker's shop, Tak Cheung, in Sap Pat Po street, was owing some one to the shop to collect it. Upon the tenant refusing to pay there nsued a quarrel. À policeman by order of the landlord arrested one of the shopmen upon a charge that the shop was harbourin thieves, and took him to the station. The neighb urs in the street were not satisfied with the conduct of the rolice, and they went up to the station to take him out. The police refused to release him, an they stormed the station. The police had a fight with the mob, and in the melee some three or more persons were shot and many wounded. All the shops in the Sap Pat Po and in the neighbouring streets were closed and business stopped. While the prefect of Kwang-chowfu, the magistrates, and some military were attempting to reason with the rioters they were pelted. At 11.30 p.m. the rioters set fire to some houses, and an hour or so was occupied in putting the fire out.
rent, and the landlord Chan Chow Tin sout some-
,
[FROM THE CHUNG NGOI SAN PO
A serious strike occurred recently in Canton re-ulting from the dispute of the police tax between the police and some shop-people. The local authorities, taking the boat strike as a precedent, at once did their best to settle the case. otherwise it would be more serious. On the 8th inst. the superintendent of the police force sent some p licemen to a shoe-maker's in Sap-Pat-Po S reet demanding the payment of some police tax which a been in arrear for a long time. One of the fok is of that shop had a quarrel with the policemen, a d after employing some
од both strong words
sides, the police- men dragged the foki back to the police station. The master of the shop at once asked the assistance of the Kaifong people and a meeting was held subsequently in a temple. At the second watch of the night they proceeded in a large number to the police station asking As a dense crowd the release of the foki assembled at the door of the police station, the policemen tried to disperse them with long poles, They did not retire till about twenty of them were wounded, and one being very serions succumbed to the wound a short time afterwards.
|
|
(January 23, 1905- The Kaifong people getting more angry at once commenced strike a and closed all their shops. and the gates of Sap-Pat-Po Street were also small space to allow closed, leaving a the passage of only one person. The magis- trate of Namhor went personally to see the them leading Kifong prople, entreating to resume business, but to no purpose. The case was made much worse in the evening of the 11th instant, because some policemen wanted to effer the arrest of some people who drank wine and made great noise at the prohibited hour at night in an eating house in San-Tin-ti, which is the favourite resort of bad characters. The bad characters tried to release the captives by force. The policemen were compelled to fire at them and several persons were wounded.
once rumour at
spread A
out in the whole city that the policemen often killed innocent persons. Hearing this the shop people in many streets who had already been enraged by the case of Sap-Pat-Po, were just going to un te together to follow the example of the shop people of Sap-Pat-Po to go on a strike, when the local authorities and leading merchants of the charitable institutions, seeing the gravity of the case, proceeded to them and promised to Soldiers were square the case fairly and justly. immediately despatched to the scene where dis- turbuce occurred to guard the different streets. In th afternoon of the 13th instant the foki of the shoe-maker's shop was liberated and some shops r opened and resumed their bus ness, and in he morning of the 14th instant the strike was over, arly every shop resuming business usually.
COMPANIES.
CHINA PROVIDENT LOAN AND MORTGAGE CO., LD.
ANNUAL MEETING.
AS
The eighth ordinary annual meeting of this Company was held at the Company's office. St George's Building, Connaught Road, on the 18th inst. here were present: Hon. Mr. R. Shewan (Chairman). Captain Goddard and Messrs. W. Allen, C. Tomes, W. R. Robertson, H. P. White, Braidwood, J. S. Van Buren, A- Babington and Fung Wa Chun.
show
as
fur
In moving the adoption of the report and accounts, already published, the CHAIRMAN said-Gentlemen,-Unless you have an objection we will follow the usual course and take the report and accounts now before you as read. The about accounts
an improvement of $16.000 over the net receipts for last year, but we do not propose to alter the regular annual dividend of eight per cent.. preferring to strengthen the reserve fund, which with the pro- posed addition of $25,000 will amount to 880,00. As a reserve fund is no real reserve fund if it is invested in the business of its own Company, and it has always be 'n endeavour to specially invest such. funds when possible. we have invested ours in two other Companies with the business of which your general managers are intimately acquainted. The China Light & Power Company has been a good client of th s Company; it is now doing a good business with excellent prospects of still better business, so shareholders may rest quite easy about this investment, which is in any case not a large one, and as the dividend is guaranteed at 6 per cent, for 1904 and it is equal to a return of over 6 per cent. Since we invested in Gr en Island Cement shares the market has dropped owing to te present scarcity of money for the China New Year, but the prospec's of this Company are also excellent, and its business is so good that wa think nothing more need be said on that score. We had thus invested more than our
is
taken
905
reserve
fund amounted to at that time, but we did this with a view to the new issue of Green Island Cement shares, and when our proportion at $20, up, viz.-675 shares
cost of those bringing down the average
shall then be well shares to under $27, we
amount of our reserve fund within the for this year, viz. $80,000. Our mortgages require no comment, as under the provident y-ar Rees them on a firmer system every footing, and as to our loans, though of course we have to take rather more risk than we should if we did the usual humdrum business at low
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