170
The extraordinary expenditure on the roofs and theatre has been paid for out of revenue.
A statement of accounts is attached.
W. J. GRESSON.
Chairman.
Account of receipts and expenditure from 1st January
to 81st December, 1904.
To balance in hands of Treasurer as shown
in last report...
To rent of theatre, &o.
$12,161.96
To rent of ball room, St. An-
drew's Hall, &c.
To rent of Chamber of Commerce
4,203.58 764.65
To rent of Brokers' Association
Room
130.00
To Government grant
1,200.00
To interest on current account
252.80 105 57
To sale of library catalogues,
fines, and sundries
By salaries and wages
By retiling and repairing roofs, new coil-
ings and pit seats
By general repairs
By electric light and gas
By water, fire brigade and polios
By office, library and museum sundries
By fire insurance.
By refund of deposit for theatre...
By balance in bank exclusive of fixed de.
posite
$3,938.34
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND | repaid. On the other hand, Loans on Mortgage show an increase of $168,500, the other items remaining much the same. The balance at the oredit of Working Account 1904 is $260,374.35, | which is considerably above the average, al. though 868,673.13 less than the sum carried forward last year, This is accounted for by losses being ususually heavy, being $139.901.29 as
the against $46,273,55 in
1903 account. Fires were very numerous during the year, especially in Shanghai, and the two fires in Kowloon Godowns here will be still fresh in Our Premium and Interest your minds. Accounts both show satisfactory increases, the former of $35,450.46, and the latter of 88,749.90. During the year we commenced doing business in Caloutta and India generally and so far this has proved very satisfactory. We also have open- ed an Agency at Chinwangtao. Our outstand ing liabilities in Japan also ran off, without, I am glad to say, any further losses. I will now move that the Directors' report and statement of accounts for the year 1904 as presented be adopted. After this has been seconded, I shall be pleased to answers any questions that may be 700.76 put relating to business before the meeting. 1,955.30 Mr. ORANGE:-I have very much pleasure in
331.98
seconding the motion and also to congratulate the Board and the acting secretary on the $20,586.58
excellent figures produced before us. I have 2,229.82 also to thank, on behalf of the shareholders, the Chairman for his very excellent speech, which certainly gives us very much more in formation on the working of the Company than is usual at ordinary meetings.
18,878,06
$22,816.40
$4,425.20
8,506.75
1,530.53 3,380.31 355.76
$22,816.40
THE CHINA FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, LIMITED,
ANNUAL MEETING.
The thirty-sixth ordinary meeting of the China Fire Insurance Company, Limited, was held at the Company's offices, No 3, Queen's Road, Central, fon March 9th. Mr. E. Goetz (Chairman) presided, and there were
also present: Hon. Mr. R. Shewan, Messrs N. A. Siebs, H. W. Slade, A. Haupt, A. G. Wood, E. Shellim, E. 8. Joseph, J. J. Leiria, A. J. V. Ribiero, W. H. Wickham, Captain Goddard, Tong Lai Chnen, Chan Pat, B. M. Conceicio, F. Smythe, P.M N. da Silva, A.H.M. da Silva, Hon. Wei Yuk and C. Pemberton (acting secretary).
The SECRITARY read the notice convening the meeting.
The CHAIRMAN said-Gentlemen, the Directors' Report and Statement of the Com. pany's accounts for the past year having been in
your hands for some time, I will, subject to your approval, now adopt the usual ourse and take them as read. You will, I am sure, have noticed with great pleasure the extremely favorable out-turn of the year 1903, which ha resulted in a profit of $236,374.17, the loss ratio being 48.85 per cent. of the premium income, as compared with 41.71 per cent. for 1902. With your approval we propose to deal with this sum as follows:
Dividend of $6 and bonus of $1
per share
Add to extra reserve fund
Bonus to office staff..
.$140,000.00 92,364.17 4,010.00
$236,374.17
The motion was unanimously carried. The appointment of the Hon. R. Shewan was confirmed on the motion of Mr. LEIRIA, seconded by Mr. SILVA.
Mr. RIBIERA proposed the re-election of Messrs. H. W. Slade and. Haupt to the Board of Directors. Mr. SMYTHE seconded and the motion was carried.
Messrs. W. H. Potts and A. R. Lowe were re-elected auditors, on the motion of Mr. JOSEPH, seconded by Mr. WICKHAM,
The CHAIRMAN:-That is all the business, gentlemen; thank you for your attendance. Dividend warrants will be posted this afternoon.
CANTON.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton, 4th March
THE VICEROY'S RETURN. His Excellency the Viceroy Shum Chon Hün having successfully suppressed the Kwangsi rebellion, requested the Imperial government to allow him to return to Canton. By order of the Emperor, he started from Wu Chow on the 1st inst by the gunboat Ting Sai and arrived at Sam Sui the same evening. Next morning the 2nd inst., with several attendants, incognito, he travelled by the Sam Sui railway to Canton. When they got the news of his arrival, it was too late for the officials to receive him. Later the Provincial Treasurer handed him the official
seal of the Viceroyalty. All his civil and military officials, the writers, attendants and soldiers who have been staying with him in Wu Chow are returning,
OBSTRUCTIVE PRIESTS,
We are again, I am glad to say, in the happy position of being able to recommend a Bonus of $1 per share, in addition to the usual By order of the Imperial Government, almost dividend of $6 per share, and also to transfer all the joss houses, the priests' temples, and the the sum of $92,364.17 to the Extra Reserve convents, have to allot some space for school! Fund, which will then stand at $218,039.73. work. The priests are not at all satisfied, and Such results, however, cannot be expect are doing their best to oppose and give trouble ed every year, and your Directors cannot to the gentry. Bo on the morning of the 26th impress upon you too strongly the advisability, February when the School in the Cheong Sow in the best interests of the Company, of con-
Tsz Buddhist temple was being opened for the tinuing to build up the Extra Reserve Fund. reception of the scholars, over thirty priests Bad years may come and we may be in the wont into the schoolrooms, broke all the tables unfortunate position of having to show a loss and chairs, and the tablets, and took away many instead of a profit. This fund would then, we things. As they were doing so, they incited the hope, enable us to continue our dividend, and crowds that were gathering there to help them its utility in this respect has been already to make a noise, and to throw stones at the twice proved in 1898 and 1901, when, but Committesmen. Many persons had their heads for its existence, the dividend would have broken. The Magistrates of the Nam Hoi and had to be decreased. Turoing now to Pun Yui went with soldiers and police to the Balance Sheet, the amount under the suppress the riot. Subsequently the priests heading of Investiments shows a decrease of $110,660,42, which is principally accounted for by the fact that the Hongkong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Co's Debentures, of which the Company held $103,152,50, have been
called a meeting to ventilate their grievances, and the gentry also called meeting after meeting to protest against the acts of the riotous priests, both parties presenting petitions to the Magistrates.
[March 11, 1905.
QUEER LOTTERY PIDJIN, Since the house property, lands, jewellery, and clothing of the gambling monopolist Li Sai Kwai, and of the ex-Nam Hof Magistrate, Pui Kingfùk, were seized and confiscated by order of the government, a lottery has been made of them at 36 a ticket. It was to be drawn on the 16th of the 1st moon; but as the greater part of the tickets were not sold, the drawing was postponed till the 16th of the 2nd moon. The people have already lost confidence in the officials; and suspect them of fraud. In order to get rid of the tickets the officials and Weiquins of the lekin stations have given away the tickets, at a discount, to their olerks and servants, and to soldiers in payment of their
wages.
INTER STING ASSAULT CASE.
LIEUTENANT V. COISWAIN Before Mr. F. A. Hazeland at the Police Court on Mar. 7th, Lt. Dobbin R.G.A. charged Cheung Tim, coxswain of the steam launch Kwong Hing, with using abusive language and being guilty of conduct calculated to provoke a breath of the peace, and further, in conjunc- tion with others unknown to the complainant unlawfully did assault the complainant on the 24th February last. Mr. Looker (of Messrs. Deacon, Looker, and Deacon) represented the complainant.
G.H.W. Dobbin deposed: I am a Lieutenant of the R.G.A. On the 24th February I was stationed at Lyemun. I went to the Kwong Hing launch at 7.30 in the evening to go to Kowloon, understanding it was to start at that time. It did not leave until 8.15. When we got clear of the jetty a man came for the fare and I remarked that the launch was late in starting. The man went and spoke to the defendant, who was at the wheel. There were two forms in the front of the launch, and I was sitting on one of them. The defendant came up, caught me by the right arm, and said "come now, pay at once" I then put a card on the table with three cents. He took up the three
cents and went to the wheel. I then went and sat on the port side, as far away as I could from the defendant. About ten minutes after- wards he came up to me again, caught me by the arm, and said, referring to the card. “What is write down." He then shook me by the arm. I said to the defendant "I will find out if you have started at the right time" The defendant, still holding on to my arm, said in a peremptory manner You report me to No. 1 You are d- Englishman and went to get us Chinese into frouble." He then pushed my arm and said "I think no belong d-Englishman; belong d- Scotchman." The defendant then called me a d- fool. whereupon I tried to strike him. He attempted to catch me by the arm, but I caught him by the throat. I bore the defendant to the deck when five men sprang upon me and held me face downwards. One of the men kioked me on the back. They kept me down until we arrived at Hongham. I was wearing a field service cap which fell on the deck. As we came alongside the wharf a constable came up and I was let go. The defendant seized me by the arm and said- "Go on: the cap have go overboard." I went with the constable to the Police Station, the defendant following with four or five men. reported the case to the Sergeant on duty, who said it was entirely my fault. Had I struck the defendant I should have had to strike him on the left side of the face.
I
Nadda, an Indian passenger, corroborated the officer's statement.
Wong U Sam, Court Usher, gave evidence as to serving the summons on the defendant. Defendant threw it on the ground, saying he did not assault the complainant, but the com- plainant assaulted him. Four or five fokis then rushed out from the inside of the shop and called out "Ta, Ta” "Strike him," "Strike him."
Cheung Tim declared. It was 7.35 or 7.45 p.m when we got alongside the jetty at Shau- Kiwan.
We then had our rice. While I was eating mine, complainant came on board and sat down. He did not say anything at that time. Sometime after leaving, the collector want up to him. The complainant had a lot to say to the collector, who did not
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