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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND claims to inter its that she seems to bave only too fruly establishell, The Shanghai correspondent of the Times seems to consider that Japan fought for the integrity of China; but it was the integrity of Japan that seemed immediately in quea- tion; and we certainly do not expect that, even with the Anglo-Japanese alliance, Japan will be anxious to insist upon the complete restoration of China's sovereign rights throughout the empire.",
(1
BONGKONG SANITARY
BOARD.
A meeting of the Sanitary Board was held
on the 13th June in the Board Room. Dr.
F. Clark (President) presided, and there were also present Major Josling, Dr. Pearse, Hon. Mr. A. W. Brewin, Mr. F. J. Badeley, Mr. Fung Wa Chun, Mr. Lau Chú Pak, Mr H. W. Slade, Mr. A. Rumjahn, and Mr W. Bowen- Rowlands (Secretary),
'definition of a sphere of influence as
sphere of no influence" is witty but unsatis- fying. There seems to be a need for a définite understanding as to what we really mean when we claim a sphere of influence. Is it a sphere to which we maintain an 'open door" after we have first obtained all we wanted; of what? The question is provoked by the Times' discovery that Ger many's purpose in Shantung is that of establishing something more than a sphere of influence. We find it hard to see where Shantung is less a sphere of influence than is the Yangtze valley. If Great Britain is to plume herself on her virtuous refusal to deny equal opportunities to other natious, where is her sphere of influence ? Times says that the British Government's policy in this question of sphere of influence in China has afforded a lamentable exhibition of bluster, wobble, and collapse.' There is no immediate occasion to quarrel with that. Granting it, why is Germany to be scolded for knowing her own work, without of that "wobbling "? There
The may be keen intellecta able to understand
REGISTRAR GENERAL (Hon. Mr. Brewin) pursuant to notice moved: "That the how to reconcile an "open door" in a
Medical Officer of Health be instructed to "sphere of interest"; but it would be a kind-
report what sanitary considerations should be ness to make it clear how it is to be done.
'taken into account in considering applications As we regard it, Russia was too frankly "under Section 188 (5) of the Public Health and cynical, and failed. Great Britain was Buildings Ordinance, and that the report be un-frankly optimistic, and has fallen referred to a sub-committee consisting of the between the two stools of absolute Chinese President, the Captain Superintendent of Police, Mr Pollock and Mr. Rumjahn to con- integrity and British interests. Germany was neither. Germany was merely diplo-"should be adopted by the Board in futuro cases.
sider and recommend what guiding principles matic, took her sphere of interest, and took steps to assure her interest in that sphere. German success, no doubt, accounts for much of this chagrin. As it is, Mr. HAY's pretty open door" doctrine of five years ago promises to pull down a very hornet's nest of trouble, for Germany seems to draw a fine distinction between au open door in its sphere through which all other foreigners may trade, and a still wider door through which the said foreigners might wish to meddle in the development of her leased sphere. Thus on February 19th, 1900, the Berlin Foreign Office stated:
64
commerce.
any
"The Imperial Government has from the beginning not only asserted, but also practically carried on to the fullest extent in its Chinese possessions, absolute equality of treatment of all nations with regard to trade, navigatio, and The Imperial Government entertains no thought of departing in the future from this principle, which at once excludes any prejudicial or disadvantageous commercial treatment, &c."
And Article IV. of the Supplement to the German-China Convention of 1898 says :--- "If at any time the Chinese should ferm schemes
▲ MOTION.
11
He said that all he wished to obtain was as
mach consistency as possible in considering applications of this kind. He was quite sure that landlords would agree with him that they would like to be in a positon to guess what decision of the Board would be
under on any application, but
the present circumstances it was impossible to pre- ict. He did not mean to throw any slur on the Board, of which he was a member, but unless they were guided by precedents it would be impossible to be consistent, as the personnel of the Board, was always changing. For instance, there had been three Medical Officers of Health during the space of thr e months, and he would refer to the previous meeting (when the Hong- kong Hotel application was considered) and the meeting when the application from the hotel
in Kowloon was considered. Of the nine members present at that meeting only three were present at the last. Another resson for being very careful was on account of the small number of the Board, and on occasions several were unable to be present. At the previous meeting three members were absent out of ten. That gave a greater value to the single vote than it ought to have.
The speaker also referred to Mr H. E.
meeting, on account of want of information.
The PRESIDENT—Oh, no, that was not the
TERSON.
He is a shareholder in the Hongkong Hotel Company. I have much pleasure in seconding the motion.
(Fine 17,71906, folloë” thế" genuinë “night" 'nofl·lebolle, “who domes round between one and three o'clock in the morning, to see that he contits no pillering while the accountant remained at his proper in a small way of business and so did not bake post near the counter. The petitioners were
at night. Another reason giren was that an extra care-taker, was required to keep watch over the pork man who brings his pork to the shop at about two in the morning, such pork forming part of the ingredients of the cakes baked about five or six s.m. They just wanted two men to be allowed to sleep in the bake- houses instead of one.
Dr. Pearse, the M.O.H., in a minute did not recommend that the bye-laws be modified. The caretakers might sleep on the saing tables whére food was prepared. This description of pre- mises were amongst the most difficult to keep in order.
Mr. Lau Chü Pak, in a minule; supported the petition saying that the concessions could be cancelled the moment the caretakers were four sleeping on the tables on which the cakes were prepared.
The Captain Superintendent of Police, minuted, thought the petitioners should be invited to give particulars of the alleged frequent pilferings by night-soil coolies, and state whether they were reported to the police.
The Registrar General (Hoa, Mr. Brewin), in a minute, queried whether the regulation bad been enforced uniformly for the last eight years? When laundries were licensed there was some trouble about caretakers and it was ruled that if the floor was partitioned off by latticework into two rooms and the laundry work confined to one room the caretakers could sleep in the other.
one Was
The PRESIDENT said they should be very careful with regard to food. Originally they did not wish to allow any caretakers to sleep in the bake-houses, bat, however, allowed with a good deal of misgiving. The tea houses had broad staircasės leading right into the bake-houses and numerous people slept upstairs. Plague, moreover, might have something to do with food, so it behoved them to be very
particular. He proposed that the tea house keepers be notified that the bye-law could not be altered.
The REGISTRar General seconded and it was carried.
APPLICATIONS.
Various minor applications for exemption or modification of the requirements of the Public Health and Building Ordinance were then dealt with; also applications re licences.
PUBLIC WATER.
The reports of the analysis of the public water supplies for the month of May showed that the water from each was of excellent quality.
MORTALITY STATISTICS.
The Colony's Mortality Statistics, death rate per 1,000 per annum, for the week suded the 13th May, showed the following figüres
tion), 29-1; previous week, 197; corresponding week last year, 419. Chimaeriand population, last year, 22-2. Chinese boat population, 26.6 28-9; previous week, 18·1; corresponding week previous week, 181; corresponding week last
for the development of Shantung, for the execu Pollock, K.C., not having voted at the previous British and foreign community (Civil popula tion of which it is necessary to obtain foreign capital, the Chinese Government, or whatever Chinese may be interested in such schemes, shall, in the first instance, apply to German capitalista. Application shall also be made to German manu- facturers for the necessary machinery and mater. ials before the manufacturers of any other Power are approached. Should German capitalists or manufacturers decline to take up the business the Chinese shall then be at liberty to obtain money and materials from sources of other nationality than German.”
The motion was carried,
▲ TEA HOUSE PETITION.
A petition from the proprietors of tea houses came before the Sanitary Board. The petitioners prayed that two persons might be allowed to sleep in their bake houses at night Whether the "opportunities " at Kino-instead of one. They said that whereas it was chou are equal or not, a large number of expressly provided by the bye-laws relating to Japanese firms appear to find them satis- bake-houses that "no person other than one factory. The reason why Britons do not care-taker shall occupy between the hours of test them is probably as much owing to the 11 p.m. and 5 am. any premises used as a bake- house, except persons actively engaged in uncertainty as to what is to happen in the carrying on the work of the bakery." This pro- future as to anything else. To insist upon
vision worked as a very great hardship. There strict observance of her sphere of influence was customarily a counter in the front part of the in the Yangtsze would have been a plain bakeries for selling cakes and biscuits, the practicable policy for Great Britain. Tofie money being kept near by. Th› usual custom back, and confine herself to the negative in Chinese shops was for the accountant to sleep policy of declaring the immoralty of all on the counter, and, as a protection against pheres of influence, was to stultify her. thieres, it was necessary that two men should be kept in the shop, as one man welf. It moms now too late to withdraw a was liable to be overpowered by robbers (pre- claim that was never firmly catablished, and tending to be night soil coolies) and gagged to expect that Germany will withdraw her in extra hand, moreover, was required to
year, 21-7.
LIMEWASHING RETURN, The Limewashing Retur for the fortnight ended 6th June showed that 8,534 hotfkes* Were limewashed in the Central Distriot and 3,762 in the Western District.
KAT RETURN.
The Rat Return for the week anded the 10th Jun showed that 448 (including 35 infected) were caught in the City of Victoria, and 187 (including 14 infected) in Kowloon.
A coolis in Western Market Strest, finding his sleeping quarters hot and staffy, carried-kis mat on to the roof of a house. At about four o'clock in the morning, it is promum must have rolled over in his sleep, for hà found lying on the parement seme 19
for, but below, The police were
"Kad," shorth follow was orpiring their arrival, he died. "He was reino Pod? mortaåry, where it's dun to a fractured skull.
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