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July 24, 1905.j
THE CANTON HANKOW RAILWAY.
on
Another meeting took place yesterday between the gentry and the Sin Hau Kuk, representing the Viceroy. The subject was the invariable one of ways and means to undertake the work. The province is called upon to contribute four million taels towards the cost of the line. The gentry assent to find the funds
the condition that they will have the handling of the money and the control of the work; and also, that they will have every help and support from the Govern. ment in all matters connected with the build ing of the line, especially with regard to the expropriation of land necessary for the line. The officials, it is needless to say, refuse to entertain what they consider as unwarranted pretensions on the part of men. good enough And the matter (in their eyes) only to bleed. is at a dead stop as hereto'ore.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
Canton. 22nd July, MORE ABOUT GOVERNOR CHANG,
As I informed you by telegram, the Governor of Kwangtung Province has been ordered to take up the position as Governor of Shansi. Governor This is considered promotion, as Chang will be no longer under the control of a Viceroy. He, it is said, is very pleased with the change, and it is a well-known fact that he seldom agress with Viceroy Shum in matters connected with Kwangtung Province, being of a more conservative temperament. He is an exceedingly ambitious man, and his promotion is said to be due to his swelling of the treasury, at the cost, perhaps, of bis popularity. Excepting his success as a financier, Governor Chang, although said to be endowed with great common sense and experience gained during his long career, had not achieved much during his term in the office he is now vacating. Governor Chang will long be remembered in Canton on account of at least one unpopular nessure, though I for one cannot denounce his action. Many, however, think it amusing that His Excellency's rigid moral sense should be the cause of increasing the revenue. It was he who was responsible for the closing up of that well- known quarter of amusement knowa as Chan Tong Nam or Ha Chab Tong. This place is situated to the north of the Shameen, behind the British Concession canal. The attractions here were fautan establishments, restaurants and "sing song" honees. The place had been burned down several times, and was ouly recently re built on much larger and grander scale. It was here that "John Chinaman" entertained his friends to big chow chows," thera being no less than seventeen eating-houses withiu a few doors of one another. Most of these are three story buildings capable of accommodating four to five hundred guests.
►
Before Governor Chaug's order, the main street in this locality was a blaze of brilliance, thousands of electric lights being used in the display. The soft, pleasing tinkling of the Chinese harp, rudely interrupted by the abominable banging of a neighbouring band, made the character of the surroundings apparent. The buildings are of the best Chines style-pillars, coloured glass doors and windows, carving and reliefs, and guilding in profusion. Few tourists, indeed, who know but the coolie class of China: men-workers from morning to night for a matter of a few cash-can realise the cost of
erecting and fitting out this description of building, comparatively small as compared with our European structares. A native who knows, informed me that the average price would be $10,000 to $50,000 for each building. The number of sing song
girls in the palmy days were said to be about 3,000 and they all
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lived in the quarter itself or the vicinity.
The fautan shops were the most paying in
uor's measure.
the city and their "compulsory closing means a loss to the fantan monopolist of the western suburb of 200 trels a day. The electric light company, too, must have felt keenly the Gover
Governor Chang made the order on account of a strike which took place in the beginning of the year. This originated in a fracas between a certain property holder, tenants, and the new Canton Police. and resulted in a raid on the Western Suburb Police Station. The Viceroy chose a novel
way of "
17
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
getting his own," or getting more than his own, perhaps, by imposing a fine of one month's rent on all the houses in Sap Pat Po, where the trouble originated, while Governor suppress the Chang made use of the occasion to
sing song houses, thus entailing the ruin of the whole Chan Tong Nam quarter.
Now is where the squeeze comes in. It is believed that after Jovernor Chang's departure the interdiction will be raised. A syndicate, în fact, has been formed offering 850,000 to the Viceroy if he will authorise the re-opening of the " sing song" houses. This being so, the Chinese look forward to seeing Chan Tong Nam resuming its old appearance.
MORE PROMOTIONS
Consequent upon Governor Chang's promo- tion, his transfer from Kwangtung to Shansi, the present Governor of Shansi will take up the position as Governor of Wu Chang, and His Excellency Tan Fang will receive a mission abroad. The ex-Governor of Kwangtung will probably not be replaced in his old position. Viceroy Shum, therefore, will hold the joint seals officially as Viceroy and Gov ruor-a power, indeed, he has always held in effect.
PAKHO I.
L
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
July 17th.
AN OFFICIAL VISITOR, The Limchow-fu, or the Prefect of Limchow,
arrived here on the afternoon of the 12th inst., and on the following day he went round on official callings to the principal authorities, and then went on board the Chinese gun-boat Kang Kum on a visit of inspection. He left for Limchow again on the 14th.
BURSTING OF A GUN.
A passage boat having purchased an old and rusty cannon in order to improve her a mament to fight against the pirats, who are ever so numerous in these waters, the skipper in order to test the new acquisition before proceeding to sea, rammed in a full charge of powder and fired, with the result that the gun burst into atoms, but fortunately nobody was hurt by the accident as the gunner and other members of the crew were careful enough to place them selves at a safe distance at the time the gun
went off.
A LARGE GANG OF PIRATES.
Ŏn
The 8.s. Hue arrived on the morning of the 14th inst. from Haipboar, with not less than twenty-eight Chinese prisoners board, arrested by the French authorities, in Tenkia. Amongst the prisoners there were four who were eagerly wanted by the Chinese Government and for whose arrest big rewards had been offered.
These men were escorted by a squad of French Gendarmerie and soon after arrival were landed near the Customs jetty and marched to the French Consulate compound and then handed to the native authorities, who immediately took them to Limchow, where they will be tried and probably suffer the penalty. The most import- ant amongst the gang is named Lum-Chung- Yit, age between thirty-four and thirty-six, for whose capture rewards to the amount of six or
seven thousand dollars had been offered collec-
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This is so far as regards the natives, but when a member of the foreign community requires the assistance of one of the doctors, he is at once on the spot to help and with such assiduity that might cause the envy of residents in other treaty ports or even perhaps in other more import.nt centres. When is a surgical operation is at stake, which a thing of almost daily occurrence, the two learned physicians generally join hands and make a common case of it.
A TIGER CAUGHT.
On the
A full-grown tigress, weighing about on hundred and fifty calties, was killed by the natives at a neighbouring village on the night of the 14th inst. under most peculiar circum- stances. As the story goes, three native women were set to watch on the groundnut field as the nuts are about to be gathered. These females erected there a small hut to sleep in. night in question they heard footsteps as of robbers groping about, but to their astonish ment they saw the brute just at the entrance. As the females were armed with long spears, they thrust at the animal with such success that it became disabled; and the alarm raised by the women soon brought to the ground some vil agers, armed with clubs and spears, who flually killed the tigress. The carcase wheel-barrowed to Pakhoi the following day to be disposed of. The flesh was retailed at two cents per ounce.
POLICE COURT BUSINESS.
WBS
The abstract of cases under cognizance of the Police Magistrates' Court during last year, published in the Government Gazette, shows that the total number of cases was 14,505, in which 16,59 prisouers appeared before the Court. The numbers convicted and punished were, males 13,129; females, 796, while 1,966 males and 210 females were discharged. 83 males and three females were committed for trial at the Supreme Court, while seven
were
males
from H.E. detained pending orders the Governor. To keep the peace 122 males and 21 females were bound to be of good behaviour. Fifteen witnesses were punished for preferring false charges or giving wilful false testimony, while the sentences against 75 males remained undecided. During the year 5,311 summonses for defendants and 93 sum- monses for witnesses were issued, also 21 writs for notices of rehearing. Warrants issued in- clude 87 arrest, 2,436 search, 152 for entering gambling houses and 503 Magistrates' Orders, making the total number of writs issued 3,178.
From New Territory there were 351 cases, the total number of prisoners being 501. 385 males and 32 females were convicted and punished, while 71 males and 13 females were discharged, 20 males and six females were bound over to keep the peace, while 27 males were exposed in the stocks. Three witnesses, two males and one female. were punished for preferring false charges or giving wilful false testimony. The total number of writs issued was 473, including 27 summonses for defendants, 436 search war- rants and ten warrants for entering gaming houses.
tively by different officials and by victims of his past depredations. A large crowd for ued at WORK FOR HONGKONG VAGRANTS. the lauding to get a glimpse of the famous pirate, who is a native of Loong-t'am, a village some three miles from this port.
THE HEALTH OF THE PORT.
This has been anything but pleasant. There have been sporadic cases of plague among the natives, but it was comparatively of a mid type, as only a few cases have proved fatal. The for- eign community has also suffered fr one complaint or another due to the sudden change of the weather at times and consequen ly the two medicos in the port, one belonging to Church Missionary Hospital and the other attached to the French government hospital, have had their time very busily engaged. The nods of former, besides attending to the
over
two hundred in-patients, including the lepers, has had scores of out-pati-nts approach him daily for help. As in both the healing institutions there is no charge for either atten- dance or medicine, the natives availed themselves in daily increasing numbers of its munificence.
The following regulations regarding the work- at which vagrants are to be employed, have been made by the Governor in Council under Section 13 of the Vagrancy Ordinance 1897-
(1.) Such work at an industrial trade, prefer- ably the vagrant's usual trade, as the Superin- tendent shall prescribe; or (2) Picking not more than 14 lbs. of oakum a day; or (3) Crank
labour, not exceeding 7,000 revolutions a day or (4) Any other work of a hard bodily naturo which the Governor shall from time to time approve.
2. A vagrant in the House of Detention shall not be employed in company with ordinary prisoners. He may be permitted to go out every day except on Sundays and other holidays, during such hours as the Superintendent may specify, for the purpose of seeking employment, provided that he has completed the work prescribed for that day.
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