72
Arrangements have now been made for the adequate supervision of these waters, and a notification declaring Junk Bay t be a port under the provisions of Section 21 of the Mer- chant Shipping Consolidation Ordinance 1899 will be published in the next issue of the Government Gazette.
I have, e'c..
(Sd.) F. H. MAY. Secretary, Chamber of Commerce.
The addition of Junk Bar to the list of authorised anchorages was notified a week ago in the Gazette, and in the Daily Press.
DOWIE AND THE CHINESE.
"Leaves of Healing," the religious organ of the Zionists, gives as a frontispiec a capital photograph of the editor, "Apostle Alexander," arm in arm with the Hon. Kang Yu Wei, former Prime Minister" of China, and President of the Chinese Empire Reform Association. The exiled reformer had been addressing the people of Zion City. The Apostle in an introductory speech made the following remark: "Listen, Empress Dowager, my voice reaches across the ocean. If you harm a hair of Kwang Su's head, especially if you kill him, I will not lift a finger to keep the Chinese Empire Reform Association from marching on Peking, and for- ever sweeping away the Manchu Dynasty." Kang Yu Wei denounced the American treat- ment of Chinese, whereat Dr. Dowie (in "Leaves of Healing; the Apostle drops the familiar surname) exclaimed:" "If America's act is proper, China has the right to pass an American Exclusion Law in China." It was lecided to pray for the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Law. A sermon reported verbatim in the
Leaves
makes Dowie refer to "Great Britain's Arful Sin in Forcing the Opium Trade Upon China." He remarked incidentally that the Japanese, in natural dignity, are not comparable with the Chinese, and that "in dignity, in national majesty, and in all that constitutes a peaceful. strong people, China, beyond all question, is ahead of Japan. For instance, the Japanese were foolish for "putting on our American leg-bags called trousers, instead of their own beautiful, convenient and artistic costumes.' Referring to the attempted murder of a Zionist missionary, which we reported at the time. Dowie alleged that the perpetrators Kere instigated by a missionary of another sect, who had been reproved by the Zionist for smoking and drinking.
THE SHAUKIWAN MURDER.
Cheung Fat was arraigned before Mr. F. A. Hazeland at the Police Court on the 27th July. charged with the murder of a sampan. girl, Shek Kao, at Shaukiwan on theth Juue. Inspector Robertson conducted the case
un behalf of the police.
-
Leung Shap, the deceased's mother, was the first witness.
She said I have known the sccused for some time past. Ho visited my house-boat and made an offer to keep my daughter (the murdered girl. The deceasedl refused his overtures but they were friendly and she had frequently taken him out in her boat. When the deceased refused the accused's offers he threatened her, saying that if she would not
be his sweetheart she would die at his hands. On other occasions when he visited the boat,
accused repeated his threats. After this accused was not allowed to visit the boat, and did not have an opportunity of speaking to the deceased. I last saw my daughter alive at 9 o'clock on the night of the murder: she then went out with the passenger boat. She was wearing a pair of gold bangles, a gold hair pin, two silver girdles and a pair of silver earpins. The boat was found next morning on the beach at Shaukiwau, and was then empty. It had been washed, and turned upside-down to dry.
Lo Mui Su. boatwoman, declared---I was acquainted with both the deceased and accused. On the evening in question I saw the accused and two other men engage the deceased's boat, and she took them out into the bay.
Hearing continues.
|
[July 29, 1905.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
INCREASED COST OF MEAT THE PEKIN SYNDICATE LTD.
AT HONGKONG.
THE
Following is the minute as to the effect of Government market rent and slaughter-house fees upon the retail selling price of beef and mutton, laid before the Legislative Council at yosterday's meeting
MARKET RENTS.
The total rents paid by beef and mutton shops in the markels amount at the present rate to $10,889.40 a year..
The dead weight of beef sold during 190 may be estimated at 5.651,983 lbs. and of mut: ton at 941,633 lbs, making a total of 6,593,616 lbs. Of this total, roughly one-eighth is sold direct from the slaughter-house to consumers, the remainder 5.769,414 lbs. being sold in the markets. The increase in price per lb. due to market reats is accordingly $10,889.40 over 5,769,414 equalling $0.00188.
SLAUGHTER-HOUSE FEES.
The incidence of the fee falls equally upon all parts of the animal, viz, on the skin, blood, offal hoofs, meat, etc.
The live weight of the animal has accordingly been taken in estimating the effect of the Government fee upon the selling pric›.
30,829 cattle and 23,736 sheep were killed during the year 1904 $12.331 60 was received in cattle fees and $4.747.20 in sheep fees during this period. Estimating the average live weight of cattle including calves at 400 lbs. and of sheep at 95 lbs., the price per lb. is increased by Government fees by $17.078.80 over 14.586,520 equalling $0.00171.
The price of meat is therefore raised on the whole owing to Government charges by 80.00359 per lb.
A. W. BREWIN
Registrar General.
Hongkong. 10th July, 1905,
LOSS OF THE
ROHILLA-MARU.“
HOPELESSLY STRANDED IN THE INLAND SEA, Details of the loss of the old Rohilla cama yesterday with the Japan Chronicle. The Rohira-maru (form ly the P. & O. str., Itohilla) which recently stranded near Idzukushima, has now broken in two and will become a total logg, Tho Rohira-maru left the Innoshima dock in the Iuland Ses on the afternoon of the 6th inst. for Ujina. She struck the Manila Rock, near Kokurokami island. about one mile south of
at about Miyajima.
8 o'clock on the morning of the 7th instant.
It appears that when the steamer was approaching the rock, three fishing boats were sighted right in the course, and the Rohira altered her course to avoid a collision, whereupon she struck the sunken rock by the stern. The steamer was lifted about 14 degrees, and suffered serious damage on the bottom below the bridge. She made water rapidly and soon Nos. 2 and 3 holds were filled and the berth of the chief engineer was under water owing to the list. By about 8 o'clock a.m. the steamer was nearly submerged. There were on board 1837 persons including a crew of 87, twelve surgeons and military hospital nurses, and 31 dock workers. At above 5 o'clock in the morning the surgeons and hospital men with their effects left the steamer in the ship's boats and landed at Koso. Here the vessel's goar was also lauded. The captain and officers remained on board and did their best to save their ship, but in vain. On the morning of the 18th inst. an engineer with men was to arrive from the Ujins office of the Kawasaki Dockyard, but in the opinion of au expert the vessel's position was hopeless and further operations were abandoned.
a
The Rulira was insured for Y150,000 She was bought by the Tokyo Kison Kaisha from the P. & O. S.N. Company a few years ago. and in April last year was sold to the Oshiro Steamship Company of Tokyo. Since the outbreak of the war she has been serving as hospital ship. The Rohura-mare has encoun- tered several accidents and was regarded as the most uulucky of all the steamers in the Govern ment service. During her latest mishap the master and his officers worked hard to save those on board, with the result that all were landed without a single person being injured, a result for which the captain and officers are given every credit.
In cuection with the long memorial of Sheng Kung pao, says the Peking Times, we recently had an opportunity of personally consulting Mr. George Jamieson and he kindly gave us the following information with regard It is to the present condition of affairs. generally reported that the Pekin Syndicate Ltd. has sold its railway, but this, Mr. Jamieson assures us is not quite exact. What has actually been done is the obtaining from the Chinese Government of a guarantee for the payment of the cost of the line and interest at 5 per cent. Originally the
Syndicate was to build the line and work it for 60 years taking their chance, and to be at the end of that period it was handed over to the Chinese Government without any payment. By the present arrangement the Syndicate are on precisely the same footing as the Lu-Han or any other line, that is to say the Syndicate receives Government bonds for the cost plus interest during construction, and hold and work the line until repayment is made which is to be by instalments extending over 30 years. The Syndicate gets the use of the line for their mineral traffic, and moreover it is stipulated that after the line passes into the hands of the Chinese the rates are not to be raised against them. Sheng's Memorial sets out tolerably fairly the tedious negotiations which have ended in the abore arrangement. From his point of view it no doubt seemed very aureas nable that the Syndicate should ask for this guarantee. His opinion was that the Government had already agreed to a deal too much, and to ask for more was pre- posterous. But for a promise obtained from Prince Ching by the British Legation at an early period, the guarantee would probably not have been obtained at all. As it is the Syndi- cate has had to give up something, namely to give the Chinese Government the option of taking a half share in the working of the iron in Shausi. By the original agreement the Chinese were to receive one quarter of the net profits after payment of 5 per cent. on the cipi al employed, they contributing nothing. Now they find half the capital and take half the profits. Mr. Jamieson is of the opinion that if the Chinese act up to the spirit of this agreement it will be advantageous to both the Chinese and the Syndicate. The possibilities in Shansi are very great but, remote as it is from the Consuls and gunboats, a foreign company would work under serious disadvantage unless it carried with it the good will of the officials and people. It is hoped, of course, that this will be secured by the co- operating scheme. Sheng Kung-pao, however, is wrong in supposing that the Pukow railway scheme was abandoned in deference to his opposition. It is not abandonel at all, What happened but is only in abeyance. was this: The British and Chinese Corporation held preliminary contracts for a line from Chinkiang, afterwards changed to Pukow, running north and joining the German line from Tientsin (Anglo-German concession) and also a line from Pukow to Hsinyang a point ou the Lu-Hau railway. The Syndicate's proposed line would have ran at an angle between these two or rather, owing to the contiguration of the country, it would have run for about 100 miles nearly parallel with t
Pukow
Tientsin line. It was obvious fire would be an undesirable rivalry between two British companies so far as this port was concerned. to their mutual and that it would be
advantage to pool their interests and have a joiut line. This and other considerations led to an amalgamation of the two companies for all future railway devolopment north of the Yangtze, and having coms to a satisfactory agreement between themselves they-approached were able to the Chiness Government and obtain a general settlement for the future, linking up the lower Yangtze with Kaifong and the Yellow River and including conditional concessions in other parts of China. The details of this settlement have not yet been made public. The first step in the programme how. ever, is the settlement of the agreement for the Anglo-German line from Tientsin to the Yangtze, and this still blocks the way. time the Syndicate, which hopes to be turning
Mean.
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