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September 23, 1905.]
ཨི ཨཱསྶ ཡཾ ཡཾ དྷ
magazines in case of danger. The Japanese are not by nature a careless race; on the contrary one of their chief characteristics is their facility for organisation; and if one thing more than another distinguished their con luct during the campaign it was the wonderful manner in which every even- tuality had been worked out from the beginning. In the first place, then, it was extremely unlikely that a fire would break out, especially at night. In the next place hal it broken out, there is no likelihood that the means for its extinction were not at hand and ready for immediate service. In the third place, had the fire broken cut and the means for its extinction were not immediately available we may be sure that every precaution pos- sible had been taken in the building of the ship to prevent its communication to the magazine. The interval between the alleged breaking out of the fire and the explosion was given as only twenty-five minutes. To suppose that a fire on board, however fierce, could have communicated with the magazine is to cast such a heavy reflection, not only on the builders, but on the dis- cipline of the ship, as is utterly at variance with what we know regarding both one and the other.
But the ship blew up; and there must have been a cause. That at least is self- evident; but what was the cause? Here we are in the same difficulty as the critics. We may, however, make a suggestion, if ouce we are permitted to get rid of the suggested fire. Modern explosives are of so tender a nature, and the bond that holds the various components together is of so unstable a nature, that all governments who have experimented on their composition are aware of the danger. Most modern explosives have for their base picric acid, and without the most stringent precautions one and all of these combinations are apt to degenerate and enter into new. Now the Japanese owed much of the success of their artillery to the use of a new explosive to which they gave the name of shimose. The invention was not altogether new; for a very similar mixture has been experimented on by the British War office, and rejected on account of the instability of its com position. The Japanese experts, however, claimed to have overcome these difficulties, and certainly during the war it seemed to have answered all that was required of it not only as to power, but also as regarded non-liability to disruption. May not the éxplosion have had some connection with this new powder? We merely throw out the suggestion for what it is worth. The large number of casualties seems to point to the crew having been taken unawares. The complement of the Mikasa was a little over nine hundred all told. It is unlikely that after the destruction of the Russian fleet the full complement was on board. Peace too was in sight and it is not unlikely that many men were away on leave. If we suppose that seven hundred were on board we should probably be about the mark; of these six hundred are killed, wounded or missing. This would seem to indicate a sudden explosion when the men, except the few required for patrol duty, were in bed. It is hardly consistent with the suggestion that they were at their stations employed in putting out a fire. If the Japanese are misjudged meanwhile, it will be because their Government is not quite free from
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
1.
COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was held at the Council Chamber on September 21st.
'There were present:
HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, MAJOR SIR Matthew Nathan, K.C.M.G.
Hon. Colonel C. H. DARLING, R.E. ((feneral Officer Commanding the Troops).
Hon. Mr. T. SERCOMBE SMITH (Colonial Secretary).
Hon. Sir H. S. BERKELEY, K.C. (Attorney. General).
Hon. Mr. L. A. M. JOHNSTON (Colonial Treasurer).
Hon. Mr. E. A. IRVING (Registrar-General). Hon. Mr. BASIL H. TAYLOR, R.N. (Harbour Master).
Hon. Mr. W. CHATHAM (Director of Public Works).
Hon. Mr. R. SHEWAN,
Hon. Sir C. P. CHATER, C.M.G. Hon. Dr. Ho Kai, M.B., C.M., C.M.G. Hon. Mr. GERSHOM STEWART. Hon. Mr. WEI YUK,
Hon. Mr. W. U. DICKSON. Mr. A. G. M. FLETCHER (Clerk of Councils).
MINUTES.
read and confirmed.
The minutes of the previous meeting were
REPORTS.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY-I move that the Financial minutes, No. 35 and 39, be referred to the Finance Committee.
The COLONIAL TREASURER-I second it. The motion was agreed to.
the table the report of the Finance Committee The COLONIAL SECRETARY-I bag to lay on No. 7 and move its adoption.
The COLONIAL TREASURER-I second it. The motion was agreed to,
THE ESTIMATES,
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The COLONIAL SECRETARY-It is usual for a member who is in charge of a Bill to avail himself of the second reading to take the Bill and urge its merits, but in view of opportunity to say something about the the lucid and comprehensive explanation of the estimates of 1906 given from the chair a fortnight ago, I think I cannot with advantage make any additional remark, and I will simply content myself by moving the second reading of the Bill entitled Au Ordinance to apply a sum not exceeding Five million hundred and seventy six Dollars to the Public seven hundred and seventeen thousand two Service of the year 1906.
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The COLONIAL TREASURER-I beg to second | it.
209
Department is enormous, How is it that at
Canton where there is little or no such pre- cautions or expenditure plague is never worse than it is hera where we keep an army of men doing nobody seems to know what? Half the money spent on Water Works, it seems to me would be far more to the purpose, and instead, of so many bacteriologists we might have | trained entomologist from home who would teach us how to trace out and demolish the white ant and other insect pests which cause a
huge loss to this Colony every year by their destruc- tin of property. I regret very much the de- ferment of the No. 2. section of the Tytam Water Works scheme. You say a large outlay if we can afford it would hasten the completion of the project,' Then why not afford it ? If the outlay cannot be met out of revenue we must have a losu, but do not let us lose a moment in pushing forward the whole work to completion as soon as possible by every means in our power. I hope that the $75,000 spent on flushing tanks. for the drains will enable us to do away with the present disgusting system of cleaning the sowers by hauling chains through them. While on this subject I would protest against the way in which the Praya and other places are bring disfigured by unsightly urinals, which should be built underground, and not almost immediately below people's offices and verandahs where they are a nuisance and an offence. The comparative figures fer 1831 and 1906 are Interosting, but although we spend a great deal more money now I do not know that Hongkong to-day is, as pleasant a place as it was then when we did not have the Sanitary Board making away with 11.15 per cant. of our revenue. Nor does it seem to me to be creditable that with a far greater population our expenditure on education cent. to 2.73 per cent. should, as you say, have dropped from 3.5 per It is quite right to economise and cut down expenses, but it should not be done at the cost of education. I am sorry to see that the Government has done nothing to stop the influx of coins from the mainland. It is little short of a disgrace that the people of a British Colony shoull, have to use a debased foreign coin which the Banks refuse to accept, take at a large discount and which even the ricksha coolies will only matter which the Government if it wishes to There is another
assist the trade of this Colony might look into, and that is, the registration of Chinese partner- ships. The present want of system plays into the hands of bank compradores and others who try to make money by guaranteeing obscure or unknown Chinese hongs aud firms, but vented this year if merchants and tradershad much misery and loss would have been pre- been able to know better with whom they were dealing, I am glad to hear that something is to be done to give better roads to Kowloon, but why does the Govenment tinker with the matter in this way? Why can it not draw up and broad boulevards for Kowloon and the New Territory to which all building sites and building must conform instead of the present haphazard system of running & street bere and a road there jast as some one happens to put up a house P It will have to be done all over again just as in London to-day they bare a 8 volumes, laying down a scheme of road Royal Commission, whose report run int improvements for London which is estimat- ed to cost thirty million pounds nearly, of which might have been avoided and saved if the Government of that day had adopted the advice and carried out the plans submitted to them by Sir Christopher Wren and John Evelyn for the rebuilding of the town after the Great Fire of London. It will be the same with Kowloon later on if we do not look ahead and exercise a little forethought and imagination. The new scale of salaries for subordinate officers will, I fear, not do very much good. It is a step in the right direction, of course, for if you want a good man you must pay good wagen, but you will never secure efficiency until you give the Heads of Departments full power to dismizs with or without commutation of pension, otherwise the good men leave indolent and incompetent
while the you only to swell your pay roll and pension. remain with list. Stimulating industries would I think be best effected by the Government giving up its
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Hon. Mr. SHEWAN-After Your Excellency's full explanation of the Estimates there is not two points on which I think we should have much left for me to say, but there are one or
more light. The Bill in connection with the Widows' and Orphans' Fund has not yet been laid before us and it does not seem to me to be correct to include this appropriation in the Estimates: for if we vote the Estimates we commit ourselves to the princip'e of a bill which has not yet been passed. The money it Government servants from whos, salaries it has is proposed to appropriate belongs to the been deducted. It is in the nature of a trust fund and should be treated accordingly, but it is put down in the Estimates as Revenue. I feel sure that no auditor or accountant would pass this except as capital from the interest on which the pensions are derive 1. How the Government can propose to appropriate the large amount of $221,000 without even saying by your leave to the men to whom it belongs I cannot understand. I notice, too, that there pensions will require a clerk &c., &c., costing $3,000 per annum, so that at the very out set we are plunged into an extra expense. This item is pat down as exempt from military contribution, but is it so? Ordinance No 1 of 1901 ex mpts only proceeds of land sales and leases, and therefore before this money is dealt with a clear understanding must be come to with the military. As a detail I would ask American papers report that the pearl and that the rate of exchange at which the pensions abell fisheries in the Sulu group of the Philip-on page 7 of the Es imates are paid in London pine archipelago promise to be an important should be stated, as at present it is very mislead industry in the near future.
ing. $491,645 to be spent by the Sanitary
blame.
a fixed and definite soheme of wide roads
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